Blind Willie McTell
Encyclopedia
Blind Willie McTell was an influential Piedmont and ragtime
blues singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont blues, although, unlike his contemporaries, he used exclusively a twelve-string guitar. As well as this, McTell was an adept slide guitarist, unusual among many ragtime bluesmen. His vocal style, a smooth and often laid-back tenor
, differed greatly from many of the harsher and more expressive voice types employed by Delta
bluesmen such as Charlie Patton
. McTell embodied a variety of musical styles, including blues
, ragtime
, religious music
, and hokum
.
Born blind
in the town of Thomson, Georgia
, McTell learned how to play the guitar during his teens. He soon became a street performer around several Georgia cities, namely Atlanta
; and first recorded in 1927 for Victor Records. Although he never produced a major hit record
, McTell's recording career was prolific, recording for different labels under different names all throughout the 1920s and 30s, often with other people. In 1940, he was recorded by John Lomax
for the Library of Congress
's folk song archive. He would remain active throughout the 1940s and 50s, playing on the streets of Atlanta, often with his longtime partner Curley Weaver
. Twice more he recorded professionally. McTell's last recordings originated during an impromptu session recorded by Atlanta record store owner Edward Rhodes in 1956; these were released posthumously. McTell would die three years later after suffering for years from diabetes and alcoholism. Despite his mainly failed releases, McTell was one of the few archaic blues musicians that would live to actively play and record during the 1940s and 50s (although, McTell never lived to be "rediscovered" during the imminent American folk music revival
, where many other bluesmen would be rediscovered and given a chance to record).
McTell's influence extended over a wide variety of artists, including The Allman Brothers Band
, who famously covered McTell's "Statesboro Blues
", and Bob Dylan
, who paid tribute to McTell in his 1983 song "Blind Willie McTell
". Other artists include Taj Mahal
, Alvin Youngblood Hart
, The White Stripes
, and Chris Smither
.
, Georgia
, blind
in one eye, McTell had lost his remaining vision by late childhood but became an adept reader of Braille
. He showed proficiency in music from an early age, first playing harmonica and accordian and turning to the six-string guitar in his early teens. Born into a musical family, both of his parents and an uncle played guitar; he is also a relation of bluesman and gospel pioneer, Thomas A. Dorsey
. His father left the family when McTell was still young, and 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 many different names, including Blind Willie McTell (Victor and Decca), Blind Sammie (Columbia), Georgia Bill (Okeh), Hot Shot Willie (Victor), Blind Willie (Vocalion and Bluebird), Barrelhouse Sammie (Atlantic), and Pig & Whistle Red (Regal).The "Pig 'n Whistle" appellation was a reference to a chain of Atlanta Bar-B-Que restaurants, one of which was located on the south side of East Ponce de Leon between Boulevard and Moreland Avenue. Blind Willie frequently played for tips in the parking lot of this location, which later became the Krispy Kreme. He was also known to play behind the nearby building that later became Ray Lee's Blue Lantern Lounge. His style was singular: a form of country blues bridging the gap between the raw blues of the early part of the 20th century and the more refined east coast "Piedmont" sound. He took on the less common and more unwieldy 12-string guitar because of its volume. The style is well documented on John Lomax
's 1940 recordings of McTell for the Library of Congress
. McTell earned $10 from these sessions, the equivalent of $154.56 in 2011.
In 1934, he married Ruthy Kate Williams (now better known as Kate McTell
). She accompanied him on stage and on several recordings before becoming a nurse in 1939. Most of their marriage from 1942 until his death was spent apart, with her living in Fort Gordon
near Augusta and him working around Atlanta.
Postwar, he recorded for Atlantic Records
and Regal Records
in 1949, but these recordings met with less commercial success than his previous works. He continued to perform around Atlanta, but his career was cut short by ill health, predominantly diabetes and alcoholism.
In 1956, an Atlanta record store manager, Edward Rhodes, discovered McTell playing in the street for quarters and enticed him with a bottle of corn liquor into his store, where he captured a few final performances on a tape recorder. These were released posthumously on Prestige/Bluesville Records
as Last Session.
McTell died in Milledgeville, Georgia
, of a stroke
in 1959. He was buried at Jones Grove Church, near Thomson, Georgia, his birthplace. A fan paid to have a gravestone erected on his resting place. The name given on his gravestone is Eddie McTier.
