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- Billy Davis was born on 29 April 1938 in Bentonia, Mississippi, USA. He is an actor, known for Tapeheads (1988), Detroit Soul and Paradise Boogie (2018).
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Blues singer/guitarist Skip James was born in Bentonia, MS, in 1902, the son of a minister. He learned to play piano and guitar in high school, and it wasn't long before he was playing gigs at local dances and parties. In 1930 a Mississippi record-store owner heard him and arranged for him to record an album for Paramount Records at its studio in Grafton, WI, but unfortunately for James it was in the depths of the Depression, and the record didn't sell. Dispirited, he quit the music business and moved to Dallas, TX. He formed a gospel group called The Dallas Jubilee Singers, mainly as a backup group for his father's preaching. James eventually became a preacher himself, and in 1932 was ordained as a Baptist minister.
He returned to Mississippi in the 1940s, but not to the music business. In the 1960s he was "discovered" by several folk-music enthusiasts--including Henry Vestine, later of Canned Heat--and they persuaded him to play at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. He was a hit with the audience, and was soon playing gigs in folk clubs, blues clubs and festivals, often with fellow blues icon Mississippi John Hurt. In addition, James recorded two albums for Vanguard Records.
He died of cancer in 1969 in Chicago, IL.- Soundtrack
Duck was born Jimmy Charles Holmes on July 28, 1947 in Bentonia, Mississippi to Carey and Mary Holmes. His parents opened the Blue Front Cafe in 1948. Duck took over the cafe in 1970. After taking ownership, he encouraged Jack Owens and Bud Spires to play there more often.
Duck was taught the Bentonia style of playing by Henry Stuckey, the originator of the style. With encouragement from Jack and Bud, he honed his style to become one of the leading practitioners of the style.
Duck's first recording date to the late 1970s when he recorded "Devil's Blues" with Cornelius Bright for David Evans. In the 1980s, he began appearing at the Bentonia Blues Festival which had begun as a community event started by his mother, Mary, and grew into one of the longest running blues festival in America.
In 2003, recorded his first album at Pluto Plantation for Shade Tree Records, though the company would fold without ever releasing the recording. In 2005, Jeff Konkel would visit the Blue Front Cafe and record Duck and these recordings would be released in 2006 as Back to Bentonia. The album would win to Living Blues awards for Duck.
In 2007, he followed up with the album, Done Got Tired of Tryin'. The album received critical acclaim and was named by WXPN, World Cafe as one of the top ten albums of the year and was also nominated for a Blues Music Award.- Jack Owens was born on 17 November 1904 in Bentonia, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor, known for Man and Boy (1971), Petrocelli (1974) and Bearcats! (1971). He died on 9 February 1997.
- Bud Spires was born on 20 May 1931 in Bentonia, Mississippi, USA. He died on 20 March 2014 in Bentonia, Mississippi, USA.