Blind Blake—the mystery man of the blues. We know he was born Arthur Phelps, in Jacksonville, FL circa 1890-something and died sometime in 1933. He disappeared from the blues scene in Chicago, 1932, where he was considered the undisputed ‘King of the String,’ and had recorded over eighty solo sides for Paramount.
Being Blind, Blake earned his living in the early years, most likely playing for change on street corners, or for dances and fish fries. He headed for Chicago in the early 1920s, signing a contract with Paramount in 1926. He was regionally well known until then, but broke out into the blues mainstream once he started recording, with is debut release, "West Coast Blues". Through the late 20s, he played with the likes of Papa Charlie Jackson, Gus Cannon, and a wide range of other talents while performing as first-call guitar on Paramount’s studio A-team. His repertoire ranged from blues to rags, and he developed an intense fingerstyle guitar technique that remains virtually unrivalled today.
From 1930-31 Blake toured with the Vaudeville show, "Happy-Go-Lucky". He returned to recording in 1932. After this, Blind Blake disappears. Rumors abound about the nature of his disappearance, including ones of murder and accidental death. Logic, however, suggests that the Depression killed the race recording industry, sending Blake home to the South where he died shortly thereafter.
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