Iverson Minter (March 23, 1932 – February 25, 2012), known as Louisiana Red, was an American blues guitarist, harmonica player, and singer, who recorded more than 50 albums. A master of slide guitar, he played both traditional acoustic and urban electric styles, with lyrics both honest and often remarkably personal. His career includes collaborations with artists as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Eric Burdon, and others.
Born March 23, 1932, in Bessemer, Alabama,[3] Minter lost his parents early in life; his mother died of pneumonia shortly after his birth, and his father was lynched by the Ku Klux Klan in 1937, prompting an aunt to place him in an orphanage. He later lived with his grandmother and an uncle in Pittsburgh.[1]
At sixteen, Minter lied about his age and joined the U.S. Army, serving in Korea during the Korean War. Minter was assigned to a labor battalion and spent his evenings belting out the blues at the service club.
His first album, Lowdown Back Porch Blues, was recorded in New York City with Tommy Tucker and released in 1963. His second album, Seventh Son, was released later the same year.[4] Louisiana Red released the single "I'm Too Poor to Die" for the Glover label in 1964. It peaked at number 117 on the BillboardHot 100 and number 30 on the Cashboxchart. (Billboard did not publish an R&B chart in 1964.)
He maintained a busy recording and performing schedule through the 1960s and 1970s, working in sessions for Chess, Checker, Atlas, Glover, Roulette, L&R and Tomato, amongst others.[1]
Like many other blues musicians, Minter long struggled to make a living in his native country, so in the early 1980s he moved to Germany where, to his delight, he found audiences far more receptive to his elemental sound. He lived in Hanover, Germany, from 1983.[5][6]
In 1994, Louisiana Red fused the blues with the urban Greek music of the bouzouki player Stelios Vamvakaris, on the album Blues Meets Rembetika.[7] He continued to tour, including regular returns to the United States,[8] until his death. In 2011, Louisiana Red released the album Memphis Mojo, to broad public acclaim.[9]
Minter married a woman named Ealase in 1963. Together they raised three children. Ealase died of cancer in 1973.[10]
His second marriage was to folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta in 1977. Minter separated from her in 1983 to pursue his career in Germany.[11]
In 1984 he married Dora, a German-Ghanaian woman who acted as his manager later in life. Minter adopted Dora’s two sons and together they resided in Hanover, Germany.[12]
English slide guitarist Michael Messer noted on February 25, 2012, "I am very sorry to be bringer of such sad news that my dear friend, Louisiana Red, died this morning. He had a stroke on Monday and had been in a coma."[13] He died in Hanover, aged 79.[3]
He appeared in the films Rockpalast (1976), Comeback (1982), Ballhaus Barmbek (1988), Red and Blues (2005) and Family Meeting (2008).[14]
In 2005, Louisiana Red, became the central figure in the documentary film 'Red and Blues' directed by the German-Finnish filmmaker Susanna Salonen. The documentary chronicles Louisiana Red's life touring across Germany, providing an intimate look into his experiences as an elderly African-American blues artist residing in Europe.[15][16]
