Atlanta blues musician: Eddie Tigner

Atlanta blues musician: Eddie Tigner
August 8, 2010
Rhetta Akamatsu
Examiner.com

Atlanta blues musician and legend Eddie Tigner is celebrating his 84th birthday at Northside Tavern this Saturday, August 7, at Northside Tavern.

Mr. Tigner was actually born August 11th, 1926 in Macon, GA. His father died as a result of mustard gas he inhaled in World War I, and Tigner's mother married a coal miner who moved the family to Kentucky, where Mr. Tigner fondly remembers hearing country and bluegrass music as a child. When he was 14, the family returned to Atlanta, and Eddie went with his piano-playing mother to fish fries, parties and barbeques where she entertained.

Tigner did not learn to play piano himself, however, until he joined the army in 1945 and was taught by a fellow soldier at the base in Maryland. Eddie was in charge of booking entertainment on the base on the weekends and here he met Bill Kenney of the Ink Spots.

After his discharge, TIgner returned to Atlanta and joined the Musician's Union in 1947, forming his first group, the Maroon Notes, who played locally and traveled to small towns as far away as Florida. During the 50's, Eddie also played with Elmore James, who was living in Atlanta at the time, often at the LIthonia Country Club, which featured all-black motorcycle races and stock car races on Saturdays.

In 1959, Eddie joined a revamped version of the Ink Spots, and performed as a member of that legendary group until 1987.

These days, Eddie is still performing and playing around Atlanta regularly, and also plays gigs arranged by the Music Maker Foundation, in recent years including the Chicago Blues Festival and even a festival in Switzerland. He still knows how to please an audience, and is deserving of much love, respect and appreciation for over 60 years as a performer!