He began performing in Baton Rouge bars under the name Harmonica Slim and later accompanied his brother-in-law, Lightnin' Slim, both live and in the studio.
Named Slim Harpo by producer J.D. "Jay" Miller, he started his own
recording career in 1957. His solo debut was the Grammy Hall of Fame
single "I'm a King Bee" backed with "I Got Love If You Want It."
Harpo recorded under AandR man J.D. "Jay" Miller, in Crowley, Louisiana
for Excello Records based in Nashville, Tennessee, and enjoyed a string of
popular R&B singles, including Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee
"Rainin' In My Heart" (1961) and the number one Billboard R&B hit
"Baby Scratch My Back" (1966). On these recordings he was accompanied by
the regular stable of Excello musicians, including Lazy Lester.
British rock bands like The Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things, The
Yardbirds, Pink Floyd and Them featured versions of his songs in their
early repertoires. Later, the riff from Harpo's 1966 hit "Shake Your
Hips", which itself was derivative of Bo Diddley's "Bring It to Jerome",
was used in the ZZ Top hit "La Grange" and the Rolling Stones covered
the song on their 1972 album Exile On Main Street. Also, Th' Legendary
Shack Shakers covered and released "Shake Your Hips" in 2003 on their
album Cockadoodledon't.
Other notable covers of Slim Harpo songs include "I Got Love If You Want
It," by The Kinks, "I'm A King Bee," by The Rolling Stones, the Grateful
Dead and The Doors, and "Don't Start Crying Now," by Them, with Van
Morrison.
He died following a heart attack at the age of 46, and was buried in
Mulatto Bend Cemetery in Port Allen, Louisiana.
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