Biography
Wesley Race phoned Alligator Records proprietor Bruce Iglauer from Chicago’s South Side Flamingo Club, excitedly describing an emerging guitarist named Son Seals and angling the receiver toward the stage so Iglauer could hear the performance live. Iglauer acted quickly, resulting in the label’s release of Seals’ self-titled debut album in 1973 and six subsequent recordings.
Frank Seals, later known as Son Seals, entered the world on August 13, 1942 in Osceola, Arkansas. His father ran the Dipsy Doodle Club juke joint there, where Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Nighthawk, and Albert King performed onstage while young Frank absorbed the music from the rear of the room. Drums became his initial instrument; at age 13 he accompanied Nighthawk on the kit. By 18, however, Son Seals had switched to guitar and was leading his own band in Little Rock.
A 1963 visit to his sister in Chicago led to several months with Earl Hooker’s Roadmasters, followed in 1966 by another period with Albert King that again placed Seals behind the drums. After his father’s death in 1971, Seals moved back to Chicago permanently. His regular appearances fronting bands at the Flamingo Club and the Expressway Lounge ended once Alligator signed him.
The 1973 debut album effectively highlighted Seals’ jagged guitar lines and gritty vocals, featuring the track “Your Love Is like a Cancer” along with the instrumental “Hot Sauce.” By contrast, the 1976 follow-up Midnight Son adopted a smoother approach, incorporating tight horn sections, funkier rhythms, and the songs “Telephone Angel” and “On My Knees.” A live album recorded at Wise Fools Pub appeared in 1978, the studio effort Chicago Fire followed in 1980, and Bad Axe arrived in 1984. A temporary rift with Iglauer was resolved in 1991 with the sixth Alligator release, Living in the Danger Zone. Nothing But the Truth came out in 1994, and the live set Spontaneous Combustion, captured at Buddy Guy’s Legends, surfaced in June 1996.
Seals endured the usual music-business setbacks of poor contracts, layoffs, and exploitation, yet two severe personal misfortunes struck in the late 1990s. On January 5, 1997, during a domestic argument, his former wife shot him in the jaw; he recovered and resumed touring. Two years later diabetes necessitated amputation of his left leg. Rather than retire, Seals renewed his commitment to performing. In 2000 he joined Telarc Blues and recorded Lettin’ Go. He kept his schedule deliberately local, limiting travel and appearing most weekends on Chicago’s Northside blues circuit, where audiences heard his raw, intense guitar style. Son Seals died on December 20, 2004 from complications of diabetes.
Frank Seals, later known as Son Seals, entered the world on August 13, 1942 in Osceola, Arkansas. His father ran the Dipsy Doodle Club juke joint there, where Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Nighthawk, and Albert King performed onstage while young Frank absorbed the music from the rear of the room. Drums became his initial instrument; at age 13 he accompanied Nighthawk on the kit. By 18, however, Son Seals had switched to guitar and was leading his own band in Little Rock.
A 1963 visit to his sister in Chicago led to several months with Earl Hooker’s Roadmasters, followed in 1966 by another period with Albert King that again placed Seals behind the drums. After his father’s death in 1971, Seals moved back to Chicago permanently. His regular appearances fronting bands at the Flamingo Club and the Expressway Lounge ended once Alligator signed him.
The 1973 debut album effectively highlighted Seals’ jagged guitar lines and gritty vocals, featuring the track “Your Love Is like a Cancer” along with the instrumental “Hot Sauce.” By contrast, the 1976 follow-up Midnight Son adopted a smoother approach, incorporating tight horn sections, funkier rhythms, and the songs “Telephone Angel” and “On My Knees.” A live album recorded at Wise Fools Pub appeared in 1978, the studio effort Chicago Fire followed in 1980, and Bad Axe arrived in 1984. A temporary rift with Iglauer was resolved in 1991 with the sixth Alligator release, Living in the Danger Zone. Nothing But the Truth came out in 1994, and the live set Spontaneous Combustion, captured at Buddy Guy’s Legends, surfaced in June 1996.
Seals endured the usual music-business setbacks of poor contracts, layoffs, and exploitation, yet two severe personal misfortunes struck in the late 1990s. On January 5, 1997, during a domestic argument, his former wife shot him in the jaw; he recovered and resumed touring. Two years later diabetes necessitated amputation of his left leg. Rather than retire, Seals renewed his commitment to performing. In 2000 he joined Telarc Blues and recorded Lettin’ Go. He kept his schedule deliberately local, limiting travel and appearing most weekends on Chicago’s Northside blues circuit, where audiences heard his raw, intense guitar style. Son Seals died on December 20, 2004 from complications of diabetes.
Albums
