Lazy Lester

by Bill DahlHis colorful sobriquet (supplied by prolific south Louisiana producer J.D. Miller) to the contrary, harpist Lazy Lester swears he never was all that lethargic. But he seldom was in much of a hurry either, although the relentless pace of his Excello Records swamp blues classics Im a Lover Not a Fighter and I Hear You Knockin might contradict that statement too. His entree into playing professionally arrived quite by accident: while riding on a bus sometime in the mid-50s, he met guitarist Lightnin Slim, who was searching fruitlessly for an AWOL harpist. The twos styles meshed seamlessly, and Lester became Slims harpist of choice. In 1956, Lester stepped out front at Millers Crowley, LA studios for the first time. During an extended stint at Excello that stretched into 1965, he waxed such gems as Sugar Coated Love, If You Think Ive Lost You, and The Same Thing Could Happen to You. Lester proved invaluable as an imaginative sideman for Miller, utilizing everything from cardboard boxes and claves to whacking on newspapers in order to locate the correct percussive sound for the producers output. Lester gave up playing for almost two decades (and didnt particularly miss it, either) before inaugurating a comeback that included a nice 1988 album for Alligator, Harp & Soul.