Tampa Red

Tampa Red (1904-1981) - His real name was Hudson Woodbridge or Hudson Whittaker, but blues fans know his as Tampa Red -- once of the greatest singers and bottleneck guitarists of all-time. Red's style, like those of Big Bill Broonzy and Lonnie Johnson, changed noticeably over the years. My favorite Tampa Red recordings are the one's that highlight his magnificent slide playing - mostly his solo instrumentals. Tampa Red recorded a long list of great songs, but to really appreciate his guitar playing, one must take a look at his solo instrumentals.

Tampa Red's playing was done in Open Tuning (D or A) on a National steel-bodied Resonator Guitar - which helped to produce his amazing tone. Most of Red's instrumentals feature him playing the melody on the treble strings with the bottleneck while thumping the bass in a variety of rhythms and styles inbetween and behind. I would advise you to break his songs down into two separate parts - treble and bass. Figure out what he's doing on each and then put it all together!

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