Junior Markham

James Keys Markham (March 16, 1941 – September 21, 2018) was an American harmonica player and singer. Inducted into both the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, he is considered a pioneer of the "Tulsa sound".

Early life James Keys Markham was born and raised in Pryor, Oklahoma. His parents were Elisabeth and James Clarence Markham. Markham never completed high school, but dropped out. Markham listened to blues radio and records of Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. In 1956, as a teenager, he got the chance to see his idol play at the Expo Square Pavilion at the Tulsa State Fair. Markham remembered it as the day that "Ruined my life". Markham also ran a club called the Paradise Club. It was located at 6200 South Lewis Avenue in Tulsa. These recordings feature Carl Radle, Jesse Ed Davis, Levon Helm, and others. This album features Leon Russell on keys as well as King Snake artists Ace Moreland (a guitar player who is also considered a Tulsa musician even though he is from Miami, Oklahoma) and Bob "Rattlesnake" Greenlee who produced the album. The distribution company had been shipping drugs in CD cases all over the world which meant that King Snake products could not be distributed. The album features Bobby Keys, Johnny Sansone, Marcy Levy, Walt Richmond, and Charles Tuberville

House fire In the morning on May 7, 2018, Markham's house caught on fire, although he was not at his property and was said to be fine. The fire was caused by an electrical problem. Markham had no insurance on his house and he lost belongings and personal memorabilia.

Discography 1967 – The Leathercoated Minds – A Trip Down The Sunset Strip 1968 – Asylum Choir – Look Inside The Asylum Choir 1984 – .38 Special (band) – Tour de Force 1987 – A.C. Reed – I'm in the Wrong Business (Plays on the same track Bonnie Raitt does) 1994 – The Tractors – The Tractors 1995 – David Olney – High, Wide And Lonesome 1995 – Various – Even More Good Whiskey: A Collection Of Contemporary Blues Songs From The State Of Tennessee (Made in Germany) 1998 – Various – Blues on the High Seas: King Snake LIVE! (with Ace Moreland, Floyd Miles, and Sonny Rhodes) 1998 – Brad Absher – Find You Tonight 1999 – Jimmy Markham – Wound Up Tight 2004 – JJ Cale – To Tulsa And Back 2007 – Red Dirt Rangers – Ranger Motel 2009 – JJ Cale – Roll On 2009 – Little Joe McLerran – Believe I'll Make A Change 2014 – Eric Clapton & Friends – The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale 2017 – Scott Ellison – Good Morning Midnight 2018 – Jimmy Markham – Get Ya Head Right