Born James Yancy Jones in 1940 in Altheimer, Arkansas, 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 (it was ruled to be self-defense). He recently released the second album under his own name, American People (Delmark Records).
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