Edward Riley "Eddie" Boyd

Edward Riley  Boyd was born on Frank Moore's Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi, on November 25, 1914, although  a birth certificate later put the date at November 13. Eddie was a half brother of Memphis Slim and a cousin of Muddy Waters.  As a youth, he taught himself how to play piano and guitar, and he worked the jukes joints in and around the Mississippi delta and then  moved to Memphis in 1936.Working as both "Ernie Boyd" and "Little Eddie"  In Memphis he often played on Beale Street with his band the Dixie Rhythm Boys.  Hoping to record,  Boyd left Memphis for Chicago in 1941 where he worked in a Steel Mill as a day job.  Night time he worked in the city's blues joints with Johnny Shines", " Sonny Boy Williamson", and with his cousin the famous Muddy Waters.  Boyd played in the recording studio regularly. 

    Lester Melrose, who had signed Eddie to Victor, arranged for him to play piano at a session with Big Maceo in 1947.  Maceo had suffered paralysis to his right hand side.  In 1948 Boyd recorded with J. T. Brown's Boogie Band.  In  1952 Eddie achieved his greatest  success with " Five Long Years."  Another song  '24 Hours" was his next hit,  and the following song  "Third Degree" became his third hit within a twelve month span.                                                          

    Boyd  journeyed to Europe during the "Blues Boom"  of the 60's and decide to live permanently in Europe, first in Paris and later in Finland.  His piano playing is" steadily functional rather than spectacular and his main strength is his ability to put together lyrics which are pithy and acidic.".  In 1957 a car crash in Illinois resulted in Eddie being injured,  and his popularity declined for a while.  Eddie was part of the American Folk Blues Festival in 1965.
     After having played in France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Denmark, he married a Finnish woman in 1970 and settled in Finland.  He underwent heart surgery for replacement of a defective valve in 1980.  His last record was a cassette of religious music in 1993.  Eddie Boyd died in Melilahti Hospital, Helsinki, Finland,  on July 13, 1994