Henry Townsend

by Cub Koda & Stephen Thomas ErlewineInfluenced by Roosevelt Sykes and Lonnie Johnson, Henry Townsend was a commanding musician, adept on both piano and guitar. During the 20s and 30s, Townsend was one of the musicians that helped make St. Louis one of the blues centers of America.Townsend arrived in St. Louis when he was around ten years old, just before the 20s began. By the end of the 20s, he had landed a record contract with Columbia, cutting several sides of open-tuning slide guitar for the label. Two years later, he made some similar recordings for Paramount. During this time, Townsend began playing the piano, learning the instrument by playing along with Roosevelt Sykes records. Within a few years, he was able to perform concerts with pianists like Walter Davis and Henry Brown. During the 30s, Townsend was a popular session musician, performing with many of the eras most popular artists. By the late 30s, he had cut several tracks for Bluebird. Those were among the last recordings he ever made as a leader. During the 40s and 50s, Townsend continued to perform and record as a session musician, but he never made any solo records. In 1960, he led a few sessions, but they didnt receive much attention. Toward the end of the 60s, Townsend became a staple on the blues and folk festivals in America, which led to a comeback. He cut a number of albums for Adelphi and he played shows throughout America. By the end of the 70s, he had switched from Adelphi to Nighthawk Records. Townsend had become an elder statesmen of St. Louis blues by the early 80s, recording albums for Wolf and Swingmaster and playing a handful of shows every year. Thats the Way I Do It, a ary about Townsend, appeared on public television in 1984. During the late 80s, Townsend was nearly retired, but he continued to play the occasional concert until his death in 2006.