Chicago bluesman Jimmy ‘Fast Fingers’ Dawkins, famous for stellar guitar playing, dead at 76

CHICAGO – Chicago bluesman Jimmy “Fast Fingers” Dawkins, known for his excellent guitar playing and mellow singing voice, has died. He was 76.

Delmark Records owner Bob Koester said Dawkins died Wednesday. The cause of death wasn’t immediately known.

Dawkins was born in Tchula, Miss. An only child, Dawkins taught himself to play guitar before moving to Chicago in the 1950s.

Koester says Dawkins began playing Chicago’s blues clubs in the 1960s, gaining a reputation as an excellent side man and playing with such notables as Otis Rush and Buddy Guy.

Dawkins recorded his first album on the Delmark label in 1969.

Koester says the album boosted Dawkins’ reputation, particularly in Europe and Japan, where he toured frequently. Dawkins also was a frequent contributor to Living Blues magazine.