He was inducted into the Blues Foundation
's Hall of Fame
in 1981, and into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
," was frequently covered by The Allman Brothers Band
and is considered one of their earliest signature songs. A short list of some of the artists who also perform it includes Taj Mahal
, David Bromberg
, The Devil Makes Three
and Ralph McTell
, who changed his name on account of liking the song. Ry Cooder
covered McTell's "Married Man's a Fool" on his 1973 album, Paradise and Lunch
. Jack White
of The White Stripes
considers McTell an influence, as their 2000 album De Stijl
was dedicated to him and featured a cover of his song "Southern Can Mama". The White Stipes also covered McTell's "Lord, Send Me an Angel
", releasing it as a single in 2000.
Bob Dylan
has paid tribute to McTell on at least four occasions: Firstly, in his 1965 song "Highway 61 Revisited
", the second verse begins with "Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose", referring to one of Blind Willie McTell's many recording names; later in his song "Blind Willie McTell
", recorded in 1983 but released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3; then with covers of McTell's "Broke Down Engine" and "Delia" on his 1993 album, World Gone Wrong
.; also, in his song "Po'Boy", on 2001's "Love & Theft", which contains the lyric, "had to go to Florida dodging them Georgia laws", which comes from McTell's "Kill It Kid".
A blues bar in Atlanta is named after McTell and regularly features blues musicians and bands. The Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival is held annually in Thomson, Georgia. A new stage production about Blind Willie McTell will premier at the Averritt Arts Center in Willie's hometown of Statesboro, Georgia, in the summer of 2011. The show is entitled "Blind Willie: The Musical".
As an accompanist
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
blues singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont blues, although, unlike his contemporaries, he used exclusively a twelve-string guitar. As well as this, McTell was an adept slide guitarist, unusual among many ragtime bluesmen. His vocal style, a smooth and often laid-back tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, differed greatly from many of the harsher and more expressive voice types employed by Delta
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
bluesmen such as Charlie Patton
Charlie Patton
Charlie Patton , better known as Charley Patton, was an American Delta blues musician. He is considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", and is credited with creating an enduring body of American music and personally inspiring just about every Delta blues man...
. McTell embodied a variety of musical styles, including blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
, religious music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, and hokum
Hokum
Hokum is a particular song type of American blues music - a humorous song which uses extended analogies or euphemistic terms to make sexual innuendos...
.
Born blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
in the town of Thomson, Georgia
Thomson, Georgia
Thomson, incorporated February 15, 1854, is a city in McDuffie County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,828 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of McDuffie County. Thomson's nickname is "The Camellia City of the South", in honor of the thousands of camellia plants...
, McTell learned how to play the guitar during his teens. He soon became a street performer around several Georgia cities, namely Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
; and first recorded in 1927 for Victor Records. Although he never produced a major hit record
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, McTell's recording career was prolific, recording for different labels under different names all throughout the 1920s and 30s, often with other people. In 1940, he was recorded by John Lomax
John Lomax
John Avery Lomax was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk songs...
for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
's folk song archive. He would remain active throughout the 1940s and 50s, playing on the streets of Atlanta, often with his longtime partner Curley Weaver
Curley Weaver
Curley James Weaver was an American blues musician, also known as Slim Gordon.-Early years:He was born in Covington, Georgia, United States, and raised on a farm near Porterdale...
. Twice more he recorded professionally. McTell's last recordings originated during an impromptu session recorded by Atlanta record store owner Edward Rhodes in 1956; these were released posthumously. McTell would die three years later after suffering for years from diabetes and alcoholism. Despite his mainly failed releases, McTell was one of the few archaic blues musicians that would live to actively play and record during the 1940s and 50s (although, McTell never lived to be "rediscovered" during the imminent American folk music revival
American folk music revival
The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States that began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Richard Dyer-Bennett, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie, John Jacob...
, where many other bluesmen would be rediscovered and given a chance to record).
McTell's influence extended over a wide variety of artists, including The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
, who famously covered McTell's "Statesboro Blues
Statesboro Blues
"Statesboro Blues" is a blues song in the key of D written by Blind Willie McTell; the title refers to the town of Statesboro, Georgia. Covered by many artists, the version by The Allman Brothers Band is especially notable and was ranked #9 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar...
", and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, who paid tribute to McTell in his 1983 song "Blind Willie McTell
Blind Willie McTell (song)
"Blind Willie McTell" is a song by Bob Dylan, titled after the blues singer Blind Willie McTell. It was recorded in 1983 but left off Dylan's album Infidels and officially released in 1991 on the The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 1961-1991. The melody is loosely based on "St. James Infirmary Blues"...
