Sonny Boy Williamson
John Lee Curtis "Sonny Boy" Williamson (March 30, 1914 – June 1, 1948) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He is often regarded as the pioneer of the blues harp as a solo instrument. He played on hundreds of recordings by many pre–World War II blues artists. Under his own name, he was one of the most recorded blues musicians of the 1930s and 1940s and is closely associated with Chicago producer Lester Melrose and Bluebird Records. His popular songs, original or adapted, include "Good Morning, School Girl", "Sugar Mama", "Early in the Morning", and "Stop Breaking Down". Williamson's harmonica style was a great influence on postwar performers. Later in his career, he was a mentor to many up-and-coming blues musicians who moved to Chicago, including Muddy Waters. In an attempt to capitalize on Williamson's fame, Aleck "Rice" Miller began recording and performing as Sonny Boy Williamson in the early 1940s, and later, to distinguish the two, John Lee Williamson came to be known as Sonny Boy Williamson I or "the original Sonny Boy". |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-75 of 168 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-040533 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | Something going on wrong | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-040534 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | Good gal blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-040535 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | Joe Louis and John Henry blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-040536 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | Thinking my blues away | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-040537 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | I'm not pleasing you | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-040538 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | New "Jailhouse blues" | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-040539 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | Lifetime blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-040540 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | Miss Ida Lee | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-040541 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | Tell me, baby | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-040542 | 10-in. | 7/21/1939 | Honey bee blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-049196 | 10-in. | 5/17/1940 | I been dealing with the devil | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, and drums | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-049197 | 10-in. | 5/17/1940 | War time blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, and drums | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-049198 | 10-in. | 5/17/1940 | Train fare blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, and drums | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-049199 | 10-in. | 5/17/1940 | Decoration Day blues no. 2 | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, and drums | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-053000 | 10-in. | 5/17/1940 | New "Early in the morning" | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, and drums | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-053001 | 10-in. | 5/17/1940 | Welfare store blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, and drums | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-053002 | 10-in. | 5/17/1940 | My little machine | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, and drums | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-053003 | 10-in. | 5/17/1940 | Jivin' the blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, and drums | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-064019 | 10-in. | 4/4/1941 | Western Union man | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-064020 | 10-in. | 4/4/1941 | Big Apple blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-064021 | 10-in. | 4/4/1941 | Springtime blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-064022 | 10-in. | 4/4/1941 | My baby made a change | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-064023 | 10-in. | 4/4/1941 | Shotgun blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-064024 | 10-in. | 4/4/1941 | Coal and iceman blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-064025 | 10-in. | 4/4/1941 | Drink on, little girl | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Williamson, Sonny Boy," accessed November 7, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116388.
Williamson, Sonny Boy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 7, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116388.
"Williamson, Sonny Boy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 7 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Sonny Boy Williamson
Discogs: Sonny Boy Williamson
Allmusic: Sonny Boy Williamson
Grove: Sonny Boy Williamson
Britannica: Sonny Boy Williamson
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Williamson, Sonny Boy, 1914-1948 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr89010894
Wikidata: Sonny Boy Williamson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q918571
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/158145606975501380000
MusicBrainz: Sonny Boy Williamson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8ebad434-3593-49bc-b60c-bd66e8efbbbb
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