Mississippi Fred McDowell
January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972
Mississippi Fred McDowell was born outside of Memphis and picked up the guitar at the age of 14. By his early 20s, McDowell was playing dances in and around Memphis, mastering the art of the slide guitar. In the late ’50s, he was exposed to a larger audience thanks to recordings he made for folklorist, Alan Lomax. He was a direct influence on Bonnie Raitt, R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, the Rolling Stones and countless others. McDowell died of cancer at the age of 67.
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