Birth name Charles Isaiah Ross Role Singer Instruments Harmonica, drums Genres Detroit blues | Years active 1951–1993 Albums The Harmonica Boss Name Doctor Ross | |
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Born October 21, 1925
Tunica, Mississippi, United States ( 1925-10-21 ) Occupation(s) Singer, guitarist, harmonica player, drummer, one-man band Died May 28, 1993, Flint, Michigan, United States Similar People Joe Hill Louis, Willie Nix, Billy "The Kid" Emerson, Big Walter Horton, Rosco Gordon | ||
Doctor Ross : "Cat Squirrel" - Fortune Records, 1961 (RARE BLUES!)
Doctor Ross (October 21, 1925 – May 28, 1993), also known as Doctor Ross the Harmonica Boss, born Charles Isaiah Ross in Tunica, Mississippi, was an American blues singer, guitarist, harmonica player and drummer.
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Ross's blues style has been compared to that of John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson. His recordings for Sun Records in the 1950s include "The Boogie Disease" and "Chicago Breakdown".
Biography
In 1951 Ross's records began to get airplay in Mississippi and Arkansas. He recorded with Chess Records and Sun with a group that included folk instruments, such as the washboard .
In 1954 Ross moved to the Detroit area and began working for General Motors. He recorded some singles with Fortune Records, including "Cat Squirrel" and "Industrial Boogie". He recorded an album issued by Testament Records and toured with the American Folk Blues Festival in Europe in 1965.
He recorded an album for Blue Horizon Records while he was in London and worked with Ornament Records in Germany in 1972. Ross and his music were popular in Europe, more so than in his home country.
Ross won a Grammy for his 1981 album Rare Blues and subsequently enjoyed a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim towards the end of his career.
He died in 1993, at the age of 67, and was buried in Flint, Michigan.