Chalmers Alford facts for kids

Chalmers Edward "Spanky" Alford (born May 22, 1955 – died March 24, 2008) was an American guitarist. He played gospel, jazz, and neo-soul music. Spanky was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He was famous for his unique guitar style. He often added extra notes to his chords, making them sound richer. Spanky had a great career playing gospel music in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He played with groups like the Mighty Clouds of Joy. He also played on important albums for artists like D'Angelo, Tupac Shakur, Roy Hargrove, and The Roots.

About Spanky Alford

Spanky Alford's music career covered many different styles. He started in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Later, he moved to Dallas, Texas, and then to Huntsville, Alabama.

His first recorded guitar playing was in 1977. He played with a group called The East St. Louis Gospelletts. In the same year, he joined the famous gospel group Mighty Clouds of Joy. These early gospel recordings helped him become known. He was an important gospel quartet guitarist. On the Mighty Clouds of Joy album Pray For Me, Spanky also sang.

Later, in the 1990s and 2000s, he became part of the neo-soul music scene. He played a lot for D'Angelo and Tony Toni Toné. Spanky was the guitarist for The Soultronics. This was D'Angelo's band for his "Voodoo" tour in 2000. Other band members included Questlove and Pino Palladino.

Spanky was also a teacher. He taught guitar to musicians like Raphael Saadiq and Isaiah Sharkey. He played on many albums for artists such as Joss Stone, John Mayer, and Mary J. Blige.

Playing with Roy Hargrove

In 2003, Alford played guitar on Roy Hargrove's album Hard Groove. He joined a group of musicians called the "Texas Cats." This album was recorded at Electric Ladyland Studios. This is the same studio where D'Angelo's Voodoo album was made.

Around this time, Spanky also met J Dilla. J Dilla wanted Spanky to play guitar parts. This helped to recreate music without breaking copyright rules.

Later Career and Teaching

Spanky spent the last part of his career in Huntsville, Alabama. He played music locally and taught many young musicians. He worked at a guitar store called T-Shepard's Guitars. In 2000, he played guitar and helped produce an album for The Blind Boys of Alabama. It was called "My Lord What A Morning!". In 2003, he worked on another gospel album, "There's Nothing In This World Without A Heart." During this time, he also started playing bass guitar in local churches. He mentored young musicians in these churches. He helped them learn and grow in music.

Spanky stopped touring years before he died. But he made a special appearance on September 26, 2005. He played with the John Mayer Trio in Nashville, Tennessee. This was his last known public performance. A recording from this show was included on the John Mayer Trio's album Try!.

Spanky Alford passed away in March 2008. He was 52 years old. He died in Huntsville, Alabama, from problems related to diabetes. His funeral was held at Saint Luke Missionary Baptist Church.

After his death, some of Spanky's recordings were released. They appeared on D'Angelo's 2014 album Black Messiah. These recordings were likely made when Spanky was in New York.

Spanky's Playing Style

Spanky Alford's guitar style was a mix of gospel and jazz. He was influenced by famous guitarists like Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, and George Benson. He used jazz-inspired chord embellishments. These are extra notes that make chords sound more complex. He also used gospel-style passing chords. These chords connect other chords smoothly. Spanky was also inspired by artists like Stevie Wonder. He said the piano helped him create his complex melodies.

Playing for Different Artists

On the Tupac Shakur song "Words 2 My Firstborn," Spanky showed his skill. He created guitar parts that mixed hip-hop and gospel styles. During the verses, he added colorful double stops. These are two notes played at the same time. They helped define the song's sound.

When playing with D'Angelo, Spanky's style changed. His guitar parts became more like decorations. They blended well with the other instruments. On the song "Africa" from the album Voodoo, Spanky used Jimi Hendrix-inspired sounds. He even used guitar sounds played backward. The album was recorded at Electric Ladyland Recording Studio. This studio was built by Jimi Hendrix himself. The song "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" also showed Spanky's great sense of rhythm. This song won a Grammy award. This helped more people discover Spanky's playing.

On The Roots song "What They Do," Spanky played with a smooth sound. He used his signature black Gibson ES-335 guitar. He played it through a Fender Twin Reverb amplifier. This created a direct and warm sound. His playing on this song showed the influence of jazz guitarist George Benson. His guitar solo on this track is a great example of his ability. He created catchy melodies that helped move the song forward.

Discography

• The East St. Louis Gospellettes, Love Is The Key (1977)
• Mighty Clouds of Joy, Live And Direct (1977)
• Randolph Watson And The Voices Of Faith, Rodena Preston Presents Look Where God Has Brought Us (1977)
• The Topics, Wanted Live! By A Million Girls (1978)
• The Mighty Clouds Of Joy, Miracle Man (1982)
• The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Pray for Me (1990)
• The Evereadys, A Message For You (1991)
• Tony Toni Toné, House Of Music (1996)
• Kissin' You, Total (1996)
• The Roots, Illadelph Halflife (1996)
• With My Eyes Closed, Bee Gees (1997)
• Bone Family Choir, O Lord I Want You To Move (1997)
• Always, Willie Max (1998)
• A Tribe Called Quest, The Love Movement (1998)
• Lamentation, Eric Benét (1999)
• Angie Stone, Black Diamond (1999)
• Hurry Up This Way Again, Terri Gore (1999)
• The Roots, Things Fall Apart (1999)
• Unconditional Love, Tarralyn Ramsey (2000)
• D'Angelo, Voodoo (2000)
• Clarence Fountain & The Blind Boys Of Alabama, My Lord What A Morning! (2000)
• 2Pac, Until the End of Time (2001)
• Raphael Saadiq, Instant Vintage (2002)
• There's Nothing In This World Without A Heart, The Blind Boys Of Alabama (2003)
• Roy Hargrove, Hard Groove (2003)
• Roy Hargrove, Strength (2004)
• Norman Brown, West Coast Coolin' (2004)
• The Canton Spirituals, New Life: Live in Harvey, IL (2004)
• Pretty Baby, Eric Benét (2005)
• Vick Allen, Simply Soul (2005)
• Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, Call Jesus (2005)
• Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, Go Through (2005)
• Rhian Benson, Gold Coast (2005)
• Mary J. Blige, The Breakthrough (2005)
• Vikter Duplaix, Bold and Beautiful (2006)
• John Mayer, Continuum (2006)
• Jackie Gore, Soulful Provider (2007)
• Stan Jones, Out of the Shadows (2007)
• Joss Stone, Introducing Joss Stone (2007)
• Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Shaheedullah and Stereotypes (2007)
• Al Green, Lay It Down (2008)
• D'Angelo, Black Messiah (2014)