Bumble Bee Slim

Amos “Bumble Bee Slim” Easton (b. Brunswick, Georgia, May 7, 1905 – d. Los Angeles, June 8, 1968) – Singer, songwriter, and guitarist. At around fifteen years old, Easton left Georgia to travel with the Ringling Brother Circus. About eight years later in 1928, he left Georgia again, this time by train headed for Indianapolis. While in Indy from 1928 to 1930, he was influenced greatly by burgeoning recording artists Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr. In 1931, he started recording in Chicago under the pseudonym “Bumble Bee Slim” and, in a period of five years, he cut over 150 sides on Decca, Bluebird, and Vocalion – making him one of the most prolific and successful blues artists of the 1930s. On many of his recordings, he is joined by other artists such as Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red, Memphis Minnie, and Washboard Sam. After a return to Georgia in 1937, he moved to California in the early 1940s. Although his recordings in the 1950s and early 1960s did little to resurrect his career, he continued to perform in the Los Angeles area until his death in 1968. Although pigeon-holed as a Piedmont Bluesmen, Easton’s recordings in the 1930s helped pave the way for the post-war Chicago urban blues style.