McTell recording for in an hotel room, November 1940 Background information Birth name William Samuel McTier Also known as Blind Sammie, Georgia Bill, Hot Shot Willie, Blind Willie, Barrelhouse Sammy, Pig & Whistle Red, Blind Doogie, Red Hot Willie Glaze, Red Hot Willie, Eddie McTier Born ( 1898-05-05)May 5, 1898, US Died August 19, 1959 ( 1959-08-19) (aged 61), U.S. Genres, Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, preacher Instruments Vocals, guitar, harmonica, violin Years active 1927–1956 Labels, Associated acts, Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a and singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont blues. Unlike his contemporaries, he came to use exclusively.
McTell was also an adept, unusual among ragtime bluesmen. His vocal style, a smooth and often laid-back, differed greatly from many of the harsher voices of bluesmen such as.
McTell performed in various musical styles, including, and. McTell was born in. He learned to play the guitar in his early teens. He soon became a street performer in several Georgia cities, including and, and first recorded in 1927 for. He never produced a major, but he had a prolific recording career with different labels and under different names in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1940, he was recorded by the folklorist and for the folk song archive of the.
He was active in the 1940s and 1950s, playing on the streets of Atlanta, often with his longtime associate. Twice more he recorded professionally. His last recordings originated during an impromptu session recorded by an Atlanta record store owner in 1956.
McTell died three years later, having suffered for years from diabetes and alcoholism. Despite his lack of commercial success, he was one of the few blues musicians of his generation who continued to actively play and record during the 1940s and 1950s. He did not live to see the, in which many other bluesmen were 'rediscovered.' McTell's influence extended over a wide variety of artists, including the, who covered his ',' and, who paid tribute to him in his 1983 song ',' the refrain of which is 'And I know no one can sing the blues like Blind Willie McTell.' Other artists influenced by McTell include, and the.
Contents. Biography He was born William Samuel McTier in. Most sources give the date of his birth as 1898, but researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc suggest 1903, on the basis of his entry in the.
McTell was born in one eye and lost his remaining vision by late childhood. He attended schools for the blind in Georgia, New York and Michigan and showed proficiency in music from an early age, first playing the harmonica and accordion, learning to read and write music in, and turning to the six-string guitar in his early teens. His family background was rich in music; both of his parents and an uncle played the guitar. He was related to the bluesman and gospel pioneer. McTell's father left the family when Willie was young. After his mother died, in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became an itinerant musician, or '.' He began his recording career in 1927 for in.
McTell married Ruth Kate Williams, now better known as, in 1934. She accompanied him on stage and on several recordings before becoming a nurse in 1939.
For most of their marriage, from 1942 until his death, they lived apart, she in, near Augusta, and he working around Atlanta. In the years before, McTell traveled and performed widely, recording for several labels under different names: Blind Willie McTell (for Victor and Decca), Blind Sammie (for Columbia), Georgia Bill (for Okeh), Hot Shot Willie (for Victor), Blind Willie (for Vocalion and Bluebird), Barrelhouse Sammie (for Atlantic), and Pig & Whistle Red (for Regal). The appellation 'Pig & Whistle' was a reference to a chain of barbecue restaurants in Atlanta; McTell often played for tips in the parking lot of a Pig 'n Whistle restaurant. He also played behind a nearby building that later became Ray Lee's Blue Lantern Lounge. Like, another songster who began his career as a street artist, McTell favored the somewhat unwieldy and unusual, whose greater volume made it suitable for outdoor playing. In 1940 John A.
Lomax and his wife, a professor of at the, interviewed and recorded McTell for the Archive of American Folk Song of the Library of Congress in a two-hour session held in their hotel room in Atlanta. These recordings document McTell's distinctive musical style, which bridges the gap between the raw country blues of the early part of the 20th century and the more conventionally melodious, -influenced East Coast Piedmont blues sound.
The Lomaxes also elicited from the singer traditional songs (such as and ) and spirituals (such as '), which were not part of his usual commercial repertoire. In the interview, John A.
