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 101-125 of 168 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-070474 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | She loves who she please | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070475 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Bye bye blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070476 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Loudella blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070477 | 10-in. | 12/11/1941 | Katy Lee blues | Yank Rachell | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070482 | 10-in. | 12/12/1941 | Throw a boogie woogie | Joe Williams | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070483 | 10-in. | 12/12/1941 | North wind blues | Joe Williams | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070484 | 10-in. | 12/12/1941 | Please don't go | Joe Williams | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070485 | 10-in. | 12/12/1941 | Highway 49 | Joe Williams | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070486 | 10-in. | 12/12/1941 | Someday, baby | Joe Williams | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-070487 | 10-in. | 12/12/1941 | Break 'em on down | Joe Williams | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | BS-074656 | 10-in. | 7/30/1942 | Love me, baby | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, piano, and imitation string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-074657 | 10-in. | 7/30/1942 | What's getting wrong with you? | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, piano, and imitation string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-074658 | 10-in. | 7/30/1942 | Blues that made me drunk | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, piano, and imitation string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-074659 | 10-in. | 7/30/1942 | Come on baby and take a walk | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, piano, and imitation string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | BS-076453 | 10-in. | 5/5/1937 | Sugar Mama blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | composer, vocalist | |
Victor | E1VB-0493 | 10-in. | 3/20/1951 | Early in the morning | Tampa Red | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | composer | |
Victor | D4AB-0324 | 10-in. | 12/14/1944 | Miss Stella Brown | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with piano, guitar, and traps | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | D4AB-0325 | 10-in. | 12/14/1944 | Desperado woman | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, guitar, and traps | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, harmonica | |
Victor | D4AB-0326 | 10-in. | 12/14/1944 | Win the war blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with piano, guitar, and traps | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | D4AB-0327 | 10-in. | 12/14/1944 | Check up on my baby | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with piano, guitar, and traps | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | D5AB-0338 | 10-in. | 7/2/1945 | Elevator woman | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, guitar, and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | D5AB-0339 | 10-in. | 7/2/1945 | G. M. & O. blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, guitar, and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | D5AB-0340 | 10-in. | 7/2/1945 | We got to win | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, guitar, and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | D5AB-0341 | 10-in. | 7/2/1945 | Sonny Boy's jump | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, piano, guitar, and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, harmonica, composer | |
Victor | D5AB-0354 | 10-in. | 7/12/1945 | Drop down blues | Joe Williams | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and drums | instrumentalist, harmonica |
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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