Elmore James

USA, 1951–1963

American blues guitarist and singer, billed as the King of the Slide Guitar. The amplified bottleneck figure of his 'Dust My Broom' became one of the most copied riffs in electric blues.

MusicRoots documents 3 artists who influenced Elmore James and 3 artists Elmore James influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Elmore James?

• Robert Johnson — 'Dust My Broom' is Robert Johnson's song — James knew Johnson personally and electrified his signature slide figure.
• Tampa Red — James learned from the records of master slide guitarist Tampa Red — the single-string bottleneck fluency behind his own attack.
• Kokomo Arnold — Kokomo Arnold's furious bottleneck — the source of the 'Dust My Broom' slide figure by way of Robert Johnson — was a direct model for James.

Which artists did Elmore James influence?

• The Allman Brothers Band — Elmore James's electric slide was Duane Allman's direct model — the roaring bottleneck sound behind the Allmans' 'Statesboro Blues'.
• Fleetwood Mac — Founding guitarist Jeremy Spencer built his entire early Fleetwood Mac repertoire on Elmore James's slide style — whole sets were James covers.
• Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes — Named second on the same list — the slide guitar end of the Chicago blues he collected.