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 1-25 of 416 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 composer, instrumentalist, kazoo, guitar, vocalist, lyricist  
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 composer, instrumentalist, kazoo, guitar, vocalist, lyricist  
Victor BS-80383 10-in. 3/22/1934 I'll find my way Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano composer, instrumentalist, kazoo, vocalist, guitar, lyricist  
Victor BS-80384 10-in. 3/22/1934 You've got to do better Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with kazoo, guitar, and piano composer, instrumentalist, kazoo, vocalist, guitar, lyricist  
Victor BS-80385 10-in. 3/22/1934 Kingfish blues Artists vary Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano composer, vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80386 10-in. 3/22/1934 You don't want me blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano composer, vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80387 10-in. 3/22/1934 Nobody's sweetheart Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with kazoo, guitar, and piano instrumentalist, kazoo, vocalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80599 10-in. 6/14/1934 I'm just crazy 'bout you Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor BS-80600 10-in. 6/14/1934 I still got California on my mind Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80601 10-in. 6/14/1934 Grievin' and worryin' blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist  
Victor BS-80602 10-in. 6/14/1934 Give it up buddy and get goin' Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, lyricist  
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 vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80604 10-in. 6/14/1934 Mean mistreater blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80925 10-in. 10/27/1934 Happy Jack Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and kazoo composer, instrumentalist, kazoo, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-80926 10-in. 10/27/1934 I'm so disappointed in you Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and kazoo composer, instrumentalist, kazoo, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-80927 10-in. 10/27/1934 Worried devil blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and yodeling composer, vocalist, yodeling, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor BS-80928 10-in. 10/27/1934 Christmas and New Year's blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-80929 10-in. 10/27/1934 Sweet woman Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-80930 10-in. 10/27/1934 I'll get a break some day Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-80931 10-in. 10/27/1934 Witchin' hour blues Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-80932 10-in. 10/27/1934 Stockyard fire Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano composer, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Victor BS-85523 10-in. 2/26/1935 Worthy of you Tampa Red Male vocal solo, with jug band and talk instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist  
(Results 1-25 of 416 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Tampa Red," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106703.

Tampa Red. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106703.

"Tampa Red." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.

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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