Will Weldon
William "Casey Bill" Weldon (February 2, 1901 or December 10, 1909 – September 28, 1972) was an American country blues musician. Some details of Weldon's life are unconfirmed. According to some sources, he was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and later lived and worked in Chicago. He reportedly made his way to Chicago via Kansas City, which gave rise to his nickname, a version of K.C. He was one of the early musicians who recorded playing slide guitar. He played upbeat, hokum and country blues tunes. Playing a National steel guitar flat on his lap Hawaiian style, he was known as the "Hawaiian Guitar Wizard". According to some sources, Weldon was married to the singer and guitarist Memphis Minnie in the 1920s, but this is now believed to be a misidentification. Only recently it has been widely accepted that he is not the musician, Will Weldon, who recorded between 1927 and 1928 as a member of the Memphis Jug Band. Weldon cut over 60 sides for Bluebird and Vocalion. He was also an active session guitarist, performing on records by Teddy Darby, Bumble Bee Slim, Peetie Wheatstraw, and Memphis Minnie. On Memphis Minnie's last recording for Bluebird Records, in October 1935, Weldon accompanied her for the first time. He played on two sides, "When the Sun Goes Down, Part 2" and "Hustlin' Woman Blues". He had solo hits with his two best-known songs, "Somebody Done Changed the Lock on That Door" and "We Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town". According to some sources, after his divorce from Memphis Minnie, he married the blues singer Geeshie Wiley. They disappeared from the public eye soon after, and he had stopped recording by 1938. He is believed to be the William Weldon who died in Kansas City in 1972. |
Birth and Death Data: Born July 10, 1909 (Pine Bluff), Died 1960
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927 - 1942
Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist, songwriter, mandolin, composer
Notes: Listing for Will Weldon, also known as Kansas City Bill Weldon, or K. C. Bill Weldon.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 50 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-41891 | 10-in. | 2/13/1928 | She stays out all night long | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-64732 | 10-in. | 11/26/1930 | Round and round | Memphis Sheiks | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, mandolin | |
Victor | BVE-64733 | 10-in. | 11/26/1930 | This will bring you back | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, mandolin | |
Victor | BVE-64740 | 10-in. | 11/28/1930 | Move that thing | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble, with talk | instrumentalist, mandolin | |
Victor | BVE-64741 | 10-in. | 11/28/1930 | You got me rollin' | Carolina Peanut Boys | Vocal and instrumental ensemble, with talk | instrumentalist, mandolin | |
Victor | BS-96220 | 10-in. | 10/31/1935 | My stove won't work | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-96221 | 10-in. | 10/31/1935 | Somebody changed the lock on my door | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-96222 | 10-in. | 10/31/1935 | Long-eared mule | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-96223 | 10-in. | 10/31/1935 | Somebody's been talkin' to you | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-96224 | 10-in. | 10/31/1935 | Howlin' dog blues | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-96225 | 10-in. | 10/31/1935 | Your wagon's worn out now | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-100307 | 10-in. | 4/1/1936 | Let me be your butcher | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-100308 | 10-in. | 4/1/1936 | I got a letter this morning | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-100309 | 10-in. | 4/1/1936 | I'm a stranger in your town | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-100310 | 10-in. | 4/1/1936 | Has my gal been here | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-100323 | 10-in. | 4/2/1936 | Blues everywhere I go | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-100324 | 10-in. | 4/2/1936 | Somebody's got to go | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-100325 | 10-in. | 4/2/1936 | Casey blues | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-100326 | 10-in. | 4/2/1936 | I'se just a bad luck man | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-030808 | 10-in. | 12/16/1938 | I believe you're cheatin' on me | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-030809 | 10-in. | 12/16/1938 | Way down in Louisiana | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-030810 | 10-in. | 12/16/1938 | You gotta do your duty | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-030811 | 10-in. | 12/16/1938 | Midnight blues | Casey Bill | Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and string bass | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-074062 | 10-in. | 2/10/1942 | How can you love me | Washboard Band (Washboard Sam) | Male vocal solo, with washboard band | composer | |
Victor | BS-074648 | 10-in. | 7/30/1942 | I'm gonna leave you on the outskirts of town | Jazz Gillum | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Weldon, Will," accessed November 7, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/210864.
Weldon, Will. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 7, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/210864.
"Weldon, Will." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 7 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Casey Bill Weldon
Discogs: Will Weldon
Allmusic: Will Weldon
IMDb: Will Weldon
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Weldon, Will - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n93036028
Wikidata: Casey Bill Weldon - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q606603
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/22329887
MusicBrainz: Casey Bill Weldon - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8a79e7f1-6e48-4efd-aba4-42a14d24faec
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