Little Smokey Smothers
Instrument:  Vocals, Guitars
Real name:   Albert Smothers
Birthday:     January 2, 1939, Tchula, MS

Started to play guitar when he was 15 years old. He came to Chicago in 1956 and in 1958-1959 played the lead guitar for Howlin' Wolf and later did a couple of gigs for Muddy Waters. He was also an original member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1964) and taught guitar to Elvin Bishop. In the midseventies after playing with people like Lee Shot Williams (a cousin), Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Earl Hooker etc. he retired from the Music business in the mid- seventies to become a truck driver. A few years ago he returned to the Chicago club scene and recently released an album called "Bossman!" on the Dutch Black Magic Label (Produced by Dick Shurman, engineered by Julian Herzfeld).

When guitarist/vocalist Elvin Bishop took the stage at San Francisco's Biscuits & Blues on January 9, 2000,  he knew that sparks would soon be flying. That's because his longtime friend and mentor, guitarist Albert "Little Smokey" Smoothers, was joining him. After all, without Little Smokey Smothers, Elvin Bishop's career path would have been completely different. 
It was Smothers who befriended Bishop when Bishop first arrived in Chicago. Smothers taught Bishop about the blues, taught him to play guitar, and, most importantly, he taught Bishop about life as a blues man.  In fact, it was Smothers who secured harmonicist/vocalist Paul Butterfield's very first gig before Paul formed (and Elvin joined) the Butterfield Blues Band.
Over the years, Elvin and Little Smokey have remained very close friends, and in 1995 they recorded together on Smothers' very first solo album, released only in Europe. But now, almost 40 years after meeting, the two friends and musicians join forces on Alligator Records' "That's My Partner!", a blazing hot live album recorded at these historic, raucous shows.