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Bogus BEN COVINGTON
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Bogus Ben Covington is something of a mystery in that there is very little verified information about him. He is said to have been born in Alabama but to have worked mainly in Mississippi and Chicago. According to Big Joe Williams he got his nickname of "Bogus Ben" because he insisted on impersonating a blind person whilst performing on street corners and in minstrel shows. It is thought that he was a vocalist, played banjo and mandolin, and was possibly a juggler as well! It has been suggested that his real name was Ben Curry and that he travelled with Speckled Red and King Solomon Hill.
In 1928 he recorded "Adam and Eve and the Garden" and "I Heard the Voice of a Pork Chop" for Paramount. He recorded again in, 1929, this time for Brunswick, "Boodle-De-Bum Blues" and "It's Tight Like That". It is possible that he recorded for Paramount again in 1929, this time using the name "Memphis Ben". A final session recorded in 1932 for Paramount and credited to Ben Curry is usually accepted as being by the same Bogus Ben! After this session he may have moved to Pennsylvania and is said to have died there around 1935. |