THE STORY BEHIND THE MAN...OLDMAN CRACK

BORN: Birdon, Florida, sometime in the 1930s

The eldest of 13 children this American singer, harmonica player, guitarist and songwriter wasn't always known as Oldman Crack. He was born Alvin Lee Butler, Jr. in the small town of Birdon, Florida in Collier County. His father was a foreman at the Birdon Tomato Packing Plant during the 30s. As a child Alvin listened to Bluegrass and Country & Western music (his father's choice) and in his early teens would sneak into the negro gin joints to listen to the hoochie coochie music of Tampa Red, Sippie Wallace and Pegleg Howell. He never had any thought of becoming a musician, he always believed he'd follow in his father's footsteps and work in the packing plant. But the Depression hit the town of Birdon hard and so, at age 17, Alvin Junior joined the army and went overseas to fight the Japanese.

Alvin's first musical instrument was a Hohner Marine Band harmonica, which was given to him by a fellow soldier who was wounded in action. The private, believing he was dying, made Alvin take the harmonica his father gave him as a birthday gift, promise to learn to play the instrument and someday come to his grave and play TAPS over him. Fortunately for the private, he lived. Only having received a severe shrapnel wound to his left ass cheek he later demanded that Alvin return the harp. Unfortunately, Alvin had traded it for 5 packs of Lucky Strikes to a corporal in his unit. But as fate would have it, or perhaps destiny, young Alvin ended up saving the corporal's life during a battle in the Philippines and as a thank you Alvin ended up with the Hohner once again. This time he held onto it.

Returning to Birdon as a hero Alvin found that the once thriving town of 342, was now reduced to 63 residents. Finding his family gone, the canning factories closed and no prospect of a job, he took his last remaining dollars, bought some supplies from the general store and disappeared for 30 years. Alvin Lee doesn't remember much about those days, except that he led a gypsy-like existence on the road, trekking from place to place without achieving much. And that he still lives "sorta near, but not too far" from Birdon (which is now a ghost-town), and, he confesses, that he supplements his income by "makins a little shine from time to time...some-tin the authorities might not take to kindly too."

Somewhere along the way Mr. Crack learned to play the guitar, though he can't "recollect" why or how, and professes that he never did learn more than three chords. But the harp is his instrument of choice because he can play it like, "a knife cuttin' through a ripe melon on a hot July day...sweet, sweet, sweet!" During the "gypsy years" he earned his living playing in minstrel shows and carnivals up and down the backwater towns of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia maintaining a low-key career, though he does boast that he's played with not only Blues legends like Muddy Waters, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Walter "Shakey" Horton, Slim Harpo, Pappa John Creech, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf and Robert Johnson, but also other notables in the Bluegrass and Country genre like Lester Flatt, Hank Williams, Sr., Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Jimmie Rodgers, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and David Allen Coe. We haven't been able to confirm this from any of the aforementioned living.

Oldman Crack's influences are many and it is evident in the various styles of blues music he plays; Country Blues, Prewar Blues, Acoustic Blues and Swamp Blues. Crack claims that he was the first harmonica player to blow his harp into a microphone through a public address system, but music historians say that, though no one knows for sure, it was most likely Walter Jacobs. Crack's answer was that Little Walter took the idea because Jacobs told him that "no one would believe a white boy could come up with that idea!" But he doesn't mind "cause Little always done right by me, helpin' me find a show when times were hard," he reminisces fondly of his friend. But who taught Oldman Crack how to play the Blues like a blackman? It was "the two most impotant peoples in my life, God bless them -- Will Shade and Hammie Nixon. They was the kings of da Harp Blues!"

We first came across the flamboyant, outspoken Oldman Crack in 1999 playing for quarters at Boat Yard Village in Pinellas Park (a former air force training facility--which has since been demolished) wailing out the tune "Ain't No One Home But Us Chickens." We gave him a dollar! After loosing touch with him for several years, we found him purely by accident playing in biker bar in Naples, Florida. Over the years, the ageing process hasn't failed to diminish the musical skill and prowess of this dynamic and uncompromising artist.

So why the name Oldman Crack? The Oldman Crack monicker arose from the fact that the pants he wore (usually oversized) had a propensity to reveal some of his southern exposure (major ass-crack). "I never did buy my own clothin' you see in them years I was travelin' abouts," recalls Mr. Crack. "Relied on charity mostly...you know, the kindness of strangers and such. Always seemed to be given pants that were made for a man least twice my size...never did seem to ever get a belt either. Just used a piece of string--or rope if I was lucky. Now days, though I makes okay money and buys my own clothin'. But never could shake that name, so I decide to make the most of it."

If you're familiar with our web site you may have noticed Alvin's photo at the bottom of our main page. His photo can also be found on the new Kevin K album From The Delta To The Bowery...and now you will be able to hear this cracker sing and play. Oldman Crack's has released three albums, Oldman Crack, A Bold Step Backwards and Mrs. Shaw Beauty Salon. ~ Ted Sterns, 13th Street Entertainment