J.J. Malone

Born on 20 August 1935 in Pete’s Corner, Alabama, Malone had already taken up guitar and harmonica by his twelfth year. At seventeen he began appearing at local dances and parties. During the mid-1950s he served a year in the Air Force, after which he assembled his debut group, the Rockers, a unit later renamed Tops In Blues. Released from military duty in 1957, he launched the Rhythm Rockers in Spokane, Washington, and the ensemble toured extensively along the West Coast. Settling in Oakland, California, in 1966, he cut sides for the Galaxy label and scored a hit with “It’s A Shame” in 1972; further releases subsequently appeared on Red Lightnin’, Cherrie, Paris Album and Eli Mile High. A soulful vocalist skilled on both piano and guitar, Malone delivers straight blues, rocking R&B and funk-inflected material with equal authority. Treated for cancer in the late 1990s, he has since entered remission.