Chris Bouchillon

Bouchillon was born on August 21, 1893[2] to John and Hester Patterson Bouchillon in Oconee County, South Carolina[3] and died on September 18, 1968, in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida.[2] Bouchillon married twice. His first marriage was to Susan Moore, with whom he had two sons, Chris Jr (c June 1920 - December 1920) and Robert Anderson Bouchillon (August 27, 1918 - June 1988).[4][5] His second marriage was to Ethel Mae Waters (1903 – 1980), daughter of Leverett Waters and Louise Smith Waters.[6]

Taking after his banjo playing father, John Bouchillon,[3] Chris became a musician. Along with his brothers, Charlie and Uris, he formed the Bouchillon Trio. Chris played the mandolin and provided vocals, while Charley played fiddle and Uris played guitar. Together they recorded six sides, two of which under the name "The Greenville Trio." In 1928 he began recording songs with his second wife, Ethel Waters. He retired from professional music during The Great Depression.[7]

Bouchillon developed his trademark "talking" way of singing because of his supposedly horrible singing voice. His recording director reportedly loved to listen to him talk however, and recommended he re-record a few songs by talking instead of singing. The resultant record, "Talking Blues" was released in 1927 and became a hit. This unique talking style of singing became known as the talking blues and inspired artists such as Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan.[3]