Memphis Slim

Born John Len Chatman (he first recorded under the name Peter Chatman, borrowing his father's name), Memphis Slim was one of the major blues pianists of the postwar era and a key figure in both the Chicago blues scene and the European expatriate blues community. He arrived in Chicago in the late 1930s and worked with Big Bill Broonzy before establishing himself as a bandleader and recording artist for Bluebird, Miracle, Premium, and later Chess and Vee-Jay. His composition originally titled 'Nobody Loves Me,' later known as 'Every Day I Have the Blues,' became a jazz and blues standard recorded by B.B. King, Count Basie, and dozens of others. In 1962, Slim moved permanently to Paris, France, where he performed regularly and recorded prolifically for European labels until his death in 1988. He was named a Commander of Arts and Letters by the French government.