Performance · Other credits
Joseph Spence
The Bahamas • 1910-08-03 – 1984-03-18
Joseph Spence is credited on 180 releases across 36 albums tracked on Gatefold, active 1959–2025 — the collector-built map of who actually made the music.
180
Pressings credited
36
Albums
8
Decades active
32
In collections
Biography
Joseph Spence (August 3, 1910 – March 18, 1984) was a Bahamian guitarist and singer. He is well known for his vocalizations and humming while playing the guitar. Several American musicians, including Taj Mahal, the Grateful Dead, Ry Cooder, Catfish Keith, Woody Mann, and Olu Dara, as well as the British guitarist John Renbourn, were influenced by and have recorded variations of his arrangements of gospel and Bahamian songs.
Bio from Wikipedia
Credited work
180 releases · 36 albums · active 1959–2025
- Performance · 200
- Other credits · 126
Studios: Nippon Columbia Studio · CBS Studios, San Francisco · Sigma Sound Studios · Raezor Studios
Discography
Records they worked on — most-collected first.
Frequent collaborators
- Ry Cooder
- Van Dyke Parks
- Peter Lang
- Various
- Parasites
- Sacred Spirit
- Taj Mahal
- Happy & Artie Traum
Around the web
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