A tavern and brothel pianist from the age of twelve, Roosevelt Sykes found
himself in St. Louis in 1928, defining the city's urban style characterized by a
guitar-piano duo. In the company of the city's finest guitarists (Henry
Townsend, Lonnie Johnson), Sykes recorded extensively from 1929 onwards, scoring
numerous hits ("Night Time Is The Right Time", "The Honeydripper"). The war
brought him to Chicago, where he was one of the first to set up a muscular
electric orchestra with a brass section. Sykes was also present at the start of
the blues revival of the 60s in the USA and Eu...