Champion Jack Dupree

• Genre: New Orleans Blues

About

Champion Jack Dupree's New Orleans piano was one of the characteristic sounds of the Okeh record company's classic blues output. Dupree's laid-back Boogie-Woogie and barrelhouse piano style graced many albums, forging a sound that influenced many players, including Fats Domino and Professor Longhair. His singing was deep and sweet, forming a union with his rhythmic piano (and his acoustic guitar or drumming) in songs about the basics: women, drinking and fighting. Highlights of some of his later collaborations include a pre-Bluesbreakers session with John Mayall and Eric Clapton.

- Jessy Terry