Sonny Terry

Sonny Terry (born October 24, 1911 in Greensboro , Georgia , † March 11, 1986 in Mineola , New York ), actually Saunders Terrell , was an American blues singer and harmonica player .

Blinded in childhood by several accidents , Sonny Terry grew up with musical parents (in addition to his main job as a farmer, his father was also a folk musician) and soon developed his own onomatopoeic harmonica style, which also imitated the noises of trains and animal sounds and in which he often accompanied vocal sounds brought in. A major influence was accordion player DeFord Bailey , who appeared on the national radio show Grand Ole Opry . From 1929 Terry worked as a traveling musician and worked in the 1930s with Blind Boy Fuller , with whom he made recordings in New York from 1937–1940 until his death.

He was best known for his duo activity with the blues guitarist Brownie McGhee (* 1915, † 1996), with whom he toured and made recordings in the years 1941–1982. He also recorded with Woody Guthrie , Leadbelly , Pete Seeger , Champion Jack Dupree , Blind Gary Davis , Mississippi John Hurt , Big Bill Broonzy and other folk and blues greats.

1947 played Sonny Terry on Broadway in the musical Finian's Rainbow , 1955-1957 together with Brownie McGhee in the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955 joint appearance in the film of the same name The cat on the hot tin roof ), in the 1950s he took even adverts (for Alka-Seltzer ).

In 1987 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame .

Discography

Folk Songs of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (Roulette, 1958)

The 1958 London Sessions / Sonny Terry & Browny McGhee , 1958

Blues with Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (Folkways, 1959)

Sonny Is King (Bluesville, 1963)

Sing & Play (Society, 1966)

Sonny & Brownie (A&M Records, 1973)

Whoopin ' ( feat.Johnny Winter & Willie Dixon / Alligator, 1984)

Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry Sing (Smithsonian Folkways, 1990)

Whoopin 'the Blues: The Capitol Recordings, 1947-1950 (Capitol, 1995)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Terry, Sonny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Terrell, Saunders (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American blues singer and harmonica player
DATE OF BIRTH	October 24, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH	Greensboro , Georgia
DATE OF DEATH	March 11, 1986
Place of death	Mineola , New York