Arbee Stidham facts for kids

Arbee William Stidham (born February 9, 1917 – died April 26, 1988) was an American blues singer and a musician who played many instruments.

He was known for mixing blues, jazz, and gospel music. This made him very popular in the 1940s and 1950s.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Arbee Stidham was born in DeValls Bluff, Arkansas, United States, in 1917. Music was a big part of his family. His father played in the Jimmie Lunceford Band. His uncle Ernest Stidham led the Memphis Jug Band. Another uncle, Isaiah, was a violinist.

Arbee went to Prairie Valley Training School and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. He first learned to play the clarinet. A local store owner in De Valls Bluff gave it to him. Arbee later said, "That's what I learned to play, and after I learned to play the clarinet, I went to the saxophone."

His Mother's View on Blues Music

Arbee loved the blues, but his mother didn't approve. He said, "They didn't call the blues "blues" when I was a boy, they called them "reels". My mother used to tell me '...You don't do nothing but sing those reels - and you're going to hell'."

Arbee would secretly order records by artists like Louis Armstrong. He would listen to them quietly at night. His mother would sometimes hear the music and take his records away. But his grandfather would often get them back for him.

When Arbee was twelve, he performed for the first time. It was at the Ninth Street Theatre in Little Rock, Arkansas. His mother watched the whole show. After it ended, she hugged and kissed him. She said she was proud but still joked about him "going to hell" for singing those "reels."

At thirteen, Arbee formed his own seven-piece band. It was called "Arbee Stidham and His Southern Syncopators." His band played with famous singer Bessie Smith in 1930 and 1931. They also often played on KARK-AM radio in Little Rock. The band performed in clubs in Little Rock and Memphis, Tennessee. Later, Arbee toured with his band in Chicago. They even played with Lucky Millinder in the 1930s.

Becoming a Star in Chicago

Arbee William Stidham WWII Draft Card

In the mid-1940s, Arbee Stidham moved to Chicago. There, he met Lester Melrose, a record producer. Lester signed Arbee to a recording deal with RCA Victor in 1947. Arbee's biggest song, "My Heart Belongs to You," was recorded during his very first session.

A Number One Hit Song

When "My Heart Belongs to You" was released, a copy went to Zenas Sears. He was a radio DJ in Atlanta. Sears played the song, and listeners called in constantly, asking to hear it again. Sears then told another DJ, Gene Nobles, about the song. Nobles played it on his Nashville radio station, WLAC AM. The first night, he got 181 calls asking for the song again!

In June 1948, the song became number one on the Billboard "Race Records" chart. This chart listed popular music by African American artists. The song was also one of the "ten most-played juke box records" for many weeks.

For the rest of his career, Arbee tried to have another hit like that. He recorded for labels like Checker and States. He was known as a blues singer with a jazz influence.

Mistakes on Some Recordings

Sometimes, Arbee Stidham's name was spelled wrong on records. It was mistakenly listed as "R. B. Stidham." For example, an album from 1985 had his song "My Heart Belongs To You" with the wrong spelling of his name.

Later Music Career

In the 1950s, Arbee Stidham was in a car accident. His injuries made it hard for him to play the saxophone. This made him very sad. His wife encouraged him to learn the guitar instead.

Arbee bought a guitar. Fellow musicians Big Maceo Merriweather and Earl Hooker helped him learn. Arbee said, "Hooker would teach me the single string thing, 'cause he was a wizard at that. He would stop by every once in a while and give me pointers." Big Bill Broonzy also helped him learn.

Recordings in the 1960s

Arbee Stidham played guitar and sang on recordings for Folkways Records in the early 1960s. He recorded five songs at the Sun Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1965. These songs were not released right away. They came out on a Sun album eleven years later, in 1976.

Life in Cleveland

In the 1970s, Arbee Stidham moved to Cleveland, Ohio. He often performed at the Pirates Cove nightclub. He frequently played with Robert Lockwood Jr. & The All Stars. Arbee also taught about blues music at Cleveland State University in the 1970s. He continued to record music and perform at music festivals and clubs in the United States and other countries.

A Film About His Life

In 1973, while living in Cleveland, Arbee was featured in a short film. It was called The Bluesman. Robert West, a professor at Kent State University, directed it. The film showed a look into the life of Arbee Stidham, a blues musician from the Great Depression era.

Later Live Shows

In January 1982, Arbee Stidham performed with Willie Dixon's "Blues Rent Party" band. This was at the Chicago Winter Jazz Fair. Other famous musicians like Sunnyland Slim and Homesick James were also in the band.

In August 1982, Arbee Stidham played with his own band, the Arbee Stidham Blues Band. They performed at the 4th Annual Kool Jazz Festival in Grant Park, Chicago. The band included many well-known Chicago musicians. A review of the show said Arbee gave the crowd of 8,000 fans an "energetic set." He moved around the stage with a "sly sense of humor" while singing.

Death and Burial

Arbee Stidham passed away on April 26, 1988. He was 71 years old. He died at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Cook County, Illinois. Arbee Stidham is buried at Oakridge Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.

Discography

Albums

• Arbee's Blues (Folkways, 1961)
• Tired of Wandering - The Blues Of Arbee Stidham (Bluesville, 1961)
• A Time for Blues (Mainstream, 1972)
• There's Always Tomorrow (Folkways, 1973)
• Sun - The Roots of Rock Volume 6: Sunset Soul (Charly, 1976)
• My Heart Belongs To You (Crown Prince, 1981)
• Long Man Blues (Pearl, 1990)