Papa Lightfoot

Alexander "Papa" Lightfoot (March 2, 1924 – November 28, 1971), also known as Papa George Lightfoot, was an American blues singer and harmonica player. Born in Natchez, Mississippi, Lightfoot recorded several sessions in his late twenties—for Peacock Records in 1949 (which were never issued), Sultan Records in 1950, Aladdin Records in 1952, and Imperial Records in 1954. After final singles for Savoy Records in 1955 and Excello Records in 1956, Lightfoot quit recording, still an obscure Southern blues harmonica player. As interest grew in rural Delta blues in the 1960s, Lightfoot's name became more well-known and, in 1969, record producer Steve LaVere went to Lightfoot's home town of Natchez, and asked him to record again. The result was the album Natchez Trace, released on Vault Records in 1969, which brought Lightfoot briefly to the forefront of the blues revival. Rural Blues Vol. 2 followed on Liberty Records later that same year. However, his comeback was cut short by his death in November 1971 of respiratory failure in Natchez, Mississippi. The recordings were reissued in 1995 as Goin' Back to the Natchez Trace, with six additional tracks and recorded monologue. In 2009, Lightfoot was posthumously honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Natchez, granted by the Mississippi Blues Foundation. List of electric blues musicians Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 238. ISBN 0-85112-673-1. "Illustrated Papa George Lightfoot discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved March 8, 2021. "Papa George Lightfoot | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved March 8, 2021. "Papa George Lightfoot | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 8, 2021. "The Dead Rock Stars Club - The 1970s". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021. Bognadanov et al., p. 341 Mickens, Cassandra (September 5, 2009). "Blues Trail marker unveiled for Lightfoot". Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper. Retrieved July 22, 2020. "The Mississippi Blues Trail - Complete List of Installed Markers". Msbluestrail.org. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2015. Illustrated Papa Lightfoot discography