Mr. Scrapper's Blues

An overlooked blues master, "Scrapper" Blackwell was a contemporary of Robert Johnson and other early Delta blues artists. A truly remarkable guitarist, he is best known for his work with pianist Leroy Carr during the late '20s and mid-'30s. After Carr's death, he retired and didn't record again until being rediscovered in the '50s. An inspiration for Muddy Waters and T-Bone Walker, Blackwell seemed a prime candidate for stardom when, soon after finishing his work on Mr. Scrapper's Blues, he was shot to death in a back alley in Indianapolis, the victim of a mugging.