Tampa Red

Hudson Whittaker (born Hudson Woodbridge; January 8, 1903 – March 19, 1981), better known by his stage name Tampa Red, was an American 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, and Elmore James.

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 Smithville (city in Lee County, Georgia, United States), Died March 19, 1981 (Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America) )

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 26-50 of 416 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-85524 10-in. 2/26/1935 If it ain't that gal of mine Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with jug band instrumentalist, kazoo, composer, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-85525 10-in. 2/26/1935 Mean old tom cat blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with piano and guitar composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-85526 10-in. 2/26/1935 Don't dog your woman Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with piano and guitar composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-85527 10-in. 2/26/1935 Singing and crying blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with piano and guitar composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-85528 10-in. 2/26/1935 Shake it up a little Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with piano and guitar composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-91402 10-in. 7/27/1935 My baby said yes Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, kazoo, composer, guitar, vocalist, lyricist  
Victor BS-91403 10-in. 7/27/1935 I'm bettin' on you Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, guitar, kazoo, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-91404 10-in. 7/27/1935 Rowdy woman blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, kazoo, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-91405 10-in. 7/27/1935 (Play your hand) Keep on dealin' Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano instrumentalist, guitar, kazoo, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-91406 10-in. 7/27/1935 (I could learn to love you) So good Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with bass, guitar and piano instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-91407 10-in. 7/27/1935 Outside woman blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-96250 10-in. 11/1/1935 When I take my vacation in Harlem Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist, kazoo  
Victor BS-96251 10-in. 11/1/1935 Drinkin' my blues away Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-96252 10-in. 11/1/1935 Dark and stormy night Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-96253 10-in. 11/1/1935 Good woman blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-96254 10-in. 11/1/1935 You missed a good man Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-96255 10-in. 11/1/1935 Waiting blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
Victor BS-99398 10-in. 2/27/1936 Red's tight like that Tune Wranglers String band, with male vocal solo and ensemble songwriter  
Victor BS-100099 10-in. 4/1/1936 When you were a gal of seven Chicago Five ; Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, leader, kazoo  
Victor BS-100300 10-in. 4/1/1936 Let's get drunk and truck Chicago Five ; Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist, composer, leader  
Victor BS-100301 10-in. 4/1/1936 Maybe it's someone else you love Chicago Five ; Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, leader  
Victor BS-100302 10-in. 4/1/1936 I wonder what's the matter Chicago Five ; Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, leader  
Victor BS-100303 10-in. 4/1/1936 She don't know my mind Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance trio instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist, leader  
Victor BS-100304 10-in. 4/1/1936 She don't know my mind Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance trio vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, leader  
Victor BS-100330 10-in. 4/3/1936 Stormy sea blues Willie B. James ; Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano composer, instrumentalist, piano, vocalist  
(Results 26-50 of 416 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Tampa Red," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106703.

Tampa Red. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106703.

"Tampa Red." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

External Sources

Wikipedia: Tampa Red

Discogs: Tampa Red

Allmusic: Tampa Red

IMDb: Tampa Red

Britannica: Tampa Red

Linked Open Data Sources

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

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

VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/120789174

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

Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1509194 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1509194

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

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