Big Joe Williams

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Big Joe Williams (born Joseph Lee Williams, October 16, 1903 - December 17, 1982) was an American blues musician and songwriter, known for his characteristic style of guitar-playing, his nine-string guitar, and his bizarre, cantankerous personality.

Born in Crawford, Mississippi, Williams performed frequently, wandering across the United States busking and playing stores, bars, alleys and work camps, as well as recording for Okeh, Bluebird Records, Delmark Records, Prestige Records and Vocalion.

Big Joe’s guitar playing is decidedly in the Delta Blues style, and yet is unique. He played driving rhythm and virtuosic lead lines simultaneously, and sang over it all. He played with picks both on his thumb and index finger, plus his guitar was very heavily modified.
Williams added a rudimentary electric pick-up, whose wires coiled all over the top of his guitar. He also added three extra strings, creating unison pairs for the first and second courses and an octave pair for the fourth course.
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  • hashbrown_jr wrote:
    September 2011
    thanks you Big Joe Williams blues star

    Leave hashbrown_jr a shout

  • Parisblues wrote:
    August 2011
    Il y a un large choix d'images sans faire d'incitation au tabac. s'il vous plait votez . / there's a large choice of pictures without doing tabacco incitation. please vote.

    Leave Parisblues a shout

  • maskeraddanne wrote:
    August 2011
    Master of the... NINE-string guitar, really? That makes him stand out, for damn sure! [2]

    Leave maskeraddanne a shout

  • Druid66 wrote:
    August 2011
    Master of the... NINE-string guitar, really? That makes him stand out, for damn sure!

    Leave Druid66 a shout

  • staytooned wrote:
    August 2010
    @staytooned007 (tweet me). STAYTOONED WAS HERE~

    Leave staytooned a shout

  • JoshCIVM wrote:
    April 2009
    ...I think everyone was just a cracked nutcase. Which is what makes them so cool.

    Leave JoshCIVM a shout

  • Jim_Lithium wrote:
    March 2009
    Pigmeatl - I think you got it wrong. I have the 'High Times Reader' book which includes a lenghty account by Michael Bloomfield called "Me and Big Joe" about his friendship and trips with the guy. They went to see Jazz Gillum together and he was the one who was living in a shack, stoking a raging fire in the middle of the summer.

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  • BluesRok wrote:
    November 2008
    At the group Blues Artist of the Week, you can vote for up to 5 artist for the title each week, and play some great blues games! Hope to see you there!

    Leave BluesRok a shout

  • PigmeatI wrote:
    September 2008
    I remember reading an account by Paul Butterfield about trying to locate Big Joe in the 60's when the blues revival took off. He was going to take him out on tour. He found Big Joe holed up in a shack in the middle of summer,fire blazing in the stove,every stitch of clothes he owned on, widows and doors sealed tight hollerin' about how the fire was keeping the Devil away. Butterfield got him out and spent some time with him,but I think Big Joe scared the living Hell out of him? Sometimes you need to let sleeping dogs lie.

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  • BlindWilliam wrote:
    September 2008
    I'm'a build me a scaffold/and hang my doggone self. Bring your bags from the south over to Great Black Music. P E A C E > bw

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  • SYL2Oh wrote:
    May 2008
    The many years spent on roads have fed the imagination of this guitarist whith the full game!

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  • Carlos44 wrote:
    January 2008
    big man ;)

    Leave Carlos44 a shout

  • safe-as-milk wrote:
    December 2007
    history will favour me as the first person on the shoutbox. some of the best delta guitar work out there

    Leave safe-as-milk a shout

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