Little Archie (Himons) only cut two 45's, but his life in music extends far beyond that; he began as a drummer while still a teenager, and eventually made his way to the attention of Dial Records chief Buddy Killen, who saw his potential as a lead singer. Not only did Archie show off a husky vocal style, but he wrote the track as well. Archie has lived around the world, started reggae and blues bands, busked, and apparently now performs acoustic soul in West Virginia (which I'd love to hear).
It's a sad realization at this point to realize that I've just about exhausted all of the records from this era in this style; there's still a FEW wants on my list, but at this point I've just about filled every gap in my collection of records in this style (which happens to be a real favorite kind of sound). Sure, there's more out there, but some of them I could never afford or they just don't move me personally, for whatever reason. It sure has been fun sharing them here, though!
from 1967...
LITTLE ARCHIE - ALL I HAVE TO DO
2 comments:
Guitarist and harp player named Little Archie is Archie Himons (born in Virginia in 1942) who recorded also in the 60's a blues album for Kent under the moniker of West Virginia Slim. After an almost fatal beating by the Ku Klux Klan in his native Virginia, he moved to Central America where he made a new career playing Reggae and Salsa under different names (Go Ayo, Akigo Haamu). He returned to the USA during the 1990's, setteled in Nashville and led the Afrikan Dreamland band and directed several films for PBS and antiracist shows. Archie was also instrumental in making an official recognition of DeFord Bailey. This is how I came to have a contact with him and that he told me his story. He was playing again the blues (recording an album) when he died in 2011, largely unnoticed by the blues world
Derek, I've enjoyed most, if not all, of your posts since I discovered your site! Plus I love your band, the Bang Girl Group! So feel free to just post favorite 45s and don't worry about the genre, I'm sure I'll enjoy them! - greg
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