". Other artists include Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
, Alvin Youngblood Hart
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Alvin Youngblood Hart is a Grammy Award-winning American musician.-Career:Born in Oakland California, Hart had family connections with Carroll County, Mississippi, and spent time there in his childhood, hearing his relatives stories of Charlie Patton, "being around these people who were there when...
, The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, and Chris Smither
Chris Smither
Chris Smither is an American folk/blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and philosophers.-Early life, influences and education:...
.
Biography
Born William Samuel McTier in ThomsonThomson, Georgia
Thomson, incorporated February 15, 1854, is a city in McDuffie County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,828 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of McDuffie County. Thomson's nickname is "The Camellia City of the South", in honor of the thousands of camellia plants...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, blind
Blind
Blind may refer to:* The state of blindness, being unable to see* A window blind, a covering for a windowBlind may also refer to:-Electronics, engineering, and science:...
in one eye, McTell had lost his remaining vision by late childhood but became an adept reader of Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
. He showed proficiency in music from an early age, first playing harmonica and accordian and turning to the six-string guitar in his early teens. Born into a musical family, both of his parents and an uncle played guitar; he is also a relation of bluesman and gospel pioneer, Thomas A. Dorsey
Thomas A. Dorsey
Thomas Andrew Dorsey was known as "the father of black gospel music" and was at one time so closely associated with the field that songs written in the new style were sometimes known as "dorseys." Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom.As formulated by Dorsey,...
. His father left the family when McTell was still young, and when his mother died in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became a wandering busker
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
. He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
In the years before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he traveled and performed widely, recording for a number of labels under many different names, including Blind Willie McTell (Victor and Decca), Blind Sammie (Columbia), Georgia Bill (Okeh), Hot Shot Willie (Victor), Blind Willie (Vocalion and Bluebird), Barrelhouse Sammie (Atlantic), and Pig & Whistle Red (Regal).The "Pig 'n Whistle" appellation was a reference to a chain of Atlanta Bar-B-Que restaurants, one of which was located on the south side of East Ponce de Leon between Boulevard and Moreland Avenue. Blind Willie frequently played for tips in the parking lot of this location, which later became the Krispy Kreme. He was also known to play behind the nearby building that later became Ray Lee's Blue Lantern Lounge. His style was singular: a form of country blues bridging the gap between the raw blues of the early part of the 20th century and the more refined east coast "Piedmont" sound. He took on the less common and more unwieldy 12-string guitar because of its volume. The style is well documented on John Lomax
John Lomax
John Avery Lomax was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk songs...
's 1940 recordings of McTell for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. McTell earned $10 from these sessions, the equivalent of $154.56 in 2011.
In 1934, he married Ruthy Kate Williams (now better known as Kate McTell
Kate McTell
Kate McTell was an American blues musician and nurse from Jefferson County, Georgia. She is known primarily as the former wife of fellow blues musician, Blind Willie McTell, whom she accompanied vocally on several recordings...
). She accompanied him on stage and on several recordings before becoming a nurse in 1939. Most of their marriage from 1942 until his death was spent apart, with her living in Fort Gordon
Fort Gordon
Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in 1917. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps and Signal Center and was once the home of "The Provost Marshal General School" . The fort is located in Richmond, Jefferson, McDuffie,...
near Augusta and him working around Atlanta.
Postwar, he recorded for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
and Regal Records
Regal Records (1946)
thumb|150px|right|Second USA Regal Records, c. 1950Regal Records was a US record label that issued popular music and jazz in the years after World War II. The label's headquarters were in Linden, New Jersey....
in 1949, but these recordings met with less commercial success than his previous works. He continued to perform around Atlanta, but his career was cut short by ill health, predominantly diabetes and alcoholism.
In 1956, an Atlanta record store manager, Edward Rhodes, discovered McTell playing in the street for quarters and enticed him with a bottle of corn liquor into his store, where he captured a few final performances on a tape recorder. These were released posthumously on Prestige/Bluesville Records
Bluesville Records
Bluesville Records is a subsidiary of Prestige Records, launched in the 1960s with the primary purpose of documenting the work of the older classic bluesmen passed over by the changing audience...
as Last Session.
McTell died in Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon, located just before Eatonton on the way to Athens along U.S. Highway 441, and it is located on the Oconee River. The relatively rapid current of the Oconee here made this an...
, of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 1959. He was buried at Jones Grove Church, near Thomson, Georgia, his birthplace. A fan paid to have a gravestone erected on his resting place. The name given on his gravestone is Eddie McTier.
