Howard Grimes
Legendary hitmaking Memphis drummer Howard Grimes passed away in his hometown of Memphis, TN on Saturday. Known as Bulldog, Grimes grew up attending mid-century Memphis music clubs, juke joints, and cafes in North Memphis and around Beale Street, with WDIA always on the airwaves. He recorded with Rufus Thomas, William Bell, and Carla Thomas at STAX and on Al Green’s genre-defining work at Hi Records. His immortal percussion contributions are a part of Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and Ann Peebles’ hit “I Can’t Stand The Rain.”
The Hi Rhythm drummer, Grimes provided the backbeat for some of Stax and Hi Records’ great recordings, including Al Green, Ann Peebles and more. He was considered an instrumental part of Memphis music. Grimes was born in Memphis in 1941 and grew up in the New Chicago neighborhood and attended Manassas School with Isaac Hayes. He began his professional career as a musician playing drums in nightclubs and cut his first record in 1959. Since then he has played on numerous top-ten hits, gold records and award-winning albums.
With Preston Lauterbach, he authored an acclaimed autobiography Timekeeper: My Life In Rhythm, which came out last year on Devault-Graves Books. Grimes wrote, “My beat is the backbone of the Memphis sound. The rhythm of this city runs through my heart. This book isn’t just my story. I’m connected to the Memphis sound.” He absorbed rhythms from the radio, church house floors, and marching bands, and learned his first drum lick from a cab driver, first playing using ice cream barrels. He also had a spiritual journey, a connection he credits for his even-tempered outlook that also comes across as a signature in his playing.
Grimes first played at clubs like Currie’s Tropicana and Club Handy, later crediting his work in concert with establishing his musical identity backing legends like Marvin Gaye, Bo Diddley, Booker T. & The MGs, The Five Royales, Hank Ballard & The Midniters. Grimes was introduced to Jim Stewart at STAX Records before bringing in his high school classmate Isaac Hayes to; he laid the foundation for hit records by Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Junior Parker, and William Bell before moving to Hi Records, backing Green, Peebles, Syl Johnson, Willie Mitchell, Otis Clay, Don Bryant, Denise LaSalle, and, in his opinion, the finest vocalist with whom he has worked, O.V. Wright. Of the Hi era, he says, “As hungry as we were, as funky as we were, we put everybody on the charts.” Grimes witnessed Al Green sitting in on a tour gig and blowing away Mitchell and the crowd, resulting in an immediate offer of a recording contract.
The STAX Museum of American Soul Music hosted a discussion and performance with Howard Grimes last year. See it here.
Grimes also recorded with Ike and Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper (in a project nominated for a GRAMMY Award), Allen Toussaint, and in a Blues Music Award-winning turn, John Nemeth. Grimes always spoke of lessons from his career, such as Willie Mitchell’s two main suggestions: slow down his beat and listen to the story in the lyrics of the songs as he played. In the past decade, he provided the beat for Memphis soul all-stars the Bo-Keys. He also played on Don Bryant’s comeback albums, including the GRAMMY-nominated You Make Me Feel (Fat Possum Records).
Grimes almost died as an infant, encountered corrupt record label practices that left him broke and lived with his mother even as he played on million-sellers. He endured a serious van crash on the road, a major racist incident while touring, and a period of homelessness, all the while sustained by his personal relationship to his higher power and the Bible.
Drum! Magazine has called him “a laid-back groove machine.”
David Prater of Sam & Dave said, “Goddamn, Howard Grimes the playin’est motherfucker I ever heard in my life. He put that shit down, boy.”
Howard Grimes website
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