Born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, this brilliant musician took the stage name of Taj Mahal after the idea struck him in a dream. At the time he was at the University of Massachusetts, studying Agriculture.
An old blues song with many variations and versions, his hit Corinna was also sung by Bob Dylan, and Ray Peterson, and Muddy Waters.
Other early Taj Mahal hits were She Caught the Katy, You're Gonna Need Somebody and Cakewalk into Town.
Years ago, he too played the Egress on Beatty in Vancouver. He gives an online guitar lesson in old style Mississippi swamp blues, using a piece called Catfish Blues. He talks about the walking pace of this music and its roots in Senegal, Mali and Gambia.
These days, Taj Mahal is alive and well and still touring.
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