He was inducted into the Blues Foundation
Blues Foundation
The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 Blues organizations from various parts of the world....
's Hall of Fame
Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues.-1980:*Big Bill Broonzy*Willie Dixon*John Lee Hooker...
in 1981, and into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
Influence
One of McTell's most famous songs, "Statesboro BluesStatesboro Blues
"Statesboro Blues" is a blues song in the key of D written by Blind Willie McTell; the title refers to the town of Statesboro, Georgia. Covered by many artists, the version by The Allman Brothers Band is especially notable and was ranked #9 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar...
," was frequently covered by The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
and is considered one of their earliest signature songs. A short list of some of the artists who also perform it includes Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
, David Bromberg
David Bromberg
David Bromberg is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Bromberg has an eclectic style, playing bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock and roll equally well. He is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics, and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the...
, The Devil Makes Three
The Devil Makes Three (band)
The Devil Makes Three may refer to:* The Devil Makes Three , an American band* The Devil Makes Three , a 1952 film...
and Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
, who changed his name on account of liking the song. Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
covered McTell's "Married Man's a Fool" on his 1973 album, Paradise and Lunch
Paradise and Lunch
Paradise and Lunch is the fourth album by roots rock musician Ry Cooder, released in 1974. The album contains a mix of jazz, blues and roots music led by Cooder's guitar and is considered by many the crowning achievement of Cooder's career...
. Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
of The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
considers McTell an influence, as their 2000 album De Stijl
De Stijl (album)
De Stijl is the second studio album by the American garage rock band The White Stripes, released on June 20, 2000 on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album reached number thirty-eight on Billboards Independent Albums chart in 2002, when The White Stripes' popularity began to grow...
was dedicated to him and featured a cover of his song "Southern Can Mama". The White Stipes also covered McTell's "Lord, Send Me an Angel
Lord, Send Me an Angel
"Lord, Send Me an Angel" is a song by Blind Willie McTell of which two versions were recorded on September 19, 1933 in New York. Accompanied by his wife, Kate, McTell re-recorded it as "Ticket Agent Blues" in 1935, albeit with some alternate verses. This was used as the B-side to his single "Bell...
", releasing it as a single in 2000.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
has paid tribute to McTell on at least four occasions: Firstly, in his 1965 song "Highway 61 Revisited
Highway 61 Revisited
Highway 61 Revisited is the sixth studio album by singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released in August 1965 by Columbia Records. On his previous album, Bringing It All Back Home, Dylan devoted Side One of the album to songs accompanied by an electric rock band, and Side Two to solo acoustic numbers...
", the second verse begins with "Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose", referring to one of Blind Willie McTell's many recording names; later in his song "Blind Willie McTell
Blind Willie McTell (song)
"Blind Willie McTell" is a song by Bob Dylan, titled after the blues singer Blind Willie McTell. It was recorded in 1983 but left off Dylan's album Infidels and officially released in 1991 on the The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 1961-1991. The melody is loosely based on "St. James Infirmary Blues"...
", recorded in 1983 but released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3; then with covers of McTell's "Broke Down Engine" and "Delia" on his 1993 album, World Gone Wrong
World Gone Wrong
World Gone Wrong is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's 29th studio album, released by Columbia Records in October 1993.It was Dylan's second consecutive collection of only traditional folk songs, performed acoustically with guitar and harmonica...
.; also, in his song "Po'Boy", on 2001's "Love & Theft", which contains the lyric, "had to go to Florida dodging them Georgia laws", which comes from McTell's "Kill It Kid".
A blues bar in Atlanta is named after McTell and regularly features blues musicians and bands. The Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival is held annually in Thomson, Georgia. A new stage production about Blind Willie McTell will premier at the Averritt Arts Center in Willie's hometown of Statesboro, Georgia, in the summer of 2011. The show is entitled "Blind Willie: The Musical".
