Magic Slim (1937-2013)

Morris Holt, better known as Magic Slim, died yesterday. He was hospitalized about a month ago with a bleeding ulcer, along with heart, lung and kidney ailments, while on tour in Philadelphia. He was 75. Slim was known for his rough, booming voice and his vibrato-laden guitar style, which he played both with and without a slide. For more than 45 years, Magic Slim and the Teardrops have been the quintessential Chicago blues band. Living Blues magazine said, “Magic Slim consistently offers no frills houserockin' blues. He and his band are a national treasure.”

Morris Holt was born in Granada, Mississippi on August 7, 1937. His first instrument was the piano, but when he lost the little finger of his right hand in a cotton gin accident, he switched to the guitar. He moved to Chicago in 1955, where he played bass in the band of his boyhood friend, Magic Sam (Sam Maghett). Magic Sam gave Slim his nickname, which stayed with him long after it was no longer appropriate.

Slim formed the Teardrops in 1965. The band included guitarist Alabama Junior Pettis, and his brothers, Nick Holt on bass and Douglas “Lee Baby” Holt on drums. His first recording was “Scufflin',” for the Ja-Wes label in 1966. He recorded his first LP, Born Under a Bad Sign, for the French MCM label in 1977. His career received a boost when four tracks by the group were included on the 1979 Alligator anthology, Living Chicago Blues. Following Muddy Waters' death in 1983, John Primer, Muddy's last guitarist, joined the Teardrops and remained with them for 13 years before leaving to form his own group.

The Teardrops were known for their large repetoire of blues songs. Here's a four song clip from 1991, a time when the Teardrops were at their very best. The front line is (l. to r.) Nick Holt, John Primer, and Magic Slim. The drummer is Jerry Porter.

Slim recorded over 30 CDs. Many of them appeared on the Austrian Wolf label, and should be approached with caution, since they were sometimes recorded under less than ideal conditions. Among those to seek out are Raw Magic on Alligator in 1980 and Grand Slam on Rooster Blues in 1982. In 1990, he began a long and mutually profitable association with Blind Pig, which produced nine CDs and one DVD. His 1999 CD Snakebite may well be the best Chicago blues album of the last 25 years. The Teardrops won the Blues Music Award as Best Blues Band of the Year six times.

Slim moved to Lincoln, Nebraska in 2004, reportedly out of concern that Chicago was not the best environment for his guitarist son, Shawn “Lil Slim” Holt. His brother Nick died in 2009. His son Shawn recently began touring with the band. Here's Slim in 2011 doing the title song from his final Blind Pig CD, Bad Boy, released in 2012.