Tampa Red

Hudson Whittaker (born Hudson Woodbridge; January 8, 1903 – March 19, 1981), known as Tampa Red, was a Chicago blues musician.

His distinctive single-string slide guitar style, songwriting and bottleneck technique influenced other Chicago blues guitarists such as Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Nighthawk, Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Mose Allison. In a career spanning over 30 years, he also recorded pop, R&B and hokum songs. His best-known recordings include "Anna Lou Blues", "Black Angel Blues", "Crying Won't Help You", "It Hurts Me Too", and "Love Her with a Feeling".

Birth and Death Data: Born January 8, 1904 (Smithville), Died March 19, 1981 (Chicago)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1928 - 1951

Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist, composer, leader, kazoo, lyricist, songwriter, piano, electric guitar, speaker, yodeling

Notes: Often sub-credited as "The Guitar Wizard." Compositions generally credited as Hudson Whittaker, his real name.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 396 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BVE-48619 10-in. 11/23/1928 It's tight like that McKinney's Cotton Pickers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BVE-48755 10-in. 12/14/1928 Rolling mill stomp State Street Stompers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BVE-48756 10-in. 12/14/1928 Panama blues State Street Stompers Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80381 10-in. 3/22/1934 I'll kill your soul (And dare your spirit to move) Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with kazoo, guitar, and piano lyricist, vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, kazoo, composer  
Victor BS-80382 10-in. 3/22/1934 If I let you get away with it (You'll do it all the time) Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with kazoo, guitar, and piano lyricist, vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, kazoo, composer  
Victor BS-80383 10-in. 3/22/1934 I'll find my way Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano lyricist, vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, kazoo, composer  
Victor BS-80384 10-in. 3/22/1934 You've got to do better Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with kazoo, guitar, and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist, kazoo, composer  
Victor BS-80385 10-in. 3/22/1934 Kingfish blues Artists vary Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-80386 10-in. 3/22/1934 You don't want me blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor BS-80387 10-in. 3/22/1934 Nobody's sweetheart Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with kazoo, guitar, and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, kazoo  
Victor BS-80599 10-in. 6/14/1934 I'm just crazy 'bout you Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-80600 10-in. 6/14/1934 I still got California on my mind Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-80601 10-in. 6/14/1934 Grievin' and worryin' blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-80602 10-in. 6/14/1934 Give it up buddy and get goin' Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano lyricist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-80603 10-in. 6/14/1934 Somebody's been using that thing Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars, piano, and kazoo instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-80604 10-in. 6/14/1934 Mean mistreater blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-80925 10-in. 10/27/1934 Happy Jack Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and kazoo vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, kazoo, composer  
Victor BS-80926 10-in. 10/27/1934 I'm so disappointed in you Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and kazoo vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, kazoo, composer  
Victor BS-80927 10-in. 10/27/1934 Worried devil blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and yodeling vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, yodeling, composer  
Victor BS-80928 10-in. 10/27/1934 Christmas and New Year's blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80929 10-in. 10/27/1934 Sweet woman Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80930 10-in. 10/27/1934 I'll get a break some day Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor BS-80931 10-in. 10/27/1934 Witchin' hour blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor BS-80932 10-in. 10/27/1934 Stockyard fire Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor BS-85523 10-in. 2/26/1935 Worthy of you Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with jug band and talk vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar  
(Results 1-25 of 396 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Tampa Red," accessed December 3, 2023, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106703.

Tampa Red. (2023). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106703.

"Tampa Red." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2023. Web. 3 December 2023.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106703

External Sources

Wikipedia: Tampa Red

Discogs: Tampa Red

Allmusic: Tampa Red

Britannica: Tampa Red

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Tampa Red, 1904-1981 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92117137

Wikidata: Tampa Red - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1345751

VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/120789174

MusicBrainz: Tampa Red - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1b62df85-00d2-464f-81bc-a5c0cdcad278

FAST: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1509194

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

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