K. C. Douglas

K. C. Douglas (November 21, 1913 – October 18, 1975)^[1] was an American rural blues singer and guitarist.

K. C. Douglas
Background information
Born	(1913-11-21)November 21, 1913 Sharon, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	October 18, 1975(1975-10-18) (aged 61) Berkeley, California, U.S.
Genres	Blues
Instruments	Guitar vocals
Years active	1940–1975

Career

Douglas was born in Sharon, Mississippi.^[2] His full given name was simply "K. C."; the letters were not initials.^[3] Douglas moved to Vallejo, California in 1945 to work in the naval shipyards, and by 1947 was playing on the San Francisco/Oakland blues scene. Douglas was influenced by Tommy Johnson,^[1] who he had worked with in the Jackson, Mississippi area in the early 1940s,^[3] and whose "Canned Heat Blues" he adapted on his albums, A Dead Beat Guitar and the Mississippi Blues and Big Road Blues.

The K. C. Douglas Trio's first recording was "Mercury Boogie" (later renamed "Mercury Blues"), in 1948.^[4] The other credited musicians were Sidney Maiden (harmonica), Ford Chaney (second guitar), and Otis Cherry (drums).^[5] The song has been covered by Steve Miller, David Lindley, Ry Cooder and Dwight Yoakam, and a 1992 version by Alan Jackson was a number two hit on the US country chart.^[1] Meat Loaf also covered the song as a bonus hidden track that appears on his 2003 album Couldn't Have Said It Better.^[6] The Ford Motor Company purchased rights to the song and used it in a TV commercial.^[1]

In the early 1960s Douglas recorded for Chris Strachwitz, mostly released on Strachwitz's Arhoolie Records and the Prestige Bluesville label.^[2] In 1961, Douglas played guitar on Sidney Maiden's album, Trouble An' Blues, thus reuniting a partnership that had started in the 1940s.^[7]

Douglas played at the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1973 and 1974. He formed a quartet that performed in the East Bay/Modesto/Stockton area.^[1]

Douglas died of a heart attack in Berkeley, California in October 1975, and was buried in the Pleasant Green Cemetery in Sharon, Mississippi.^[1]

Influence

While in his thirties and working at a garage, Douglas taught blues guitar to Steve Wold, now performing as Seasick Steve, the grandson of his employer.^[8][9]

Selected discography

Singles

Year	Title	Label
1948	"Mercury Boogie"	Down Town
1954	"Lonely Blues"	Rhythm

^[10]

Note: the B-side of "Mercury Boogie" was by Sidney Maiden.

Albums

Year	Title	Label
1956	A Dead Beat Guitar and the Mississippi Blues	Cook/Smithsonian Folkways
1961	K. C.'s Blues	Bluesville
1961	Big Road Blues	Arhoolie
1974	The Country Boy (reissued as Mercury Blues with additional recordings)	Arhoolie
2006	Classic African-American Ballads	Smithsonian Folkways

^[10]