HAMMIE NIXON

Biography

Hammie Nixon (January 22, 1908 – August 17, 1984) was an American blues harmonica player born in Brownsville, Tennessee. Orphaned as a young child, he was raised by foster parents and began his professional music career in the 1920s as a harmonica player in jug bands. Nixon is best known as a country blues harmonica player, though he was also skilled on the kazoo, guitar, and jug. During the 1920s, he helped pioneer the use of the harmonica as a rhythm accompaniment instrument in band settings, transforming it from primarily a novelty solo instrument into an integral part of ensemble blues music.

Nixon's most significant musical partnership was with guitarist Sleepy John Estes, whom he first recorded with in 1929 for Victor Records. This collaboration lasted over 50 years and defined much of his career. The two performed extensively throughout the Delta region and Memphis juke joints, often as part of a jug band trio that included mandolin player Yank Rachell. In the 1930s, Nixon relocated to Chicago where he secured session work with artists including Little Buddy Doyle, Lee Green, Clayton T. Driver, Charlie Pickett, and Son Bonds. As electric bands gained popularity in the 1940s, Nixon and his collaborators returned to street-corner performances in Memphis. He experienced a career resurgence during the 1960s blues revival, appearing at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964 and recording an album with Sleepy John Estes for Delmark Records in 1962. After Estes' death in 1979, Nixon performed with the Beale Street Jug Band (also called the Memphis Jug Band) until his final recording, Tappin' That Thing, released shortly before his death in Jackson, Tennessee in 1984.

Fun Facts

• Nixon was born with the name Hammie Davis but was also known as Hammie Nickerson during his lifetime, reflecting different surname variations used throughout his career.
• He married Virginia, the elder daughter of his longtime collaborator Sleepy John Estes, cementing a family and musical bond that lasted over 50 years.
• Nixon's informal home recordings made between 1972 and 1976 at his Brownsville residence with Sleepy John Estes were later compiled into a tribute album, capturing the natural ease of his talents in a way that studio recordings had failed to do.
• His last recording, Tappin' That Thing, was released on HMG Records shortly before his death in 1984, serving as a final testament to his enduring musical abilities at age 76.

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Sleepy John Estes - Primary musical partner and father-in-law; guitarist with whom Nixon performed and recorded extensively (First recording together in 1929 for Victor Records; 1962 Delmark album; numerous jug band performances) [1929-1979 (over 50 years)]
• Yank Rachell - Mandolin player who performed with Nixon and Estes as part of their jug band trio (Jug band performances throughout the Delta and Memphis) [1920s-1930s]
• Little Buddy Doyle - Recording artist with whom Nixon provided harmonica session work (Session recordings in Chicago) [1930s]
• Charlie Pickett - Recording artist with whom Nixon collaborated on session work (Session recordings in Chicago) [1930s]
• Son Bonds - Recording artist with whom Nixon provided harmonica accompaniment (Session recordings in Chicago) [1930s]
• Beale Street Jug Band - Ensemble with which Nixon performed after Sleepy John Estes' death (Live performances and recordings) [1979-1984]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #blues, #country-blues