R. I. P. Morris Holt

Magic Slim & the Teardrops perform “Going to Mississippi.”

Morris Holt aka Magic Slim, was an American blues singer and guitarist. Born at Torrance, near Grenada, Mississippi, on August 7, 1937. The son of sharecroppers, he followed blues greats such as Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf to Chicago, developing his own place in the Chicago blues scene. He was forced to give up playing the piano when he lost his little finger in a cotton gin mishap. He moved first to nearby Grenada before migrating to Chicago in 1955 with his friend and mentor Magic Sam. The elder Magic (Sam) let the younger Magic (Slim) play bass with his band, and gave him his nickname.

Slim’s recording career began in 1966, with the song “Scufflin'”, followed by a number of singles into the mid 1970s. He recorded his first album in 1977, Born Under A Bad Sign, for the French MCM label. During the 1980s, Slim released titles on Alligator, Rooster Blues and Wolf Records and won his first W.C. Handy Award. In 1980 he recorded his cover version of “Mustang Sally”. In 1982 the guitarist John Primer joined the Teardrops and remained with the band for thirteen years.

In 1994 Slim moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Zoo Bar had been booking him for years. Slim was frequently accompanied by his son Shawn (Lil’ Slim) Holt, an accomplished guitarist and singer.

In 2003 Magic Slim and the Teardrops won their sixth W.C. Handy Award for ‘Blues Band Of The Year.’

Magic Slim died at a hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 21, 2013 at age 75. His health problems had gotten worse while he was on tour several weeks earlier. His manager had stated bleeding ulcers had sent Slim to the hospital, but that he also suffered from heart, lung and kidney problems.

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