► Get the 5-CD box-set + bonus at the usual place...
Ragtime Blake
Very few is known for certain in Blind Blake's life except three dates : 1896, 1926 and 1934. 1896 : his birth year, supposedly in Jacksonville, Florida, but maybe in Newport News, Virginia. 1926 : his arrival in Chicago. 1934 : his death, probably from pneumonia, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A fourth date should be added : 1932, the year Paramount Records went bankrupt, putting a final stop to Blake's recording career.
In the gaps between these dates, his life is pretty much subject to conjectures. Even his real name remains a bit mysterious : some favor Phelps though Blake is most likely the right one. As for his Christian name, the most widely accepted by specialists is Arthur.
