Ernest Lane

Ernest Ray Lane (March 16, 1931 – July 8, 2012) was an American blues pianist. He played various blues musicians and bands, including with Pinetop Perkins, Robert Nighthawk, Ike Turner, George "Harmonica" Smith, and Canned Heat. Lane also released singles and album as a solo artist.

Life and career Lane was born on March 16, 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Lane and his siblings, three sisters and two brothers, lived with his mother Ethel Thomas in Clarksdale. His father, John Lane, was a painter in a part of town called Overtown. Lane and his childhood friend Ike Turner spent time living with Lane's father who also played ragtime piano. One day, Lane and Turner heard blues pianist Pinetop Perkins playing boogie-woogie at his father's house. His playing piqued their interest, and Perkins taught them how to play piano. The single "Annie Lee Blues" reached #13 on the Billboard R&B chart on December 31, 1949.

In 1952, Lane released his first single under his own name, "What's Wrong, Baby?" on Blues & Rhythm Records, which was a short lived label founded and run by Saul Bihari. Lane relocated to California in 1956 where he performed with Jimmy Nolen and George "Harmonica" Smith. He joined the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in the early 1960s, resulting in the release of his single "What's That You've Got" on Turner's Sony label in 1963. Lane led the band at Turner's funeral in 2007, performing his classics songs.

Lane released three solo under his own name, The Blues Is Back! (2004), Born with the Blues (2008), and 72 Miles From Memphis (2011).

Lane died at Brotman Hospital in Culver City, California on July 8, 2012. He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery.

Discography

Singles

1963: "What's That You've Got" / "Need My Help" (Sony 114) 1984: "Doggin' No More" / "Little Girl" (Rooster Blues R 50)

Singles as a sideman

1949: "Annie Lee Blues"/"Black Angel Blues" (Aristocrat 2301) – The Nighthawks

Albums

2004: The Blues Is Back! (Acoustic Music Records) 2008: Born with the Blues (Evejim Records) 2011: 72 Miles From Memphis (Acoustic Music Records)

Albums as a sideman

1969: Hallelujah – Canned Heat 1970: Future Blues – Canned Heat 1972 Sneakin' Around – Canned Heat 2001: Here And Now – Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm 2006: Risin' With The Blues – Ike Turner 2012: Ike Turner Studio Productions New Orleans And Los Angeles 1963-1965 2012: Trouble Up The Road: The Recordings 1961 – Ike Turner