Born in Waco Texas, Mercy Dee took the Sunset Route to play his piano in California just before WWII. His first disc was ‘Lonesome cabin Blues’ for the Spire label, but he soon had a national hit for Specialty with his song ‘One Room Country Shack’, later made even more famous by Mose Allison. Equally at home singing slow Blues ballads, jump-blues or romping boogie-woogie, Mercy Dee adapted to the arrival of Rock’n’Roll in the mid-50s and joined many of the R&B and R’n’R packages that toured the States. He staged a comeback in 1961 with the album ‘Troublesome Mind’ but sadly, he died from a cerebral haemorrage the following year aged 47.





12-bar Blues + dance rhythm = Rhythm and Blues!