Tail Dragger was American Chicago blues musician James Yancey Jones (born in Altheimer, Arkansas, on 30 September 1940; died 4 September 2023). He performed beginning in the 1960s and released four albums. A disciple of Howlin' Wolf, Jones was given his nickname by his hero because of his habit of regularly arriving late at Howlin' Wolf performances.

Jones moved to Chicago in the '60's and quickly began to play with Howlin' Wolf and other West Side blues legends over more than a quarter century. The Chicago Reader's Monica Kendrick calls his music "the classic sound of Chicago in the 40s and 50s -- the sound of a generation that still remembered the south but was adapting rapidly to the cold rain and snow." It was Howlin' Wolf who gave him the "Tail Dragger" moniker (due to his propensity to be a bit late to gigs.) -- before that, he was known as "Crawlin' James."

A number of local blues artists got their start playing in his bands. Among them: Johnny B. Moore, Willie Kent, Hubert Sumlin, Carey Bell, Mack Simmons, Eddie Shaw, Eddie Taylor, Lester Davenport and Rockin' Johnny Burgin. While he has recorded a number of singles over the past 15 years, his first long player, Crawlin' Kingsnake was released in 1996. He has another LP due in 1/99 on Delmark Records.

Jones' career has been marred by the 1993 incident where he shot and killed fellow bluesman Boston Blackie, apparently after arguing over the profits for the Blues Fest show where they both appeared. He recently released the second album under his own name, American People (Delmark Records).

Jones was a regular performer in Chicago blues clubs throughout the 1970s and 1980s, releasing a number of commercially unsuccessful singles. His spell in prison aside, it took until 1996 before his debut album, Crawlin' Kingsnake, was issued by St. George Records. He was 56 years old when the record was released. It was followed by the album American People (1998, Delmark Records). A DVD, My Head Is Bald: Live at Vern's Friendly Lounge, was released in 2005. Live at Rooster's Lounge was issued in 2009, also by Delmark Records. His joint work with Bob Corritore resulted in the 2012 CD and DVD release Longtime Friends in the Blues.[

A wonderfully dramatic showman Tail Dragger also possessed one of the most authentic and distinct Chicago Blues voices ever. In 1998 his American People (Delmark 728) CD, was described as "tour de force Chicago Blues" by Art Tipaldi in Blues Revue. Those who have seen Tail Dragger perform know that a studio CD cannot fully capture the excitement of a live show. My Head Is Bald remedies that by presenting a live recording done on Chicago's west side, where Tail Dragger currently performs every Sunday. The DVD is highly enjoyable because it takes you right there - you can follow Tail Dragger as he moves around Vern's interacting with the appreciative crowd. DVD is in high resolution stereo, DTS and Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. With Bob Stroger and Kenny Smith.

Moscow gigs: October 18, 19, 20th, "DOM-U-DOROGI"; 21st, "JAZZ TOWN". Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.