PHOTOS OF LITTLE ARTHUR DUNCAN BY KURT SWANSON
E-MAIL: kurtswanson@juno.com
S.I. would like to thank Lurrie Bell for calling in sick this night.

Little Arthur's blues are infectious. As he sings, Arthur throws his head back, allowing pure emotion to escape his soul and penetrate his audience. He bounces up and down with the microphone firmly clenched in one hand, drawing inspiration from the sweat on his own brow. When he plays the blues harp, he contorts his entire body to draw out every note. He is a dynamic and energetic performer. And although he invites some comparison with James Brown, he is undoubtedly an original.

Arthur Duncan was born in Indianola, Mississippi, in 1934. He was raised on the Woodburn Plantation, where B.B. King grew up. Arthur began his musical career as a drummer, but after he moved to Chicago in 1950, he met Little Walter and took up the harmonica. For a while during the 1950's, Arthur shared a house with Little Walter and Jimmy Reed. During these years Arthur sang and played in blues clubs all over Chicago. Most of the time he had his own band, but often he would work with artists such as Hip Linkchain, John Brim, and Floyd Jones ~ CDBABY.COM