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Snooks Eaglin

Snooks Eaglin, guitarist, vocalist

Snooks Eaglin was an idiosyncratic New Orleans rhythm & blues guitarist known for his fleet-fingered dexterity and boundless repertoire. Even in a city and musical community known for eccentric characters, Snooks Eaglin stood out. The digits on Eaglin's right hand flailed at seemingly impossible angles as he finger-picked and strummed a guitar's strings. A set by the so-called "Human Jukebox" could range from Beethoven's "Fur Elise" to Bad Company's "Ready for Love."

He thrived on feedback from onlookers, gleefully took requests and challenged his musicians to keep up. Utterly unselfconscious, he would render fellow guitarists slack-jawed with a blistering run, then announce from the stage that he needed to use the bathroom.

Eaglin was born Fird Eaglin Jr. in 1937. As an infant, he was diagnosed with glaucoma and a brain tumor, which robbed him of his sight. He earned his "Snooks" nickname after his mischievous behavior recalled a radio character named Baby Snooks.

Given a guitar at age 5 by his father, he learned to pick along with songs on the radio. He attended the Louisiana School for the Blind in Baton Rouge with pianist Henry Butler. By 14, he had dropped out to work full-time as a musician.

His first steady job was with the Flamingos, a popular seven-piece rhythm & blues band that also included a young Allen Toussaint on piano. Post-Flamingos, Mr. Eaglin briefly billed himself as Lil' Ray Charles. In the late 1950s, he performed on street corners and recorded two acoustic albums for a folk label. His studio work included the guitar parts on Sugarboy Crawford's "Jockamo."

In the early 1960s, Mr. Eaglin released a handful of singles for Imperial Records under the name "Ford" Eaglin. He logged three years in the house band at the Playboy Club off Bourbon Street. After the British Invasion decimated the market for New Orleans rhythm & blues, Eaglin semi-retired. The launch of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970 brought with it fresh opportunity.

Eaglin performed with Professor Longhair during the pianist's "comeback" gigs. He also contributed to Longhair's landmark "New Orleans House Party" album and the Wild Magnolias' early recordings.

In 1987, Mr. Eaglin released "Baby, You Can Get Your Gun!," his first formal, full-length album on Black Top Records. Several more well-received albums on Black Top further heightened his profile. After Black Top Records closed its doors, Eaglin released “The Way It Is” on Money Pit Records in 2002

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Recording

Snooks Eaglin's "Baby, You Can Get Your Gun" Album to be Reissued on Hep Cat Through Collectors' Choice

Snooks Eaglin's "Baby, You Can Get Your Gun" Album to be Reissued on Hep Cat Through Collectors' Choice

Source: conqueroo

Eaglin is accompanied by Fats Domino’s rhythm section plus David Lastie, Ron Levy and Ronnie Earl on his first Black Top album

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Snooks Eaglin, the legendary New Orleans blues and R&B singer and guitarist, passed away on February 18 of this year. That city’s Offbeat magazine described him as “a one-of-a-kind guitar player who could play an unbelievable run with his amazing (seemingly double-jointed) fingers in a repertoire that ranged from Beethoven to R&B; thus his ...

201

Obituary

Snooks Eaglin Blind Musician Was a New Orleans Legend

Snooks Eaglin Blind Musician Was a New Orleans Legend

Source: Michael Ricci

R&B singer and guitarist Snooks Eaglin, a New Orleans legend who counted platinum- selling rockers among his fans, has died. He was 72.

The blind musician died Wednesday of a heart attack at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans after falling ill and being hospitalized, said John Blancher, a close family friend. Eaglin was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, Blancher said.

Eaglin, known for picking strings with his thumbnail, played and recorded with a host of New Orleans giants, ...

218

Obituary

Snooks Eaglin R&B Singer and Guitarist Dies

Snooks Eaglin R&B Singer and Guitarist Dies

Source: Michael Ricci

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The R&B singer and guitarist Snooks Eaglin, who counted platinum-selling rockers among his fans, died here Wednesday. He was 72.

The cause was a heart attack he suffered after falling ill and being hospitalized last week, said John Blancher, a family friend. Mr. Eaglin learned he had prostate cancer last year.

Musicians including Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant and Bonnie Raitt would seek out Mr. Eaglin to watch him perform, Mr. Blancher said. But New ...

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