William Thomas Dupree (Known by the stage name "Champion Jack Dupree" from his days as a boxer) was never a sophisticated musician, often his recordings never ventured far from his traditional domain of straight New Orleans blues and boogie-woogie. In spite of this he possessed an uncanny knack for wordplay and raconteurstorytelling, transforming many of his larger-than-life stories into songs.Throughout the 1940s and 50s Dupree recorded an array of singles for King Records, eventually connecting with Atlantic Records to record his best known album, Blues From The Gutter. Overseen by the legendary Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler, Blues From The Gutter featured Dupree's playful and irreverent Delta Blues across 10 tracks, largely composed by Dupree himself, but also featuring covers of traditional songs, as well as the James Burke Oden track "Goin' Down Slow."While Dupree never enjoyed major chart success, he attracted a wide influence over the years, (Leaving lasting impressions on the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, to name a few) touring constantly, and later working with John Mayall, Eric Clapton, and The Band, before his eventual passing in 1991.
