Eddie Cusic

Eddie Cusic
Cusic performing in 2014
Background information
Born	(1926-01-04)January 4, 1926 Leland, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	August 11, 2015(2015-08-11) (aged 89)
Genres	Mississippi blues, electric blues[1]
Occupation(s)	Guitarist, singer, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1950s–2015
Labels	HighTone Records

Eddie Cusic (January 4, 1926 – August 11, 2015) was an American Mississippi blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter.^[2] His small quantity of recorded work included him being mislabelled as Eddie Quesie and Eddie Cusie. Cusic had musical connections with both Little Milton^[1] and James "Son" Thomas.^[2]

Life and career

Eddie Cusic was born in Wilmot, Mississippi due south of Leland, Mississippi, United States in 1926.^[3] Growing up in a farming community, he was inspired to play the blues after hearing adults playing at local family gatherings. He graduated from playing the diddley bow to a Sears acoustic guitar. He formed the Rhythm Aces in the early part of the 1950s, a three piece band who played throughout the Mississippi Delta area.^[3] One of the group was Little Milton whom Cusic taught to play the guitar.^[1][4] Following service in the United States Army, which began in 1952, Cusic later settled in Leland, Mississippi, and found employment as a laborer and tractor driver at Delta Branch Agricultural Research Station In Stoneville, Mississippi. When it was discovered that he was adept at working on motors, he was placed in the shop there as a mechanic where he remained until his retirement. In the 1970s, Cusic played alongside James "Son" Thomas at regular engagements. Together they recorded "Once I Had a Car", which appeared on the compilation album, Mississippi Delta & South Tennessee Blues (1977).^[2] He retired from full-time work in 1989, and having been urged by his good friend, James "Son" Thomas, Cusic returned to performing with an acoustic guitar.^[3] He has variously appeared at the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival in Greenville, Mississippi,^[5] as well as at the Sunflower River Blues Festival, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and at the Chicago Blues Festival.^[3]

In 1998, Cusic made a 'field recording' at his own house in Leland, Mississippi, and delivered versions of several blues standards in his own pure Mississippi blues styling. The recording included cover versions of songs such as "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", "Big Boss Man", "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Catfish Blues". AllMusic noted that the resultant album, I Want to Boogie, was "a strong debut that also makes the first new 'blues discovery' since the halcyon days of the 1960s".^[1] It was released by HighTone Records.^[3] A reworked version, containing several different tracks, was released in 2012, billed as Leland Mississippi Blues.^[6]

C2C sampled the vocals from Cusic's, “You Don't Have to Go” for their own 2012 track, "Down The Road".^[7][8]

On August 11, 2015, Cusic died from prostate cancer, aged 89.^[9]

Discography

^[10]

See also

• List of electric blues musicians

References

External links

• Illustrated discography at Wirz.de
• Youtube.com recording of Cusic playing
• Eddie Cusic at the Internet Movie Database