Biography
Lacy Gibson, a guitarist who remained largely overlooked despite years performing in Chicago's blues scene, entered the world in 1936. His family relocated from North Carolina to Chicago during 1949. Soon captivated by the city's vibrant music environment, he absorbed techniques from established players like Sunnyland Slim and Muddy Waters, while also gaining insights from skilled guitarists including Lefty Bates, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, and Wayne Bennett.
His reputation as a session musician grew in 1963 when he handled rhythm guitar parts for recordings by Willie Mabon on USA, Billy "The Kid" Emerson on M-Pac!, and Buddy Guy on Chess. That same year at Chess, Gibson first sang on his own composition "My Love Is Real," a blues ballad that stayed unreleased until much later, at which point it was incorrectly credited to Guy.
Prior to his initial album appearance on El Saturn, the imprint belonging to his brother-in-law Sun Ra, Gibson cut a pair of low-budget 45s for the little-known Repeto label right in his own basement. Although Ralph Bass oversaw an album session with Gibson in 1977, those recordings only saw the light of day when Delmark issued them as Crying for My Baby in 1996.
Work as the rhythm guitarist behind Son Seals, notably captured on the Live and Burning album, opened doors at Alligator Records, resulting in four tracks from Gibson appearing on the second volume of their Living Chicago Blues series in 1980. Perhaps his strongest showcase came with the 1982 release Switchy Titchy on the Netherlands-based Black Magic label, produced by Dick Shurman, which highlighted his precise guitar playing and robust singing voice.
Subsequent health problems limited his activity, though he made a short return during the mid-1990s. In April 2011, Lacy Gibson suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 74.
His reputation as a session musician grew in 1963 when he handled rhythm guitar parts for recordings by Willie Mabon on USA, Billy "The Kid" Emerson on M-Pac!, and Buddy Guy on Chess. That same year at Chess, Gibson first sang on his own composition "My Love Is Real," a blues ballad that stayed unreleased until much later, at which point it was incorrectly credited to Guy.
Prior to his initial album appearance on El Saturn, the imprint belonging to his brother-in-law Sun Ra, Gibson cut a pair of low-budget 45s for the little-known Repeto label right in his own basement. Although Ralph Bass oversaw an album session with Gibson in 1977, those recordings only saw the light of day when Delmark issued them as Crying for My Baby in 1996.
Work as the rhythm guitarist behind Son Seals, notably captured on the Live and Burning album, opened doors at Alligator Records, resulting in four tracks from Gibson appearing on the second volume of their Living Chicago Blues series in 1980. Perhaps his strongest showcase came with the 1982 release Switchy Titchy on the Netherlands-based Black Magic label, produced by Dick Shurman, which highlighted his precise guitar playing and robust singing voice.
Subsequent health problems limited his activity, though he made a short return during the mid-1990s. In April 2011, Lacy Gibson suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 74.
Albums
