Big Joe Williams
Big Joe Williams (born October 16, 1903 in Crawford , Mississippi , USA , † December 17, 1982 in Macon , Mississippi), actually Joseph Lee Williams , was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was considered one of the most argumentative, but at the same time most gifted musicians of the Delta Blues .
When he was young, Big Joe Williams was constantly on the go, playing the blues between New Orleans and Chicago wherever possible. He spent some time in prison in the 1930s.
In 1935 he made his first recordings under his own name, including his most famous song Baby, Please Don't Go (as Joe Williams' Washboard Blues Singers ). In 1937 he was in the studio with Sonny Boy Williamson I.
After several 78-rpm records, his first album, Piney Woods Blues , was released on the Delmar label in 1958 . In 1962 the album Blues on Highway 49 received the “Grand Prix du Disque de Jazz” from the “Hot Club of France”. As a result, Williams performed in Europe as part of the American Folk Blues Festival .
Charlie Musselwhite reports that he and Williams sparked the 1960s blues revival in Chicago. Mike Bloomfield described his experience with Williams in Me and Big Joe . Williams also made recordings with Bob Dylan . His playing on a guitar with nine strings is best known, for example in the “Folk Blues Festival” in Hamburg shown above.
Big Joe Williams died in Macon, Mississippi in 1982. In 1992 he was inducted into the " Blues Hall of Fame ". A granite headstone was erected on his grave site in Crawford in 1994.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Williams, Big Joe |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Williams, Joseph Lee (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 16, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Crawford , Mississippi |
| DATE OF DEATH | 17th December 1982 |
| Place of death | Macon , Mississippi |