Lomax is heard asking if McTell knows any 'complaining' songs (an earlier term for ), to which the singer replies somewhat uncomfortably and evasively that he does not. The Library of Congress paid McTell $10, the equivalent of $154.56 in 2011, for this two-hour session. The material from this 1940 session was issued in 1960 as an LP and later as a CD, under the somewhat misleading title The Complete Library of Congress Recordings, notwithstanding the fact that it was truncated, in that it omitted some of John A. Lomax's interactions with the singer and entirely omitted the contributions of Ruby Terrill Lomax. McTell recorded for and 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, mostly due to 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 recordings were released posthumously by Prestige/ as Last Session. Beginning in 1957, McTell was a preacher at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Atlanta. McTell died of a stroke in, 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 Willie Samuel McTier. He was inducted into the 's in 1981 and the in 1990. In his recording of 'Statesboro Blues,' he pronounces his surname MacTell, with the stress on the first syllable.
Influence. Label of 'Statesboro Blues', one of McTell's most notable works One of McTell's most famous songs, ',' was frequently covered by the and was one of their earliest signature songs ; it also contributes to Canned Heat's 'Goin' Up the Country.'
A short list of some of the artists who have performed the song includes, and, who changed his name on account of liking the song. Covered McTell's 'Married Man's a Fool' on his 1973 album,., of the considers McTell an influence; the White Stripes album (2000) is dedicated to him and features a cover of his song 'Southern Can Is Mine.' The White Stripes also covered McTell's ', releasing it as a single in 2000.
In 2013 Jack White's Third Man Records teamed up with Document Records to issue The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order of Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and the Mississippi Sheiks. Paid tribute to McTell on at least four occasions.
In his 1965 song ',' the second verse begins, 'Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose,' a reference to one of McTell's many recording names. Dylan's song ' was recorded in 1983 and released in 1991 on. Dylan also recorded covers of McTell's 'Broke Down Engine' and 'Delia' on his 1993 album,; Dylan's song 'Po' Boy', on the album (2001), contains the lyric 'had to go to Florida dodging them Georgia laws,' which comes from McTell's 'Kill It Kid.'
The Bath-based band is named after the song of the same title. 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. Discography Singles Year A-side B-side Label Cat. # Moniker Note 1927 'Stole Rider Blues' 'Mr. ^ Jacobs, Hal.
The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2011-06-30. ^ Conner, Patrick. ' November 1, 2013, at the.' East Coast Piedmont Blues. University of North Carolina. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. Blues: A Regional Experience.
Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. ^ Green, Justin. Musical Legends.
Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. McTell's biographer attributes these omissions to the folklore archivist Rae Korson, who was evidently hostile to his New Deal folklore predecessors at the library: 'The widely sold version of the McTell-Lomax sessions deletes conversations and information, removes Ruby Lomax from the room almost entirely—making John Lomax seem to monopolize things and keep her silent, which he doesn’t at all—and robs Lomax of several touches of warmth and humanity, including questions asked by Ruby Terrill and John Lomax.' Gray, Michael (2009). Hand Me My Travelin’ Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell. Chicago Review Press.
Archived from on April 20, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2006. Retrieved July 22, 2015. Archived from on February 10, 2009. Remington rifle serial number search.
Retrieved February 5, 2016. Hockenhull, Chris (1997). Streets of London: The Official Biography of Ralph McTell. In the liner notes for that album, Dylan wrote, 'Broke Down Engine' is a Blind Willie McTell masterpiece. It's about Ambiguity, the fortunes of the privileged elite, flood control—watching the red dawn not bothering to dress sic.' . 'Kill It Kid', Last Session, Bluesville BV 1040, released 1962.
12 March 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2015. Bibliography. Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast.
Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1986, 1995.,. Sweet as the Showers of Rain. Oak Publications, 1977, pp, 120–131. Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell. Chicago Review Press, 2009. External links.
Blind Willie Mctell Dylan
in libraries ( catalog). at.
Blind Willie McTell is an absolute legend of the blues. One of the most accomplished of the Piedmont guitarists, his recorded works cover a wide range of styles and his 12 string playing has a delicacy that is unique among the early blues players. William Samuel McTier was born in Thompson, Georgia, on May 5th in either 1898 or 1901.
His unwed mother was 14 year old Minnie Watkins and his father, Eddie McTier was a moonshiner and gambler and left the family after a few months. William was born blind in one eye, and soon lost his sight in the other. Minnie took the McTier name for her blind son and for herself, and moved to the tiny village of Stapleton, a few miles to the south. Minnie worked in the cotton fields, the primary industry in Georgia, and the only work available for share croppers after the end of slavery. When William was 9, they moved to the nearby large town of Statesboro which was rapidly growing due to the cotton trade. William started school in Stateboro, where due to the phonetic pronunciation of his regional Georgian accent, he was taught his last name was spelt “McTell”.
