Sunnyland Slim

Albert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew (September 5, 1907 – March 17, 1995) was an American blues pianist from the Mississippi delta. He later went to Chicago where he became one of the most important piano players in Chicago's blues scene. Sunnyland Slim was one of the most important persons in Chicago blues history, but he really never became a star because he did most of his work as sideman.

Life
He was born on a farm near Vance, Mississippi. He taught himself to play piano and organ and began playing in a local church when he was 14. Soon played in juke joints in the whole delta area.All Music Guide biography by Bill Dahl In 1925 he went to Memphis, Tennessee where he played with local musicians like Little Brother Montgomery and Ma Rainey. There he also got his stage name writing a song about the Sunnyland train which ran between  Memphis and St. Louis, Missouri.Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. pp. 171. . In 1942 he went to Chicago.

As the electric blues began Sunnyland Slim played with blues musicians like  Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Lockwood, Jr., and Little Walter. Muddy Waters partially owed his recording career at Chess Records to Sunnyland Slim who introduced him to the Chess brothers at his own birthday party. His first recording was  as a singer with Jump Jackson's band on the Specialty label in September 1946 and his first recording as band leader was in 1947. Between 1948 and 1956 he recorded for Hytone, Opera, Chance, Tempo-Tone, Mercury, Apollo, JOB, Regal, Vee-Jay (unissued), Blue Lake, Club 51, Cobra. In 1988 he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship. He went on touring and recording till his death in 1995.

Discography
 1969  Midnight Jump  Beat Goes On
 1969  Slim's Got His Thing Goin' on  Sequel
 1969  Slim's Shout  Prestige/Original Blues Classics
 1971  Depression Blues  Festival Records
 1973  Plays Ragtime Blues  BluesWay
 1975  Sunnyland Slim & Little Brother Montgomery  77 Records
 1977  She Got That Jive  Airway Records
 1979  Patience Like Job  Airway Records
 1986  Chicago Jump  Evidence
 1989  Be Careful How You Vote  Earwig
 1991  Live in Europe  Airway Records
 1994  Decoration Day  Evidence
 1994  Chicago Blues Sessions  Southland (Select-O-Hits)
 1995  Live at the D.C. Blues Society  Mapleshade Records
 1995  Sunnyland Train  Evidence
 1998  She Got a Thing Goin' On  Blind Pig
 1999  Smile on My Face  Delmark
 2006  Blues Legends Live  Mapleshade Records

References

Category:Blues musicians
Category:Blues pianists
Category:1907 births
Category:1995 deaths
Category:Boogie Woogie pianists
Category:Chicago blues musicians
Category:Musicians from Mississippi