Ransom Knowling
Ransom Knowling (June 24, 1912 – October 22, 1967) was an American rhythm and blues musician, best known for playing bass on many blues recordings made in Chicago between the 1930s and 1950s, including those of Arthur Crudup and Little Brother Montgomery. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and began playing professionally around 1930 in the New Orleans bands led by Sidney Desvigne and Joe Robichaux. He played on Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right", recorded in 1946.
Ransom Knowling
- Name
- Ransom Knowling
- Born
- 24 June 1912
- Birthplace
- New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
- Died
- 22 October 1967
- Place of death
- Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- musician
- Fields
- jazz
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Documentary evidence
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wikidata · Q1703791 · wikipedia · Ransom Knowling
In this article
Biography
Biography
He died in Chicago in 1967, aged 55. In 2014 the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed a headstone for Ransom Knowling at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ransom Knowling • Born — 24 June 1912 • Birthplace — New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. • Died — 22 October 1967 • Place of death — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Genre — Blues, rhythm and blues • Instrument — Double bass, tuba, violin • Years Active — 1930s–1950s
Tracks
Tracks
• Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup - That's All Right Mama (1946) • Lonnie Johnson - Devil's Got The Blues, Mr. Johnson Swing, Blue Ghost Blues, Friendless And Blue (1938) • Memphis Minnie - Please Don't Stop Him (1937), I'm So Glad (1946) • Big Bill Broonzy - That's All Right Baby (1939) • Elmore James - Hawaiian Boogie (1953)
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New Orleans.
Birth place
Chicago.
Death place
Discography
With Muddy Waters • The Real Folk Blues (Chess, 1947-64 [1966]) With Big Joe Williams • Blues On Highway 49 (Delmar Records [1963]) With Otis Spann • The Blues of Otis Spann (Decca, 1964)
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Ransom Knowling, revision 1330321898 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 24 August 2026.
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