Blind Willie McTell
By J Poet
Blind Willie McTell played the blues, but like Josh White and Big Bill Broonzy he used the blues as a jumping off point for his own singular style of finger picked 12-string guitar. His driving oddly metered rhythms, wild syncopated finger picking, and warm vocals were completely unique and while he never sold many records during his lifetime, his influence on guitar players still reverberates through the years. If folk rock had existed in the 20s, McTell would have felt at home with its combination of tradition and unbridled rowdiness. He recorded sporadically in his lifetime. He made a spate of early recordings on 78 RPMs in the late 20s and early 30s for RCA, Columbia, OKey, Vocalion, Decca and the Library of Congress blues collection,... Read More
- City Of Origin:
- Thomson, Georgia, United States
- Genre:
- Blues, Country Blues
- Birthdate:
- 04/05/1898
- Death date:
- 08/19/1959