Minnie was a competent guitar player, and started to teach William on a six string in Statesboro. He took to it like a duck to water, and by his early teens was good enough to play for money on the street. Despite his blindness, he took to the road as a teen, following travelling medicine shows. His mother remarried and had another son, but she died in 1920 bringing William back to Statesboro.
Due to the generosity of neighbours and local businesses, William attended schools for the blind in Macon, Georgia, Michigan and New York where he learnt to read and write braille. Between schoolings he stayed on the road working for minstrel and medicine shows, and playing on the street in the towns he visited. He would return to Statesboro often, but the town was in decline.
The bo weevil is a major pest of cotton crops and in the early 20s it had hit the primary industry of rural Georgia hard. From 1915 to 1923 the weevil had reduced Georgia’s cotton production by half, forcing the residents of towns like Statesboro to look for work in urban centres. Most headed to Atlanta and Augusta and Willie followed them in 1924. Atlanta had a bustling music scene centred around the infamous Decatur Street in the segregated part of town. Willie found a talented group of bluesmen to play with including Peg Leg Howell, Buddy Moss, Curley Weaver, Charley Lincoln and his brother Barbecue Bob.
In Atlanta Willie switched from the six string to the louder twelve string guitar and performed on street corners, fish fries, blacks-only clubs and at his local church every Sunday. Willie’s growing reputation attracted the notice of Victor Records, and he entered their studio in Atlanta to record 4 tracks on October 21, 1927.
They were realesed on two 78’s, and were moderately popular which resulted in another 4 track session on October 17, 1928, where Statesboro Blues was recorded. The records were all successful, and were the start of a 30 year recording career. From 1929 to 1935, Willie recorded a number of records, under his own name and using pseudonyms such as “Blind Sammie”, “Blind Willie” and “Georgia Bill” to record for different labels; as a guitarist for Curley Weaver, Ruth Day aka. Mary Willis and Alfoncy and Bethenea Harris. In 1931 he met Ruthy Kate Wiliams while attending a Christmas concert at a high school in Atlanta. Origininaly from Savannah, Ruthy Williams was a singer and McTell invited her to record with him. They recorded under the name “Ruth Glaze” in 1932.
The two were married in 1934, and preformed and recorded under the name Blind WillieMcTell and Katie McTell. As the Great Depression hit and money for musicians became scarce, Willie’s recordings became less frequent. He recorded unissued tracks with Vurley Weaver and William “Piano Red” Perryman in 1936,but these are lost. In 1940 John Lomax recorded him in a hotel room for the Library of Congress.
After the Second World War, Willie continued recording under his own name (including two unreleased full albums for different labels), as a duet with Curley Weaver under their own names and “Pig and Whistle Band” and under the pseduonym “Barrelhouse Sammy”. In 1957 he was a Baptist Minister, and Blind Willie McTell died of a stroke on August 19, 1959. He left behind a massive influence on Piedmont players, folk musicians and the blues as a whole. Bob Dylan was greatly influenced by McTell’s songwriting, guitar technique and singing and covered a number of his songs.
In 1983 he honoured McTell’s legacy with the song “Blind Willie McTell” which contains the refrain “No body sings the blues like Blind Willie McTell” – Dylan played piano and was accompanied by Mark Knopfleron 12 string. Taj Mahall covered Statesboro Blues in 1968, as did the Allman Brothers in 1971 – a version which is generally regarded as one of the best slide blues songs of all time. Blind Willie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as a foundation member in 1981. Statesboro Blues is a masterpiece in every aspect. The guitar is a prefect example of Piedmont playing, the singing is mournful and lonesome, and the songwriting is absolutely first class.
It has become one of the most influential blues songs ever recorded, nearly every line has been popularised by other artists either singularly, or as the inspiration for entire songs: “Going up the Country” by Canned Heat (though McTell borrowed the line from Sippie Wallace); snippets like “I Once loved a Woman”, “travelling shoes”, “you know by that” have become blues staples. The song is played in drop D tuning, but the entire guitar is lower than standard – C# or there abouts. It’s a 12 bar but somewhat unusally doesn’t use the 5th chord in bar 9, instead using a higher voicing of the 1st chord.
