About Bob Geddins
Artist Biography
b. 1913, Marlin, Texas, USA, d. 16 February 1991, Oakland, California, USA. A black entrepreneur, Geddins operated a series of labels from the late 40s, recording blues and gospel in the Bay Area. Lacking capital and distribution, he had to lease his recordings to larger labels; if a hit resulted, the artists were lured away. In this way, Geddins lost Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin, Roy Hawkins, Ray Agee and Koko Taylor. Among other hits, Geddins composed Johnny Ace’s ‘Last Letter’ and ‘Haunted House’ for Johnny Fuller (the latter was also a hit for Gene Simmons and the Compton Brothers.) Geddins also wrote the classic ‘My Time After Awhile’, and reworked a pre-war Curtis Jones song into ‘Tin Pan Alley’. Geddins was a prime mover behind the Oakland blues scene of the 40s and 50s, but his business abilities were not the equal of his composing and producing talents.
Hometown
Marlin, TX, United States
Genre
Blues