Sammy David Lawhorn (July 12, 1935 – April 29, 1990) was an American Chicago blues guitarist. He is best known for his membership of Muddy Waters band, although his guitar work accompanied many other blues musicians including Otis Spann, Willie Cobbs, Eddie Boyd, Roy Brown, Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker, James Cotton, and Junior Wells. He became the most frequently recorded blues sideman of his generation.

Biography

Lawhorn was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. His parents soon separated with his mother re-marrying, leaving the young Lawhorn cared for by his grandparents. Nailing some baling twine to the side of their home he made his own diddley bow. Frequently visiting his mother and stepfather in Chicago, they bought him a ukulele to play, followed in turn by an acoustic and finally electric guitar. By the age of fifteen, Lawhorn was proficient enough to accompany Driftin' Slim on stage, and with further guidance from Sonny Boy Williamson II, began playing with him on the King Biscuit Time radio program.

Lawhorn was conscripted in 1953 and served in the United States Navy where, on a tour of duty in Korea, he was injured by enemy fire during aerial reconnaissance. He continued in service and was discharged in 1958, when he moved to Memphis, Tennessee. There he undertook recording sessions with The '5' Royales, Eddie Boyd, Roy Brown and Willie Cobbs. An argument arose with the latter over the writing credits for the song 'You Don't Love Me.' Finding work on his own in Chicago in 1958, Lawhorn soon relocated, despite having a guitar stolen at one of his early club performances.

By the early 1960s, Lawhorn had found regular work as a club sideman to Junior Wells, Otis Rush and Elmore James, which led to him sitting in with Muddy Waters band on a couple of occasions. By October 1964, Lawhorn was invited to join Waters band on a full time basis. Over the next decade, he subsequently played on a number of Waters' albums including Live At Mister Kelly's, The London Muddy Waters Sessions, The Woodstock Album, and Folk Singer.

Lawhorn's guitar work also featured when Waters' band supplied backing to John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton and Otis Spann. Lawhorn's use of the tremolo arm on his guitar, and his overall playing expertise, saw him later credited by Waters as the best guitarist he ever had in his band. However, Lawhorn's career started to be hampered by his drinking. Variously passing out on stage over his amplifier, off stage whilst sitting in clubs, or missing shows altogether, it saw Waters lose patience and fire Lawhorn in 1973. He was replaced by Bob Margolin.

Lawson simply returned to playing in Chicago clubs, and remained in the recording industry with appearances on Junior Wells' On Tap, plus James Cotton's Take Me Back (1987). He also supplied his guitar skills to recorded work by Koko Taylor, Jimmy Witherspoon, Little Mack Simmons, and L. C. Robinson. His work in several Chicago haunts saw him play alongside his childhood idols in T-Bone Walker and Lightnin' Hopkins. Assistance proffered by Lawhorn to up and coming musicians of the time, saw John Primer become a disciple.

A combination of alcoholism and arthritis started to cause Lawhorn's health to fail. The latter was contributed to when he was bizarrely thrown from a third floor window by a burglar, which resulted in Lawhorn breaking both his feet and ankles.

Lawhorn died in April 1990, at the age of 54, although his demise was described on his death certificate as by natural causes.
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