Willie adds bars when ever he wants to, which adds to the atmosphere created by the non-chronological narrative of the lyrics. Willie was a master of Piedmont playing, so the song requires a strong right hand technique. It features an alternating bass line all throughout, with melodies improvised over the top. Willie’s genius is that in the 4 bar open “D” sections of each verse he employs different voicings of the D chord – from open, to open with an added major 3rd, to 5th fret to 7th fret. The other sections are fairly consistent – G section, back to D, then the turnaround of 5th fret D voicing and a descending on the beat bass run in G.
The song starts of nice and gentle and is hammering along by the end. The entire time the melody lines are played with an almost restrained feel to them.
This song is quite difficult, so take your time, get it working at a slow speed then work up to Willies pace.
Follow Following Unfollow Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a 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 came to use twelve-string guitars exclusively.
McTell was also an adept slide guitarist, unusual among ragtime bluesmen. His vocal style, a smooth and often laid-back tenor Read more on Last.fm.
McTell recording for in an hotel room, November 1940 Background information Birth name William Samuel McTier Also known as Blind Sammie, Georgia Bill, Hot Shot Willie, Blind Willie, Barrelhouse Sammy, Pig & Whistle Red, Blind Doogie, Red Hot Willie Glaze, Red Hot Willie, Eddie McTier Born ( 1898-05-05)May 5, 1898, US Died August 19, 1959 ( 1959-08-19) (aged 61), U.S. Genres, Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, preacher Instruments Vocals, guitar, harmonica, violin Years active 1927–1956 Labels, Associated acts, Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a and singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont blues. Unlike his contemporaries, he came to use exclusively. McTell was also an adept, unusual among ragtime bluesmen.
His vocal style, a smooth and often laid-back, differed greatly from many of the harsher voices of bluesmen such as. McTell performed in various musical styles, including, and. McTell was born in.
He learned to play the guitar in his early teens. He soon became a street performer in several Georgia cities, including and, and first recorded in 1927 for. He never produced a major, but he had a prolific recording career with different labels and under different names in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1940, he was recorded by the folklorist and for the folk song archive of the. He was active in the 1940s and 1950s, playing on the streets of Atlanta, often with his longtime associate. Twice more he recorded professionally. His last recordings originated during an impromptu session recorded by an Atlanta record store owner in 1956.
McTell died three years later, having suffered for years from diabetes and alcoholism. Despite his lack of commercial success, he was one of the few blues musicians of his generation who continued to actively play and record during the 1940s and 1950s.
He did not live to see the, in which many other bluesmen were 'rediscovered.' McTell's influence extended over a wide variety of artists, including the, who covered his ',' and, who paid tribute to him in his 1983 song ',' the refrain of which is 'And I know no one can sing the blues like Blind Willie McTell.' Other artists influenced by McTell include, and the. Contents.
Biography He was born William Samuel McTier in. Most sources give the date of his birth as 1898, but researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc suggest 1903, on the basis of his entry in the. McTell was born in one eye and lost his remaining vision by late childhood. He attended schools for the blind in Georgia, New York and Michigan and showed proficiency in music from an early age, first playing the harmonica and accordion, learning to read and write music in, and turning to the six-string guitar in his early teens. His family background was rich in music; both of his parents and an uncle played the guitar. He was related to the bluesman and gospel pioneer.
McTell's father left the family when Willie was young. After his mother died, in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became an itinerant musician, or '.' He began his recording career in 1927 for in. McTell married Ruth Kate Williams, now better known as, in 1934. She accompanied him on stage and on several recordings before becoming a nurse in 1939. For most of their marriage, from 1942 until his death, they lived apart, she in, near Augusta, and he working around Atlanta.
Blind Willie Mctell Tab Pdf Free
In the years before, McTell traveled and performed widely, recording for several labels under different names: Blind Willie McTell (for Victor and Decca), Blind Sammie (for Columbia), Georgia Bill (for Okeh), Hot Shot Willie (for Victor), Blind Willie (for Vocalion and Bluebird), Barrelhouse Sammie (for Atlantic), and Pig & Whistle Red (for Regal). The appellation 'Pig & Whistle' was a reference to a chain of barbecue restaurants in Atlanta; McTell often played for tips in the parking lot of a Pig 'n Whistle restaurant. He also played behind a nearby building that later became Ray Lee's Blue Lantern Lounge. Like, another songster who began his career as a street artist, McTell favored the somewhat unwieldy and unusual, whose greater volume made it suitable for outdoor playing. In 1940 John A.
