Bacon James was born on a sweltering summer night in 1949, in a small shotgun shack on the outskirts of Clarksdale, Mississippi. The fourth of seven children, Bacon was born into a family of sharecroppers, with music running through their veins like the waters of the Mississippi River. The James family was well-known for their musical talents, with Bacon’s father, “Lightnin'” Louie James, being a skilled blues guitarist and his mother, Margaret “Honeybee” James, blessed with a powerful, soulful voice.
It was clear from a young age that Bacon had inherited his parents’ musical prowess. By the time he was six, he had already mastered the harmonica, and by age ten, he was playing guitar like a seasoned pro. As the story goes, Bacon’s father gave him the nickname “Bacon” because of his love for the instrument’s sizzling sound, which reminded him of frying bacon on a hot skillet.
Bacon grew up listening to the greats like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King, and developed a unique style of blues that combined these influences with his own. By his early teens, Bacon had begun to make a name for himself in the local juke joints, bringing the house down with his wailing harmonica and fiery guitar licks.
In 1965, at the age of 16, Bacon left home to join a traveling blues band led by legendary harmonica player “Smokin'” Willie Brown. Touring the South, Bacon honed his skills as a performer and gained a reputation for his electrifying stage presence. It was during this time that he began to merge his blues roots with the burgeoning rock & roll movement, pioneering a sound that would later be known as Southern Rock.
…in reality: Bacon James is a singer-song writer based out of Gainesville Florida, who enjoys performing for environmental and charitable causes.
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