Singles
| Year | A-side | B-side | Label | Cat. # | Moniker | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | "Stole Rider Blues" | "Mr. McTell Got The Blues" | Victor | 21124 | Blind Willie McTell | |
| "Writing Paper Blues" | "Mamma, Tain't Long Fo' Day" | 21474 | ||||
| 1928 | "Three Women Blues" | "Statesboro Blues Statesboro Blues "Statesboro Blues" is a blues song in the key of D written by Blind Willie McTell; the title refers to the town of Statesboro, Georgia. Covered by many artists, the version by The Allman Brothers Band is especially notable and was ranked #9 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar... " |
V38001 | |||
| "Dark Night Blues" | "Loving Talking Blues" | V38032 | ||||
| 1929 | "Atlanta Strut" | "Kind Mama" | Columbia | 14657-D | Blind Sammie | |
| "Travelin' Blues" | "Come On Around To My House Mama" | 14484-D | ||||
| "Drive Away Blues" | "Love Changing Blues" | Victor | V38580 | Blind Willie McTell | ||
| 1930 | "Talking To Myself" | "Razor Ball" | Columbia | 14551-D | Blind Sammie | |
| 1931 | "Southern Can Is Mine" | "Broke Down Engine Blues" | 14632-D | |||
| "Low Rider's Blues" | "Georgia Rag" | OKeh | 8924 | Georgia Bill | ||
| "Stomp Down Rider" | "Scarey Day Blues" | 8936 | ||||
| 1932 | "Mama, Let Me Scoop For You" | "Rollin' Mama Blues" | Victor | 23328 | Hot Shot Willie | *w/Ruby Glaze Kate McTell Kate McTell was an American blues musician and nurse from Jefferson County, Georgia. She is known primarily as the former wife of fellow blues musician, Blind Willie McTell, whom she accompanied vocally on several recordings... |
| "Lonesome Day Blues" | "Searching The Desert For The Blues" | 23353 | ||||
| 1933 | "Savannah Mama" | "B And O Blues No. 2" | Vocalion | 02568 | Blind Willie | |
| "Broke Down Engine" | "Death Cell Blues" | 02577 | ||||
| "Warm It Up To Me" | "Runnin' Me Crazy" | 02595 | ||||
| "It's A Good Little Thing" | "Southern Can Mama" | 02622 | ||||
| "Lord Have Mercy, If You Please" | "Don't You See How This World Made A Change" | 02623 | *w/"Partner" (Curley Weaver Curley Weaver Curley James Weaver was an American blues musician, also known as Slim Gordon.-Early years:He was born in Covington, Georgia, United States, and raised on a farm near Porterdale... ) |
|||
| "My Baby's Gone" | "Weary Hearted Blues" | 02668 | ||||
| 1935 | "Bell Street Blues" | "Ticket Agent Blues Lord, Send Me an Angel "Lord, Send Me an Angel" is a song by Blind Willie McTell of which two versions were recorded on September 19, 1933 in New York. Accompanied by his wife, Kate, McTell re-recorded it as "Ticket Agent Blues" in 1935, albeit with some alternate verses. This was used as the B-side to his single "Bell... " |
Decca | 7078 | Blind Willie McTell | *w/Kate McTell Kate McTell Kate McTell was an American blues musician and nurse from Jefferson County, Georgia. She is known primarily as the former wife of fellow blues musician, Blind Willie McTell, whom she accompanied vocally on several recordings... |
| "Dying Gambler" | "God Don't Like It" | 7093 | ||||
| "Ain't It Grand To Be A Christian" | "We Got To Meet Death One Day" | 7130 | ||||
| "Your Time To Worry" | "Hillbilly Willie's Blues" | 7117 | ||||
| "Cold Winter Day" | "Lay Some Flowers On My Grave" | 7117 | ||||
| 1950 | "Kill It Kid" | "Broke-Down Engine Blues" | Atlantic | 891 | Barrelhouse Sammy | |
| "River Jordan" | "How About You" | Regal | 3260 | Blind Willie | ||
| "It's My Desire" | "Hide Me In Thy Bosom" | 3272 | ||||
| "Love Changing Blues" | "Talkin' To You Mama" | 3277 | Willie Samuel McTell | *w/Curley Weaver *attributed to "Pig and Whistle Band" |
As an accompanist
| Year | Artist | A-side | B-side | Label | Cat. # | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | Alfoncy and Bethenea Harris | "Teasing Brown" | "This Is Not The Stove To Brown Your Bread" | Victor | V38594 | |
| 1931 | Ruth Day | "Experience Blues" | "Painful Blues" | Columbia | 14642-D | |
| 1931 | Mary Willis | "Rough Alley Blues" | "Low Down Blues" | OKeh | 8921 | |
| "Talkin' To You Wimmin' About The Blues" | "Merciful Blues" | 8932 | ||||
| 1935 | Curley Weaver | "Tricks Ain't Walking No More" | "Early Morning Blues" | Decca | 7077 | |
| "Sometime Mama" | "Two-Faced Woman" | 7906 | *McTell plays only on B-side | |||
| "Oh Lawdy Mama" | "Fried Pie Blues" | 7664 | ||||
| 1949 | "My Baby's Gone" | "Ticket Agent" | Sittin' In With | 547 |
Long-plays
| Year | Title | Label | Cat. # | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Last Session | Bluesville Bluesville Records Bluesville Records is a subsidiary of Prestige Records, launched in the 1960s with the primary purpose of documenting the work of the older classic bluesmen passed over by the changing audience... |
BV 1040 | *recorded in 1956 |
| 1966 | Blind Willie McTell: 1940 |
Melodeon Melodeon Records Melodeon Records is a record label set up in 1964 by Richard K. Spottswood.Melodeon Records issued - among others - the first recordings after his 'rediscovery' of Skip James and the 1940 Library Of Congress Sessions of Blind Willie McTell. In 1970 the label was acquired by Arnold S. Caplin's... |
MLP 7323 | *subtitled The Legendary Library of Congress Session *recorded in 1940 |
Selected compilations
- Blind Willie McTell 1927-1933: The Early Years - YazooYazoo RecordsYazoo Records is an American record label, founded in the late 1960s by Nick Perls. It specializes in early American blues, country, jazz, and other rural American genres ....
