Guitar Slim

Guitar Slim Green
6.25" x 5"
oil on wood, 2011

This painting on a small piece of wood was at first no more than a little exercise in landscape texture I painted on the side while working on a larger canvas. But the exercise was recycled, just as the landscape painting, into a Top 100 painting. The little ones are the most fun to do. They are as spontaneous, unmediated, and unassuming as they come. Doesn't Guitar Slim look like he's really enjoying it? (For you collectors of small paintings: they are a lot cheaper too!) There are several blues musicians who recorded under the name of Guitar Slim. The best known was born as Eddie Jones and had a huge hit with The Things I Used to Do. He couldn't handle success and died at 32. His son Guitar Slim, Jr still performs his dad's songs. Norman "Guitar Slim" Green had not such trouble. He still may be alive today, he may be playing at a juke joint somewhere as I write this. His 1970 record Stone Down Blues may well be the only record he made. What we do know for sure is that the two musicians that accompany Green on the record are still alive. They are Johnny and Shuggie Otis, father and son, both with a giant career in the music biz. Stone Down Blues is a great record, it rocks!