The Unmarked Grave of Johnnie Temple

Christian Valley M.B. Church Cemetery
Silver City, Mississippi

Christian Valley M.B. Church Cemetery in Silver City, Mississippi is the burial ground that holds forever close Mr. John (Johnnie) Temple, one of the purveyors of the blues who came up alongside contemporaries such as Skip James.  He developed a boogie bass figure for the bottom-string that became synonymous with the blues.

According to his social security death index, he was born on Oct 18, 1905 in Mississippi (other potential dates in the census list him as born as late as 1908). As a youth, Temple picked up the guitar and mandolin, and soon he was making a name at house parties and other local events. The Great Depression witnessed his escape to Chicago, where he performed often with Charlie and Joe McCoy. Temple recorded his first song "Louise Louise Blues" for Decca Records in 1935. He recorded 61 more sides before the 1950s.

Temple's records were released on a variety of record labels and sold consistently throughout the thirties and forties. Though he stopped recording and returned to Mississippi, he didn't quit performing and frequently joined with Big Walter Horton and Billy Boy Arnold. Cancer took his music from the world on Nov 22, 1968.