Leroy Carr
March 27, 1905 – April 29, 1935
Leroy Carr was a blues singer, songwriter and pianist who didn’t quite fit the old blues man stereotype of the day. As a suave young man from Indianapolis, his style of crooning would be more Nat King Cole than Muddy Waters; more Ray Charles than Robert Johnson. And because of (or in spite of) that, he was one of the most popular blues men of the Depression era. Some of his most popular recordings were with Scrapper Blackwell, with whom he recorded some 100 sides. His most famous song, “How Long Blues,” was later covered by Eric Clapton. Carr passed away of the effects of alcohol at just 30.