J.B. Lenoir – was born on March 5, 1929 on a farm near Monticello. He learned to play the guitar from his father. As a teenager, he traveled to play music. He lived in Gulfport and later also played in New Orleans with Elmor James. In 1949 he moved to Chicago where he performed with Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Minnie, Muddy Waters, and Little Walter. He also founded his own group J.B. and his Bayou Boys.
During the 1950s Lenoir recorded for various record labels in the Chicago area, including J.O.B., Chess, Parrot, and Checker. His more successful songs included “Let’s Roll”, “The Mojo” (featuring saxophonist J. T. Brown) and the controversial “Eisenhower Blues”, which Parrot Records forced him to re-record as “Tax Paying Blues.”
J.B. Lenoir was known in the 1950s for his showmanship, particularly his zebra-patterned costumes, and his high-pitched vocals. He became an influential electric guitarist and songwriter, and his penchant for social commentary distinguished him from many other bluesmen of the time. His most commercially successful and enduring release was “Mamma Talk to Your Daughter”, recorded for Parrot in 1954, which reached number 11 on the Billboard R&B chart and was later recorded by many other blues and rock musicians. In the later 1950s, recording for Checker, he wrote several more blues standards, including “Don’t Dog Your Woman” and “Don’t Touch My Head!!!” (1956)