Biography
Born on 13 June 1928 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Lafayette Thomas died on 20 May 1977 in Brisbane, California. Among the handful of post-war guitarists who forged an individual approach after drawing early inspiration from T-Bone Walker, Thomas received his initial encouragement from his uncle Jesse ‘Babyface’ Thomas. The family relocated to San Francisco shortly after his birth, where he studied both piano and guitar. His professional debut occurred in 1947 alongside Al Simmons’ Rhythm Rockers. The following year he took Robert Kelton’s place in Jimmy McCracklin’s group, an affiliation he maintained on and off until the end of his life. While touring with McCracklin he cut his debut release, the 1951 Memphis recording ‘Baby Take A Chance With Me’ produced by Sam Phillips and issued by Chess Records under the billing L.J. Thomas And His Louisiana Playboys. He also collaborated with Bob Geddins, contributing to numerous Jimmy Wilson dates that appeared on Aladdin Records, 7-11, Big Town and Irma. Thomas’s own sessions surfaced on the obscure Jumping and Trilyte imprints as well as an unissued Hollywood date, yet many of his stray 1950s tracks were captured during McCracklin’s dates for Modern, Peacock and Chess and surfaced on albums only three decades later. A short stay in New York in 1959 yielded the Savoy single ‘Lafayette’s A-Comin’’ with pianist Sammy Price before he returned to the West Coast. Throughout most of the 1960s he pursued non-musical employment, interrupted only by a single September 1968 session shared with pianist Dave Alexander and L.C. ‘Good Rockin’’ Robinson. The revival proved fleeting, and his final years were spent assembling hoses. His most enduring contributions remain the incisive solos he supplied on the recordings of McCracklin and Wilson.