Francis Hillman Blackwell, b. February 21, 1903 in Syracuse, NC, d. October 27, 1962 in Indianapolis, IN. Blackwell was one of the most brilliantly innovative guitarists to work in the blues idiom and his unique style defies categorization, being of a quality close to jazz. He was of Cherokee Indian descent and one of 16 children born to Payton and Elizabeth Blackwell. The details of his childhood are confused but it is known that he was taken to Indianapolis in 1906, and inherited his father’s interest in music (Payton was a fiddler). Self-taught on guitar and piano, he began to work as a part-time musician during his teenage years, sometimes straying as far as Chicago but always returning to Indianapolis. In the course of his career he recorded many satisfying and impressive blues guitar solos under his own name, but gained his greatest fame in the company of Leroy Carr. Their piano/guitar duets in support of Carr’s warm vocals set the standard for all such combinations throughout the 30s.
Blackwell is reported to have been a somewhat difficult and withdrawn man, and his partnership with Carr was sometimes rocky. However, on Carr’s death from alcoholism in 1935, Blackwell recorded a tribute to his ‘old pal’ and largely dropped out of sight. Rediscovered in the late 50s, his new recordings showed that his mastery of the guitar had not diminished, while his blues had become more personal and intense. He was shot by an unknown assassin in 1962.