Lefty Bates

Lefty Bates
Birth nameWilliam H. Bates
Born(1920-03-09)March 9, 1920
Leighton, Alabama, United States
DiedApril 7, 2007(2007-04-07) (aged 87)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
GenresChicago blues[1]
OccupationGuitarist
InstrumentGuitar
Years activeMid 1930s – early 1980s
LabelsRCA, Vee-Jay, various

Lefty Bates (March 9, 1920 – April 7, 2007)[2] was an American Chicago blues guitarist. He led the Lefty Bates Combo and worked with the El Dorados, the Flamingos, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Etta James, the Aristo-Kats, the Hi-De-Ho Boys, the Moroccos, and the Impressions.[2] A regular on the Chicago blues scene, his major work was as a session musician on numerous recordings in the 1950s and 1960s.[1]

Bates was married to the locally well-known club dancer Mary Cole Bates, who died in 2001.[3]

  1. ^ a b Chadbourne, Eugene. "Lefty Bates: Biography". Allmusic.com. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Doc Rock (2007). "The Dead Rock Stars Club: 2007, January to June". TheDeadRockStarsClub.com. Accessed October 13, 2011.
  3. ^ Jensen, Trevor (April 19, 2007). "William H. 'Lefty' Bates: 1920–2007". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-10-14.