Guitar Crusher

Guitar Crusher
Birth name Sidney Selby
Also known as Guitar Crusher
Bone Crusher
Born (1931-07-28) July 28, 1931
Hyde County, North Carolina, United States
Genres Blues, soul, rhythm and blues
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, musician
Instruments Vocals, guitar, blues harp,
Years active 1950 present
Labels King Records, T&S Records, In-Akustik, Hotsak,
Website Official website

Sidney Selby (born July 23, 1931), known as "Guitar Crusher" and formerly as "Bone Crusher", is an American blues singer and guitarist, for many years based in Berlin, Germany. Primarily a singer, billed as "The Big Voice from New York", he also plays guitar and blues harmonica.

Biography

He was born at Lake Landing, in Hyde County, North Carolina.[1] Selby sang gospel in the Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church and on the radio as a schoolboy. At the age of 15 he went to live with his mother in New York. He started a band The Midnight Rockers and performed in colleges and clubs in the NY area.[2] In the 1960s he recorded a number of singles on King [3] and other labels.[4][5] He also toured with artists such as Ben E. King, The Drifters and The Isley Brothers.[6][7]

In 1982, he went to Berlin, Germany, with New York guitarist Nick Katzman, and began to attract an audience. With the new Midnight Rockers they soon performed in clubs and on major festivals all over Europe. Their repertoire included Selby's originals, R&B standards, ballads and soul classics. On his recordings and live gigs he was backed by artists such as Katie Webster, Eb Davis, "Detroit" Gary Wiggins, Christian Rannenberg,[8][9] Tyree Glenn Jr., Alvin Lee, Charles ’Honeyboy’ Otis, Wild Jimmy Spruill, Benny Bailey, Calvin Owens, Marcos Coll, Thomm Jutz and Hans McMinamin and many others.[10]

Originally known as "Bone Crusher", Selby's name changed to "Guitar Crusher" after he smashed his guitar over the head of an unruly customer in a club during his show.[11] He has been called a "living legend" by the press in Germany several times.[12][13][14][15]

Selby is married to Mara von Hartz-Selby.[8] He is the grandfather of Sidney Selby III, also known as Desiigner.[16][17][18]

Discography

Singles

Albums

Compilations

External links

References

  1. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 332. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  2. Evans, David (2010-10-01). Ramblin' on My Mind: New Perspectives on the Blues. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252091124.
  3. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1969-03-15). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  4. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1967-05-06). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  5. Thompson, Dave (2002-09-01). The Music Lover's Guide to Record Collecting. Backbeat Books. ISBN 9781617132025.
  6. Biography, Allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 November 2016
  7. Ford, Robert (2008-03-31). A Blues Bibliography. Routledge. ISBN 9781135865085.
  8. 1 2 Rauhut, Michael (2008-01-01). Ich hab den Blues schon etwas länger: Spuren einer Musik in Deutschland (in German). Ch. Links Verlag. ISBN 9783861534952.
  9. Komara, Edward (2006-01-01). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415926997.
  10. Blues: Geschichte, Stile, Musiker, Songs & Aufnahmen (in German). Dorling Kindersley. 2008-01-01. ISBN 9783884728536.
  11. Eagle, Bob L.; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013-05-01). Blues: A Regional Experience. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313344244.
  12. "Gereifter Blues einer Legende - MOZ.de". MOZ.de. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  13. Zeitung, Badische. "Eine Legende kommt am 24. Oktober: Guitar Crusher". Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  14. KG, elbe Wochenblatt Verlag Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. "Westsideblues präsentiert die Blues-Legende Guitar Crusher". www.elbe-wochenblatt.de. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  15. "Kurzmeldungen". hallolinden-db.de. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  16. "Desiigner's Grandfather Is Famed Blues Musician, Sidney Selby – Local Savage". localsavage.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  17. "Meet Desiigner's Biggest Influence: His Legendary "Guitar Crusher" Grandpa". PigeonsandPlanes. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  18. "Desiigner goes big after Kanye signs him on to his label". Gulf-Times. 2016-05-02. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
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