Lomax and his wife, a professor of at the, interviewed and recorded McTell for the Archive of American Folk Song of the Library of Congress in a two-hour session held in their hotel room in Atlanta. These recordings document McTell's distinctive musical style, which bridges the gap between the raw country blues of the early part of the 20th century and the more conventionally melodious, -influenced East Coast Piedmont blues sound. The Lomaxes also elicited from the singer traditional songs (such as and ) and spirituals (such as '), which were not part of his usual commercial repertoire.
In the interview, John A. Lomax is heard asking if McTell knows any 'complaining' songs (an earlier term for ), to which the singer replies somewhat uncomfortably and evasively that he does not. The Library of Congress paid McTell $10, the equivalent of $154.56 in 2011, for this two-hour session.
The material from this 1940 session was issued in 1960 as an LP and later as a CD, under the somewhat misleading title The Complete Library of Congress Recordings, notwithstanding the fact that it was truncated, in that it omitted some of John A. Lomax's interactions with the singer and entirely omitted the contributions of Ruby Terrill Lomax. McTell recorded for and 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, mostly due to 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 recordings were released posthumously by Prestige/ as Last Session. Beginning in 1957, McTell was a preacher at Mt.
Zion Baptist Church in Atlanta. McTell died of a stroke in, 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 Willie Samuel McTier. He was inducted into the 's in 1981 and the in 1990. In his recording of 'Statesboro Blues,' he pronounces his surname MacTell, with the stress on the first syllable.
Influence. Label of 'Statesboro Blues', one of McTell's most notable works One of McTell's most famous songs, ',' was frequently covered by the and was one of their earliest signature songs ; it also contributes to Canned Heat's 'Goin' Up the Country.' A short list of some of the artists who have performed the song includes, and, who changed his name on account of liking the song. Covered McTell's 'Married Man's a Fool' on his 1973 album,., of the considers McTell an influence; the White Stripes album (2000) is dedicated to him and features a cover of his song 'Southern Can Is Mine.' The White Stripes also covered McTell's ', releasing it as a single in 2000.
In 2013 Jack White's Third Man Records teamed up with Document Records to issue The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order of Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and the Mississippi Sheiks. Paid tribute to McTell on at least four occasions. In his 1965 song ',' the second verse begins, 'Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose,' a reference to one of McTell's many recording names. Dylan's song ' was recorded in 1983 and released in 1991 on. Dylan also recorded covers of McTell's 'Broke Down Engine' and 'Delia' on his 1993 album,; Dylan's song 'Po' Boy', on the album (2001), contains the lyric 'had to go to Florida dodging them Georgia laws,' which comes from McTell's 'Kill It Kid.'
The Bath-based band is named after the song of the same title. 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. Discography Singles Year A-side B-side Label Cat. # Moniker Note 1927 'Stole Rider Blues' 'Mr. ^ Jacobs, Hal.
The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2011-06-30. ^ Conner, Patrick. ' November 1, 2013, at the.' East Coast Piedmont Blues.
University of North Carolina. Retrieved 2011-06-30. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. Blues: A Regional Experience.
Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. ^ Green, Justin. Musical Legends. Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books.
McTell's biographer attributes these omissions to the folklore archivist Rae Korson, who was evidently hostile to his New Deal folklore predecessors at the library: 'The widely sold version of the McTell-Lomax sessions deletes conversations and information, removes Ruby Lomax from the room almost entirely—making John Lomax seem to monopolize things and keep her silent, which he doesn’t at all—and robs Lomax of several touches of warmth and humanity, including questions asked by Ruby Terrill and John Lomax.' Gray, Michael (2009). Hand Me My Travelin’ Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell.
Chicago Review Press. Archived from on April 20, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2006. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
Archived from on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2016. Hockenhull, Chris (1997).
Streets of London: The Official Biography of Ralph McTell. In the liner notes for that album, Dylan wrote, 'Broke Down Engine' is a Blind Willie McTell masterpiece. It's about Ambiguity, the fortunes of the privileged elite, flood control—watching the red dawn not bothering to dress sic.'
. 'Kill It Kid', Last Session, Bluesville BV 1040, released 1962. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2015. Bibliography.
Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1986, 1995.,. Sweet as the Showers of Rain. Oak Publications, 1977, pp, 120–131. Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell.
Chicago Review Press, 2009. External links. in libraries ( catalog). at.
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