K.C. Douglas - Mercury Blues

One of the last great rural blues stylists in the San Francisco/Oakland area, K.C. Douglas produced a blues classic when he recorded "Mercury Boogie" in 1949. The tune, which paid homage to the American automobile, was later renamed "Mercury Blues" and covered by Steve Miller and David Lindley.

Born and raised on a family farm near Sharon, MS, Douglas was deeply influenced by the 1920s recordings of Delta bluesman Tommy Johnson. Although he left home in 1934 to work outside of music in the Mississippi towns of Grenada and Carthage, he launched his music career after meeting Johnson two years later. After Douglas impressed Johnson with his baritone vocals and skillful guitar playing, the two musicians began performing together on street corners and parties.

Relocating to Vallejo, CA, in 1945, Douglas found employment in the naval shipyards. Within a couple of years, he gravitated to the San Francisco/Oakland blues scene, forming a band, the Lumberjacks, in 1947. His first recordings were issued on the Oakland-based Downtown label in 1948.

In 1949, he wrote Mercury Boogie, whilst working in a garage in Oakland, California. At the same time, he taught guitar to the grandson of the garage owner, 8 year old Steve Wold (now better known as Seasick Steve).

Although he continued to perform at dances and small clubs, occasionally with Jesse Fuller, throughout the 1950s and '60s, Douglas supplemented his meager income from music with a variety of jobs. He worked for the public works department in Berkeley from 1963 until the mid-'70s.

After performing at the Berkeley Blues Festival in 1970, he formed a quartet and became a frequent performer at coffeehouses, clubs, and bars in the East Bay/Modesto/Stockton area and recorded several tracks for the Arhoolie label between 1973 and 1974.

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Music

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• Seasick Steve

[hiccuptruck]

Thanks for posting this! I'm researching this song for a radio show i'm doing on slide guitar. I'm wondering who was playing slide on this version?

[HoneyboyWalter]

@hiccuptruck On this take K.C. Douglas is vocals/guitar, Richard Riggins harmonica, Ron Thompson lead guitar, Jim Marshall drums.

[rennkugel]

GREAT!

[Tubefaction8]

A great bluesman and a fine teacher - most of all a generous, kind person. We miss you so much K.C. This blues harmonica man is very talented & wasoften heard playing the gigs around Berkeley with K.C, who was from Canton. Miss.

[howlingsandy]

I think it was not 1970 but early 1968. I had just played a set on drums w/ Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and then Mance Lipscomb, in a small east bay club. Brownie noticed K.C. in the audience of 50 to 75 people and said, "Hey, there's K.C.! C'mon up and play some, K.C." Some young guy, knowing I'd been on stage, came up and blurted out, "Who IS that?" I told him K.C. Douglas, and a bit about his music. The guy said he put on the Berkeley Blues (Folk) Festival and that he would book K.C.

[micktheMaag]

fav of Dave Lindely's version... but thanks for the original... whooo wee..

[areyoulookinatmepal]

sooo sweet

[slugg63]

Please correct me! If this was done in 1949, why at 0:40 he says, "riding around in that mercury '59". I like Steve Miller's version best but he doesn't say a year. David Lindely says it's a '49. Wait....after listening to 3 other versions, everyone has different lyrics! ( the '59 part still confuses me tho...lol) Favorited because it's the original. Thanx

[ruffmike]

Arhoolie Records, a true treasure trove of gems Thanks for posting!

[gesnarfel]

Label say composer "Stevenson' . does anybody have a line on who that is?

[JSLLH]

thanks for the excellent music !