Biography
Among the Louisiana blues musicians who etched their legacies onto Excello records produced by Jay Miller in Crowley, Silas Hogan stood out as a local talent whose opportunity to record arrived just as the broader market for his style began to diminish. From 1962 through the first months of 1965, Hogan laid down tracks for Excello, with his final singles appearing toward the end of that year. In the closing years of the 1920s, Silas picked up fundamental guitar skills from uncles Robert and Frank Murphy, whose playing would later shape the distinctive approach of Robert Pete Williams. He honed his abilities through performances at various house parties and picnics around the area, and by the late 1930s he was regularly teaming up with guitarist Willie B. Thomas and fiddler Butch Cage, establishing the regional juke joints as his primary venues. Relocating to the Baton Rouge vicinity in the early 1950s transformed his musical approach; equipped with a Fender electric guitar and amplifier, Hogan assembled his initial electric ensemble, the Rhythm Ramblers, and emerged as one of the premier attractions on the Louisiana juke joint scene. At 51 years old in 1962, Hogan received an introduction from Slim Harpo to producer Jay Miller, marking the true commencement of his recording endeavors. The sessions he completed in the Crowley facility delivered straightforward, unadorned renditions that reflected the diverse expressions of the "sound of the swamp." Following several singles, Hogan's recording activities ceased suddenly after Miller's conflict with the label's new proprietors in 1966, which halted further releases of Crowley material on Excello. No longer affiliated with Excello, Hogan dissolved his band and returned to his employment at the Exxon refinery close to Baton Rouge. During the 1970s, opportunities to record resurfaced as Hogan produced material for imprints such as Arhoolie and Blue Horizon, sustaining his presence on the Southern blues festival circuit throughout much of the decade. Hogan departed this life without much notice in January 1994, much like the limited reception his Excello singles had encountered.
Albums
