ONE OF the last remaining performers from the golden generation of Blues is to play Keighley.

Lil Jimmy Reed is the headliner at the first Brontë Blues Club new season at Laycock Village Hall.

He earned his name after stepping in for the more-famous Jimmy Reed at a show back in the 1950s when the great man was allegedly too drunk to perform.

Born Leon Atkins, Lil Jimmy was the eldest of five children and knew first hand of the struggles and discrimination of growing up poor and black in the Deep South. He developed a love for music at an early age when, growing up opposite a nightclub, he became fascinated by the music drifting across the street. A spokesman said: “Hearing the sounds of the pianos, guitars and jukebox music echoing through the night was to him a pure joy. “He would imitate the musicians on an imaginary guitar until, at age six, one of those old blues guys made him his first guitar from an old cigar box.

“A lifelong relationship between one man and his guitar began.”

Leon grew up listening to Muddy Waters, Slim Harpo and John Lee Hooker, but his favourite was Jimmy Reed. Jimmy was the best-selling blues musician of the 50s and 60s and young Leon played his songs on the local blues circuit.

One night Jimmy Reed was scheduled to appear at a prominent blues club and Leon went along to listen. When Jimmy got drunk he was sneaked out the back, and the promoters asked Leon to take his place in And the crowd couldn’t tell the difference! The show was a hit, Leon gave a show-stopping performance and thus was born Lil’ Jimmy Reed.

Since those early days Lil’ Jimmy has gone on to perform with great musicians across the world including BB King, Bobby Blue, Ike Turner and Willie Clayton. Now in his 70s he is showing no signs of slowing down and still plays in the way he did when he was twenty-one. Long-time collaborator Bob Hall said of him (Blues in Britain magazine) “He’s got that kind of Lake Charles-Baton Rouge, Louisiana swamp feel to his music. It’s lazy but insistent. It gets you, you can’t not-react to it. He’s got the guitar and the harp rack and a melodic quality that reminds of Lightening Slim or Slim Harpo. There was a whole school of them but they’re all dead - he’s the only one left.”

This ‘swamp survivor’ will be at the Bronte Blues Club on Friday 12th September at Laycock village hall. Doors open at 7.30 BBC5 will be in support. Tickets are £10 and are available via the website at www.bronteblues.com or call 07773637335 On 29 Aug 2014, at 11:20, David Knights wrote: