Drink Small

Early life Drink Small (his real name) was born in Bishopville, South Carolina who were also sharecroppers working in cotton fields. His mother was Alice "Missie" Small and his father was Arthur Jackson; they never married. There is no story or significance behind his name. originally learning on his uncle's one-string guitar. He made a guitar as a child, cutting up an old inner tube for strings. Later in his youth he organized a local gospel group, the Six Stars. During high school he sang in the school glee club and with a quartet, as well as in his church. Around this time he also began to perform with a professional gospel group, the Golden Five. On weekends when he returned home from school, he and the Golden Five would perform at house parties.

Small had eclectic musical influences, including Tennessee Ernie Ford, Merle Travis, John Lee Hooker, Fats Domino and the blues guitarist and singer Blind Boy Fuller. He also watched diverse musical shows on television, including Soul Train and The Lawrence Welk Show from which he drew musical inspiration. He performed his blues at almost every institution of higher learning in South Carolina, along with frequent appearances at nightclubs, roadhouses, and more righteous songs, such as "The Lord Been Good to Me".

Small has toured nationally and internationally, including performances at well-known festivals such as the Chicago Blues Festival and the King Biscuit Blues Festival,

As of 2015, he was featured weekly on Blues Moon Radio, broadcast on WUSC-FM from Columbia, South Carolina.

His favorite guitar is named Geraldine.

He never made enough money solely from his music career, so he required outside income. He sometimes sold fishing worms out of his backyard between musical gigs.

Discography Albums Year Title Record label 1970s Drink SmallSouthland 1976 I Know My Blues Are Different Southland (Select-O-Hits) 1988 (re-released in 2006) Blues Doctor: Live & Outrageous! Erwin 1990 The Blues Doctor Ichiban 1991 Round Two Ichiban 1994 Electric Blues Doctor Live Mapleshade 2003 Does It All Bishopville 2008 Tryin' to Survive at 75 Bishopville 2010 Hallelujah Boogaloo Music Maker

Singles Year Title Record label unknown "Atlanta Georgia is a Little New York, part 1" / "Atlanta Georgia is a Little New York, part 2"Bishopville 1959 "I Love You Alberta" / "Cold Cold Rain" Sharp 1987 "I'm Gonna Shag My Blues Away" / "I'm In Love with a Grandma" Bishopville 1990 "Tittie Man" / "Rub My Belly" Ichiban

Awards and honors Small's 1988 album Blues Doctor: Live & Outrageous was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award 2012: his song "Living in a BBQ World" was named as the official song of the South Carolina Festival of Discovery which has become an annual celebration 2023: Drink Small Day celebrated February 4, 2023 at the South Carolina State Museum to commemorate Small's 90th birthday; the musician performed at the event