Blind Willie McTell
Encyclopedia : B : BL : BLI : Blind Willie McTell
-->Blind Willie McTell (May 5, 1901 (Thomson, Georgia) – August 15, 1959 (Milledgeville, Georgia)) (probably born William Samuel McTear) was an influential blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist.McTell was a twelve-string finger picking guitarist and singer who recorded from 1927 to 1955. One of his most famous songs, "Statesboro Blues" has been covered by many artists including Taj Mahal and The Allman Brothers Band. In 1983, Bob Dylan recorded a tribute song for McTell, using the folk melody of "St. James Infirmary Blues," although the track went unreleased until 1991. McTell had based his "Dying Crapshooter's Blues" on "St. James Infirmary". In 1993, Dylan paid further tribute to McTell by recording McTell's song "Broke Down Engine."
Born blind in one eye, McTell lost his remaining vision by late childhood, but became an adept reader of Braille. He showed an inherent proficiency in music from an early age and learned to play the six-string guitar as soon as he could. His father left the family when McTell was still young, so when his mother died in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became a wandering busker. He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records in Atlanta.
In the years before World War II, he traveled and performed widely, recording for a number of labels under a variety of names. His style was singular: a form of country blues, bridging the gap between the raw blues of the Mississippi Delta and the more refined East Coast sound. The style is well documented on Alan Lomax's 1940 recordings of McTell for the Library of Congress. Post-war, he recorded for Atlantic Records and for Regal Records, but these recordings met with less commercial success than his previous works. He continued to perform live in Atlanta, but his continued career was cut short by ill health, predominantly diabetes. A record store manager, Ed Rhoades, met McTell in 1956 and captured a few final performances on a tape recorder. McTell died of a stroke in 1959.
A blues festival in McTell's honor is held annually in his birthplace, Thomson, Georgia.
Partial sessionography
- October 18, 1927 - Atlanta, Georgia
- * "Writing Paper Blues"
- * "Stole Rider Blues"
- * "Mama, Tain't Long Fo' Day"
- * "Mr. McTell Got The Blues" (Take 1)
- * "Mr. McTell Got The Blues" (Take 2)
- October 18, 1927 - Atlanta, Georgia
- * "Three Women Blues"
- * "Dark Night Blues"
- * "Statesboro Blues"
- * "Loving Talking Blues"
- October 30, 1929 - Atlanta, Georgia
- * "Atlanta Strut"
- * "Travelin' Blues"
- * "Come On Around To My House Mama"
- * "Kind Mama"
- November 25, 1929 - Atlanta, Georgia
- * "Teasing Brown"
- November 26, 1929 - Atlanta, Georgia
- * "Drive Away Blues"
- November 27, 1929 - Atlanta, Georgia
- * "This Is Not The Stove To Brown Your Bread"
Discography
- The Definitive Blind Willie McTell 1927–1935 on Catfish Records (KATCD229) - Presents the complete recordings (including pseudonymous works) from the period 1927–1935.
- The Definitive Blind Willie McTell on Columbia Records (C2K-53234) includes several previously unissued takes and has extensive liner notes by David Evans. It does, however, omit "Statesboro Blues," probably McTell's most definitive song.
- The Classic Years 1927–1940 on JSP Records (JSP7711) omits some recordings found on the previous set but adds his 1940 session for the Library of Congress.
- Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 1 - Document Records (Austria) DOCD-5006.
- Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 2 - Document Records (Austria) DOCD-5007.
- Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 3 - Document Records (Austria) DOCD-5008.
- These three discs, covering 1927-1933, were also issued in a box set as Statesboro Blues (DOCD-5677)
- 1940: Complete Library of Congress Recordings - RST Records (Austria) BDCD-6001.
- Blind Willie McTell & Curley Weaver: The Post-War Years 1949-1950 - RST Records (Austria) BDCD-6014.
References
Charters, Samuel Sweet As the Showers of Rain (Oak Publications) pp.120-131
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.