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 76-100 of 168 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-064026 | 10-in. | 4/4/1941 | Mattie Mae blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-064104 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | Hobo blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band and talk | instrumentalist, harmonica, speaker | |
Victor | BS-064105 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | It seems like a dream | Yank Rachell | Male vocal duet, with washboard band | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064106 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | Army man blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064107 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | 38 pistol blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band and talk | speaker, instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064108 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | Worried blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064109 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | Biscuit baking woman | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064110 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | Insurance man blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064111 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | Up North blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band and talk | speaker, instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064490 | 10-in. | 7/2/1941 | I'm gonna catch you soon | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-064491 | 10-in. | 7/2/1941 | Million years blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064492 | 10-in. | 7/2/1941 | Shady Grove blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064493 | 10-in. | 7/2/1941 | Sloppy drunk blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064494 | 10-in. | 7/2/1941 | She was a dreamer | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-064495 | 10-in. | 7/2/1941 | You got to step back | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070143 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Ground-hog blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-070144 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Black panter blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-070145 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Broken heart blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-070146 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | She don't love me that way | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-070147 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | My black name blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-070148 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | I have got to go | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-070470 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Yellow yam blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070471 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Tappin' that thing | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070472 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Rainy days blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070473 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Peach tree blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Williamson, Sonny Boy," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116388.
Williamson, Sonny Boy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116388.
"Williamson, Sonny Boy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 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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