John Temple, b. October 18, 1906 in Canton, MS, d. November 22, 1968 in Jackson, MS. Temple learned guitar from his stepfather Slim Duckett, a well-known performer from the Jackson area who later recorded for OKeh Records in 1930. Temple could also play the mandolin and often worked at house parties and juke-joints. In 1932 he moved to Chicago where he worked as a general all-round musician and recorded blues for both Decca and Vocalion Records. He worked with the famous McCoy brothers and recorded as part of the knockabout jazz group the Harlem Hamfats. He continued to work in Chicago until well into the post-war period, appearing with artists such as Billy Boy Arnold and Walter Horton, as well as forming his own group, the Rolling Four. In the mid-60s he returned to Jackson where, after a period of ill health, he died from cancer at the age of 62.
