Background
He was born in Red Banks, Mississippi. When he was a child, his father, Grant Belfour, taught him the guitar, and he continued his tutelage in the blues from musicians Otha Turner, R. L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough.
He was born in Red Banks, Mississippi. When he was a child, his father, Grant Belfour, taught him the guitar, and he continued his tutelage in the blues from musicians Otha Turner, R. L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough.
Kimbrough, in particular, had a profound influence on him. His music is deeply rooted in Mississippi hill country traditions, in contrast to those of Delta blues. His playing is characterized by a deeply percussive attack and alternate tunings.
When Belfour was thirteen, his father died, and his music was relegated to what free time he had, as his energy went to helping his mother provide for the family.
In the 1980s, Belfour began playing on Beale Street. Eight of his songs are included on David Evans"s compilation album, The Spirit Lives On: Deep South Country Blues and Spirituals in the 1990s, released by the German Hot Fox label in 1994.
This led him to Fat Possum Records and his first album, What"s Wrong With You, released in 2000. The album Pushin" My Luck followed in 2003, to a positive critical review.
Belfour died on February 24, 2015, at the age of 74.