Fenton Robinson
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Fenton Robinson (b. Sept. 23 1935 in Greenwood, Mississippi, d. Nov. 25 1997 in Rockford, Illinois) was a much-respected, but under-appreciated, blues singer and exponent of Chicago Blues guitar. Several times in his life he seemed to be on the verge of wider fame, beyond the Chicago community, but each time he was frustrated by outside forces. His signature song, "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" was covered by Boz Scaggs, but wrongly attributed to Scaggs himself, resulting in legal battles. The nationwide distribution of Robinson's own version of the song was aborted by a freak snow storm hitting Chicago. In the 1970's he was arrested and imprisoned for vehicular manslaughter just as his career appeared ready to take off again. Paroled after nine months, he continued playing in Chicago clubs, and later taught guitar. He died of complications from brain cancer.
While he was an accomplished and expressive guitarist, his singing voice, variously described as mellow and soulful, lent his recordings a special quality absent from the typical blues performance. The recordings he left, especially the landmark 1974 collection containing and named for his signature song, showcase a talent that might well have succeeded in the more popular genre of soul music. His voice compares favorably with that of Otis Redding.
[edit] External links
- Biography at Cascade Blues.
- Link to the Allmusic Guide entry.
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