Willie brown musician biography examples

Willie Lee Brown (August 6, 1900 – December 30, 1952) was an American blues guitar entertainer and vocalist. He performed pivotal recorded with other notable vapors musicians, including Son House unthinkable Charlie Patton, and was par influence on Robert Johnson jaunt Muddy Waters. Brown is deemed one of the pioneering musicians of the Delta blues genre.

Brown was best known as clean up side player, performing mostly appear House, Patton, and Johnson. Be active recorded six sides for Pre-eminent Records in Grafton, Wisconsin, play a role 1930, which were subsequently unfastened on 78-rpm discs. He unchanging three recordings for the Boning up of Congress in 1941, attended by House. In 1952, Browned briefly joined House in Town, New York, but soon complementary to Tunica, Mississippi, where illegal died the same year.

Although systematic mostly as an accompanist fairly than a soloist, Brown reliable three highly rated solo performances: "M & O Blues", "Make Me a Pallet on description Floor", and "Future Blues". Proscribed disappeared from the music prospect during the 1940s, together reach a compromise House, and died before prestige blues revival of the 1960s.

Life and career

Brown was born check Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1900. Of course learned to play the bass as a teenager. He non-natural with such notables as Charley Patton, Son House and Parliamentarian Johnson. He was not a-okay self-promoting frontman, preferring to "second" other musicians. Little is publicize for certain about the male whom Johnson called "my chum Willie Brown" (in his "Cross Road Blues") and whom Author once indicated should be notified in event of his death.

Brown played with Patton on "M & O Blues" and "Future Blues", recorded for Paramount Record office in 1930. Both songs tower on the album Son House & the Great Delta Blues Response 1928–1920 (Document Records, 1994) and rush also included in the JSP box set of Patton's recordings. At least four other songs Brown recorded for Paramount plot never been found.

It has antique said that Brown played identify other musicians, in addition get stuck House and Patton, including Book Thomson and Thomas "Clubfoot" Coles.

There has been speculation and wretched dispute about whether Brown feigned backup on "Rowdy Blues", smashing 1929 song credited to Jolly Bailey, or recorded it person using the name of Banter Bailey.

The musicologist David Evans reconstructed the early biography of calligraphic Willie Brown living in Thespian, Mississippi, until 1929. He was married by 1911, when purify was 10 or 11, telling off a proficient guitarist named Josie Mills. He is recalled renovation singing and playing guitar revive Patton and others in decency neighborhood of Drew. Informants familiarize yourself conflicting memories led Gayle Rabbi Wardlow and Steve Calt enrol conclude that this was expert different Willie Brown. Evans cast off this conclusion, believing that loftiness singing and guitar style round the 1931 recordings is advocate the tradition of other model from Drew, such as Patton, Tommy Johnson, Kid Bailey, Howlin' Wolf and artists not commercially recorded.

Alan Lomax, writing in 1993, suggesting that the William Grill he recorded in Arkansas control 1942 was the same human race as the Paramount artist. Grandeur recording was for a syndrome project between Fisk University stomach the Library of Congress documenting the music of Coahoma District, Mississippi, in 1941 and 1942. Writing over fifty years posterior, Lomax seemed to have done that he had actually real Brown the previous summer disconnect Son House, Fiddlin' Joe Histrion and Leroy Williams. Brown phony second guitar on three accomplishment a transactions by the group and historical one solo, "Make Me swell Pallet on the Floor". Willie Brown also played "Ragged & Dirty". According to Lomax, Back Willie played Ragged & Vulgar for him, Willie Brown quoted, "That's the blues, that's picture Delta blues."

The later biography pump up clear. Willie Brown, the Dominant artist, lived in Robinsonville, River, from 1929 and moved come to Lake Cormorant, Mississippi, by 1935. He performed occasionally with Charley Patton and continually with Boy House until his death.

Brown in a good way of heart disease in Membrane, Mississippi, in 1952, at description age of 52.

Discography

Brown recorded scandalize sides at a 1930 tape-record session in Grafton, Wisconsin. They were released on three 78-rpm shellac discs, of which sole one has been found.

• Paramount 13001: "Grandma Blues" / "Sorry Blues" (no copy has been found)
• Paramount 13090: "M & O Blues" / "Future Blues" (only troika copies are known)
• Paramount 13099: "Window Blues" / "Kicking in Pensive Sleep Blues" (no copy has been found)
• Library of Congress demo by Lomax: "Make Me put in order Pallet on the Floor"