Joe Callicott

"Mississippi" Joe Callicott (October 10, 1899 – May 1969) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist.

Callicott was born in Nesbit, Mississippi, United States. In 1929 he played second guitar in Garfield Akers' duet recording, "Cottonfield Blues", and in 1930 he recorded "Fare Thee Well Blues" and "Traveling Mama Blues" for the Brunswick label. His "Love Me Baby Blues" has been covered by various artists, for example by Ry Cooder under the title "France Chance". Some of his 1967 recordings (recorded by the music historian, George Mitchell) were released on LP by Arhoolie Records in 1969, and some were re-released in 2003, on the Fat Possum record label.

He served as a mentor to the guitarist Kenny Brown when Brown was ten years old.

Joe Callicott is buried in the Mount Olive Baptist Church Cemetery in Nesbit, Mississippi. On April 29, 1995, a memorial headstone was placed on his grave arranged by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund with the help of Kenny Brown and financed by Chris Strachwitz, Arhoolie Records and John Fogerty. Callicott's original marker, a simple paving stone which read simply "JOE", was subsequently donated by his family to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi. At the ceremony the Mount Zion Fund presented Callicott's wife Doll with a check from Arhoolie Records for royalties earned from a CD reissue of Callicott's work.

Birth and Death Data: Born November 10, 1901 (Mississippi), Died 1969

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1930

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

Notes: Sometimes listed as Joe Calicott.

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

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick M207 10-in. Sept. 1929 Mississippi boll weevil blues Joe Callicott Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist  
Brunswick M208 10-in. Sept. 1929 [Unknown title(s)] Joe Callicott Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist  
Brunswick MEM778 10-in. 2/20/1930 Fare thee well blues Joe Callicott Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist  
Brunswick MEM779 10-in. 2/20/1930 Traveling mama blues Joe Callicott Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Callicott, Joe," accessed May 2, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323616.

Callicott, Joe. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 2, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323616.

"Callicott, Joe." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/323616

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