The King of Slide Guitar, Elmore James, born on January 27th, 1918, had humble beginnings, learning as a child to play music on a one-string diddley bow.

During the second World War, Elmore James was enlisted in the US Navy and took part in the battles of the Pacific theater, including the 1944 battle of Guam. Upon discharge from the Navy, James returned to his home state of Mississippi and settled into a job working in an electrical shop. It was there that he began to tinker with the dilemna confronting many combo-based guitar players in the mid-20th century: How to get over the sound of drums and horns with an acoustic instrument. His solution? Installing two magnetic pickups in an acoustic guitar, using spare parts around the shop.

It sounded like this: