Gus was the banjo king. He lived in Clarksdale, which is known for being a hotbed of country Blues. As he played in Memphis, he often had his banjo between his knees and used a knife to cut the strings. He recorded six tracks in Chicago with Blind Blake in 1927. At the time, he was known as “Banjo Joe”. He joined the Jug Band craze in Memphis the following year, and formed the Jug Stompers, with Lewis, Thompson, and Hosea Woods as vocalists and kazoo players. Gus began to play for tips in the park next to Beale Street in the 30s. But he was’rediscovered’ in the 60s and shared the Festival stage with Furry Lewis, a fellow Memphis Bluesman. He recorded with Noah Lewis (no relationship) for Stax, as well as with Bukka white. But Gus is perhaps most well-known for his song ‘Walk Right In’ which reached the top of the US Pop Charts by The Rooftop Singers. It is a song that is widely known all over the globe. from www.allaboutbluesmusic.com
