Booker T. Laury

Born on September 2, 1914, Memphis, Tennessee. Died due to the effects of cancer on September 23, 1995, at the age of 81 in Memphis, Tennessee. American boogie-woogie and barrelhouse blues piano player, who played regularly with Memphis Slim. He was active during the 1920's to the 50's, retired for 20 years, then revived his career in the 1970's. In 1989 he enjoyed a cameo scene in the film "Great Balls Of Fire" based on the life of Jerry Lee Lewis (played by Dennis Quaid). He can be seen performing "Big Legged Woman" in a juke joint and it would be that performance that helped bring Laury his chance to record his own LP. "Nothing But The Blues" on Bullseye Blues released in 1993, would be his first and only American album. Director Robert Mugge's 1993 documentary "Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads" vividly illustrates country blues in the Mississippi delta. In this documentary, Booker T. Laury is visited in his living room where he does a performance of "Memphis Blues".