Lloyd Lambert

b. 4 June 1928, Thilbodaux, Louisiana, USA, d. 31 October 1995. Blues bass player Lloyd Lambert was best known as the band leader of Guitar Slim’s band, who enjoyed significant national popularity in the 50s. After initially training as a trumpet player, he had his first break with Hosea Hill’s Serenaders. He then formed a touring band, largely comprising former members of the Serenaders, for Guitar Slim, after the latter had secured a contract with Specialty Records. Lambert’s electric bass (at that time an innovation) was present on all the recordings made by Slim for Specialty and Atlantic Records, and he also backed Little Richard and Ray Charles. He recorded his own solo record for Specialty, an instrumental entitled ‘Heavy Sugar’. Following Slim’s death in 1959, Lambert toured for a time with Nappy Brown, then settled in Houston. For most of the 60s he was employed in session work for the Duke and Peacock labels. Eventually, he returned to New Orleans, and in 1981 formed his own Dixieland band, playing at the Maison Bourbon for the remainder of the decade. In later years he helped to resurrect the career of James ‘Thunderbird’ Davis, who had formerly opened for Guitar Slim. Lambert died of cancer in 1995.