Abu Talib

Abu Talib (born Fred Leroy Robinson; February 24, 1939 – October 8, 2009) was an American blues and R&B guitarist.

Career Born to an African American family in Memphis, Tennessee, he was raised in the state of Arkansas and moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1956. Inspired as a guitarist by Joe Willie Wilkins, he first recorded that year, backing harmonica player Birmingham Jones. In 1958, he began touring with Little Walter, and after seeing a jazz band perform was inspired to learn music formally at the Chicago School of Music. He also began working with Howlin' Wolf, recording with him such notable blues classics as "Spoonful", "Back Door Man" and "Wang Dang Doodle". In the mid-1960s, he played with R&B singers Jerry Butler and Syl Johnson, before joining Ray Charles' band in Los Angeles. While there, he recorded the instrumental "Black Fox", which became a minor pop hit reaching No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 29 on the R&B chart.

In the early 1970s, he worked with English blues bandleader John Mayall, playing on the album Jazz Blues Fusion, and recorded LPs with trumpeter Blue Mitchell. He also recorded two albums in his own name - At The Drive In and Off The Cuff, He also worked with Earl Gaines and Jimmy Rogers in the 1950s and 1960s, Monk Higgins and Stanley Turrentine in the 1970s, and Bobby Bland in the 1980s. In addition to his studio and touring collaborations, Talib also recorded solo, re-emerging in 1994 with an album of his own compositions, The Real Thing at Last. He was 70.

Discography

Singles 1962: "The Buzzard/The Hawk" - Queen 1966: "The Creeper/Go-Go-Girl" - Checker 1968: "The Coming Atlantis/Before Six" - World Pacific 1968: "The Oogum Boogum Song/Black Fox" - World Pacific 1968: "I Likes Yah/Stinger" - Cobblestone 1970: "Carmalita/Stone Stallion" - Liberty 1977: "I Like to Dance/Kneebone" - ICA

Albums 1968: The Coming Atlantis (later entitled Black Fox) World Pacific 1968: Hot Fun in the Summertime World Pacific/Liberty 1971: At the Drive-In - Enterprise/Polydor/P-Vine 1973: Off the Cuff - Enterprise/P-Vine 1994: The Real Thing at Last - Son Pat 1999: Bluesology - Ace

Collaborations With Monk Higgins 1968: Extra Soul Perception - Solid State With Milt Jackson 1969: Memphis Jackson - Impulse! With John Mayall 1972: Jazz Blues Fusion - Polydor 1973: Moving On - Polydor 1973: Ten Years Are Gone - Polydor With Blue Mitchell 1969: Bantu Village -Blue Note 1972: Blues' Blues - Mainstream 1973: Graffiti Blues - Mainstream

Filmography Moon Over Harlem (1939) Boarding House Blues (1948) Killer Diller (1948)