Ishmon Bracey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ishmon Bracey
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Ishman Bracey Ishmael Adams |
| Born | January 9, 1899 or 1901 Byram, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | February 12, 1970 (aged 69-71) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | Delta blues, country blues |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1910s–1951 |
| Associated acts | Tommy Johnson |
Ishmon Bracey (born around 1899 or 1901, died 1970) was an American Delta blues singer and guitar player. Sometimes people called him Ishman Bracey. He was a very important blues musician in Jackson, Mississippi. Bracey was one of the first blues artists from that area to record his music. Some of his well-known songs are "Trouble Hearted Blues" and "Left Alone Blues." You can find these songs on many music collections.
Ishmon Bracey's Story
Ishmon Bracey was born in a small town called Byram, Mississippi. Most people think he was born in 1901. However, some researchers believe he was born in 1899. His parents were Richard and Etta Bracey.
Ishmon learned to play the guitar using a special style called bottlenecking. He learned this from local blues musicians Rubin Lacey and Louis Cooper. He started his music career by playing at dances, juke joints, and other events. Later, in the late 1910s, he moved to Jackson.
In 1927, a talent scout named H. C. Speir found Bracey playing music. Speir wanted to record Bracey for Victor Records. On February 4, 1928, Bracey recorded his first two songs, "Saturday Blues" and "Left Alone Blues." He recorded them in Memphis with Papa Charlie McCoy playing backup guitar. Bracey and McCoy went back to Memphis later that year to record seven more songs.
Ishmon Bracey had a unique way of singing his blues songs. He often changed the usual three-line pattern of blues verses. He also sang with a special nasal tone. In 1929 and early 1930, Bracey recorded more music for Paramount Records. He played with a band called the New Orleans Nehi Boys. This band included a clarinet player, Kid Ernest Michall, and a piano player, Charles Taylor. It was unusual to hear these instruments in Delta blues music.
Ishmon Bracey did not record many songs, only 16 in total. Original copies of his old 78-rpm records are very rare and valuable to music collectors. His songs "Trouble Hearted Blues" and "Left Alone Blues" are still his most famous.
Bracey often performed with his friend, Tommy Johnson. They played together in traveling shows in the early 1930s. Ishmon Bracey continued to play the blues until 1951. At that time, he became a Baptist minister. After that, he stopped making blues music. However, in 1963, he helped music historian Gayle Dean Wardlow learn about other Delta blues musicians, like Skip James. Ishmon Bracey passed away on February 12, 1970. He is buried in Willow Park Cemetery in Jackson.
His Music Recordings
- The Famous 1928 Tommy Johnson–Ishman Bracey Session (Roots, 1970)
- Complete Recordings in Chronological Order (Wolf, 1983)
- Ishman Bracey & Charley Taylor 1928–1929 (Document, 2000)
- King of the Blues, vol. 12 (P-Vine, 2003)
- Suitcase Full of Blues (Monk, 2010)
Learn More
In Spanish: Ishmon Bracey para niños
- List of country blues musicians
