Spires was born in Natchez, Mississippi (some sources give his birthplace as Yazoo City), on February 25, 1912.
[4] The recording session featured the three-guitar lineup of Spires, El, and Earl Dranes, supplemented by Smith on maracas on one of the two tracks, "Murmur Low".
[1] Sales of the resulting single were poor, but both sides, especially "Murmur Low", which has a strong Tommy Johnson influence,[2] are today regarded as classics of the Chicago blues genre.
[6] Another session, in December 1954, produced four sides, and although the tapes went to United Records they were not released until 1989, possibly because of inferior sound quality.
[1] His son, Bud Spires, lived near Bentonia, Mississippi, where he recorded with the blues singer Jack Owens.