James Keys Markham (March 16, 1941 – September 21, 2018) was an American harmonica player and singer.
In 1956, as a teenager, he got the chance to see his idol play at the Expo Square Pavilion at the Tulsa State Fair.
"[3] Markham spent much of his childhood on the North side of Tulsa going into clubs underage with a note from his parents,[3] which allowed him to see B.B.
[3] After being convinced by his friend Leon Russell, Markham left Tulsa in the early 1960s for Los Angeles.
[3] This is where Markham met Gram Parsons from The Flying Burrito Brothers and became a regular opener for them.
While out on tour in 1962, a drummer named Bill Boatman told Markham that he should learn to play the harmonica to go along with Jimmy Reed songs the band was covering.
[7] At the time of that album's release, King Snake had signed a new distribution deal with a company out of Florida.
[8] Markham's second album is called Get Ya Head Right and was released in 2018 on Tulsa Blues Project Records.
[9] The album features Bobby Keys, Johnny Sansone, Marcy Levy, Walt Richmond, and Charles Tuberville[9] Markham was inducted into both the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.