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Big Joe Williams | |
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 Williams in concert, November 14, 1971 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Lee Williams |
| Born | October 16, 1903 Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 1982 (aged 79) Macon, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | Delta blues[1] |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Labels | |
Joseph Lee Williams (October 16, 1903 – December 17, 1982)[2] was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter,[1] notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar. Performing over five decades, he recorded the songs "Baby, Please Don't Go", "Crawlin' King Snake", and "Peach Orchard Mama", among many others, for various record labels.[3] He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame on October 4, 1992.[4]
The blues historian Barry Lee Pearson (Sounds Good to Me: The Bluesman's Story, Virginia Piedmont Blues) described Williams's performance:
- When I saw him playing at Mike Bloomfield's "blues night" at the Fickle Pickle, Williams was playing an electric nine-string guitar through a small ramshackle amp with a pie plate nailed to it and a beer can dangling against that. When he played, everything rattled but Big Joe himself. The total effect of this incredible apparatus produced the most buzzing, sizzling, African-sounding music I have ever heard.[3]
- ^ a b Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Deadwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Big Joe Williams". Thebluestrail.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.