About Blind Willie McTell
Blind Willie McTell (May 5, 1908–August 15, 1959),
born William Samuel McTell, was an influential American
blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
He was a twelve-string finger picking guitarist, and recorded
from 1927 to 1955. One of his most famous songs, "Statesboro
Blues", has been covered by artists such as Taj Mahal
and The Allman Brothers Band. Jack White of The White Stripes
considers McTell an influence (their 2000 album "De
Stijl" was dedicated to him and featured a cover of
his song "Your Southern Can Is Mine"), as did
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. Bob Dylan has paid tribute to McTell
on two occasions: first in a specially-written song about
the bluesman (recorded in 1983, released on a rarities compilation
in 1991), then with a cover of McTell's "Broke Down
Engine" on his 1993 album World Gone Wrong.
Born in Thomson, Georgia, blind in one eye, McTell had lost
his remaining vision by late childhood, but became an adept
reader of Braille. He showed an inherent proficiency in
music from an early age and learned to play the six-string
guitar as soon as he could. His father left the family when
McTell was still young, so when his mother died in the 1920s,
he left his hometown and became a wandering busker. He began
his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records in Atlanta.
In the years before World War II, he traveled and performed
widely, recording for a number of labels under a variety
of names. His style was singular: a form of country blues,
bridging the gap between the raw blues of the Mississippi
Delta and the more refined East Coast sound. The style is
well documented on John Lomax's 1940 recordings of McTell
for the Library of Congress.
In 1934, he married his first wife Ruth Kate Williams (now
better known as Kate McTell). She accompanied him on stage
and on several recordings, before becoming a nurse in 1939.
Most of their marriage from 1942 until his death was spent
apart, with her living in Fort Gordon near Augusta, and
him working around Atlanta.
Post-war, he recorded for Atlantic Records and for Regal
Records, but these recordings met with less commercial success
than his previous works. He continued to perform live in
Atlanta, but his continued career was cut short by ill health,
predominantly diabetes.
A record store manager, Ed Rhoades, met McTell in 1956 and
captured a few final performances on a tape recorder. These
were later released on Prestige/Bluesville Records as Blind
Willie McTell's Last Session.
McTell died in Milledgeville, Georgia of a stroke in 1959.
A blues festival in McTell's honor is held annually in his
birthplace, Thomson, Georgia.
Blind Willie McTell Discography
* The Definitive Blind Willie McTell 1927–1935 on
Catfish Records (KATCD229) - Presents the complete recordings
(including pseudonymous works) from the period 1927–1935.
* The Classic Years 1927–1940 on JSP Records (JSP7711)
omits some recordings found on the previous set but adds
his 1940 session for the Library of Congress.
* The Definitive Blind Willie McTell on SonyLegacy Recordings
(C2K-53234) includes several previously unissued takes and
has extensive liner notes by David Evans. It does, however,
omit "Statesboro Blues," probably McTell's most
definitive song.
* Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 1
- Document Records (Austria) DOCD-5006.
* Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 2
- Document Records (Austria) DOCD-5007.
* Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 3
- Document Records (Austria) DOCD-5008.
* These three discs, covering 1927-1933, were also issued
in a box set as Statesboro Blues (DOCD-5677)
* 1940: Complete Library of Congress Recordings - RST Records
(Austria) BDCD-6001.
* Blind Willie McTell & Curley Weaver: The Post-War
Years 1949-1950 - RST Records (Austria) BDCD-6014.
* The Best of Blind Willie McTell on Yazoo - selections
of 1920s and 1930s recordings - Yazoo-2071
