Magic Slim and the Teardrops

Magic Slim and the Teardrops: Black Tornado

by Ed Kopp
August 1, 1999

Critics tend to overemphasize regional differences in blues styles, but I'll concede that Chicago blues can be particularly loose and low-down. Chicago blues is really Delta blues electrified, and Mississippi-born Magic Slim may be the genre's finest living purveyor.

You won't find a more authentic blues man than 61-year-old Magic Slim, whose given name is Morris Holt. A high-voltage guitarist and soulful singer, Slim honed his skills in his native Mississippi and then became a fixture in the Chicago blues ...