L-1005 (1968) - Blind Willie McTell 1949: Trying To Get Home - BiographBiograph RecordsBiograph Records is a record label founded in 1967 by Arnold S. Caplin. It specialized in early American ragtime, jazz, and blues music. Biograph was the first label to issue records made from piano rolls created by Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton and George Gershwin.In 2002, Biograph Records was...
BLP-12008 (1969) - King Of The Georgia Blues Singers (1929-1935) - Roots RL-324 (1969)
- Atlanta Twelve String - AtlanticAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
SD-7224 (1972) - Death Cell Blues - Biograph BLP-C-14 (1973)
- Blind Willie McTell: 1927-1935 - YazooYazoo RecordsYazoo Records is an American record label, founded in the late 1960s by Nick Perls. It specializes in early American blues, country, jazz, and other rural American genres ....
L-1037 (1974) - Blind Willie McTell: 1927–1949 The Remaining Titles - WolfTK RecordsTK Records was an American record label started by record distributor, Henry Stone in Miami, Florida, one of several labels that he founded in the 1960s and 1970s...
WSE 102 (1982) - Blues In The Dark - MCAMCA RecordsMCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
1368 (1983) - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 1 - DocumentDocument RecordsDocument Records is a British record label that specializes in early American blues, bluegrass, gospel, spirituals jazz, and other rural American genres , generally made between 1900 and 1945...
DOCD-5006 (1990) - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 2 - Document DOCD-5007 (1990)
- Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 3 - Document DOCD-5008 (1990)
- these three albums were issued together as the box-set Statesboro Blues - Document DOCD-5677 (1990)
- Complete Library of Congress Recordings in Chronological Order - RST Blues Documents BDCD-6001 (1990)
- Pig 'n Whistle Red - Biograph BCD 126 (1993)
- The Definitive Blind Willie McTell - LegacyLegacy RecordingsLegacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated...
C2K-53234 (1994) - The Classic Years 1927–1940 - JSPJSP RecordsJSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman , releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. The label is based in London, England.JSP now predominantly releases remastered CDs...
JSP7711 (2003) - King Of The Georgia Blues - SnapperSnapper MusicSnapper Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by former head of Castle Communications Jon Beecher, Dougie Dudgeon and funded by the late Mark Levinson from Palan Music Publishing. In 1999 Snapper broke away from its parent company in an MBO in association with ACT and CAI venture...
SBLUECD504X (2007)
Selected compilation inclusions
- Blind Willie McTell/Memphis Minnie: Love Changin' Blues - Biograph BLP-12035 (1971)
- Atlanta Blues 1933 - JEMF 106 (1979)
- Blind Willie McTell and Curley Weaver: The Post-War Years - RST Blues Documents BDCD 6014 (1990)
External links
- New Georgia Encyclopedia - Blind Willie McTell article
- Illustrated Blind Willie McTell discography
- Blind Willie's gravesite
- "Statesboro Blues" MP3 file on the Internet Archive
- David Fulmer, producer "Blind Willie's Blues" Documentary film, 1996
- "The Dying Crapshooter's Blues" Novel by David Fulmer featuring McTell as a character
- John May interviews biographer Michael GrayMichael GrayMichael Gray , sometimes known as Micky Gray, is an English former footballer who mostly played at left back, or left wing.-Sunderland:...
- Review of Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell by Michael Gray