Blind Willie McTell
Play Radio
Listen to Blind Willie McTell Radio,
featuring artists like Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Boy Fuller, Blind Blake and more…
-
Search on Spotify
Yes, it scrobbles! Learn more
958,986 plays (137,416 listeners)
Blind Willie McTell (May 5, 1901 - August 15, 1959) was an influential blues singer and guitarist. He was born in Thomson, Georgia and died in Milledgeville, Georgia.
McTell was a twelve-string finger picking guitarist and singer who recorded from 1927 to 1955. One of his most famous songs, “Statesboro Blues” has been covered by many artists including Taj Mahal and The Allman Brothers Band. In 1983, Bob Dylan recorded a tribute song for McTell, using the folk melody of “St. James Infirmary Blues,” although the track went unreleased until 1991. In 1993, Dylan paid further tribute to McTell by recording McTell’s song “Broke Down Engine.”
Blind from late childhood and an adept reader of Braille, McTell showed an inherent proficiency in music from an early age and learned to play the six-string guitar as soon as he could. His father left the family when McTell was still young, so when his mother died in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became a wandering busker. He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records of Atlanta.
In the years before World War II, he recorded prodigiously, for a wide variety of labels under an equal variety of names, but his style was singular: a form of country blues, bridging the gap between the raw blues of the Mississippi Delta and the more refined Piedmont Blues sound. The style is well documented on Alan Lomax’s 1940 recordings of McTell for the Library of Congress. Post-war, he recorded briefly for Atlantic Records, but the recordings met with less commercial success than his previous works. He continued performing some live shows in his hometown of Atlanta, but his continued career was cut short by ill health, predominantly diabetes. In 1959, a year after the death of his wife of 24 years, he died of a stroke.
McTell was a twelve-string finger picking guitarist and singer who recorded from 1927 to 1955. One of his most famous songs, “Statesboro Blues” has been covered by many artists including Taj Mahal and The Allman Brothers Band. In 1983, Bob Dylan recorded a tribute song for McTell, using the folk melody of “St. James Infirmary Blues,” although the track went unreleased until 1991. In 1993, Dylan paid further tribute to McTell by recording McTell’s song “Broke Down Engine.”
Blind from late childhood and an adept reader of Braille, McTell showed an inherent proficiency in music from an early age and learned to play the six-string guitar as soon as he could. His father left the family when McTell was still young, so when his mother died in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became a wandering busker. He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records of Atlanta.
In the years before World War II, he recorded prodigiously, for a wide variety of labels under an equal variety of names, but his style was singular: a form of country blues, bridging the gap between the raw blues of the Mississippi Delta and the more refined Piedmont Blues sound. The style is well documented on Alan Lomax’s 1940 recordings of McTell for the Library of Congress. Post-war, he recorded briefly for Atlantic Records, but the recordings met with less commercial success than his previous works. He continued performing some live shows in his hometown of Atlanta, but his continued career was cut short by ill health, predominantly diabetes. In 1959, a year after the death of his wife of 24 years, he died of a stroke.
Shouts:
85 shouts
Top Albums
-
The Essential
Blind Willie McTell
Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $26.50
- eBay Search
-
The Early Years (1927-1933)
Blind Willie McTell Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.49
- 7digital $9.99
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
Shoutbox
-
b8senne wrote:
FREE folk / blues song here - http://www.last.fm/music/Walker+Fields/_/Long+Way+Home Enjoy!
-
overforkover wrote:
White Stripes/books sent me here
-
minuszeroLastFM wrote:
Hmmm why has it gone back to "Mctell"again, pls. change it back to McTell, thanks!
-
King_Creole_35 wrote:
I brought me here.
-
minuszeroLastFM wrote:
Anyone know how we change his name to Blind Willie McTell, capital "T" for McTell?
-
jamesnanderson wrote:
atlanta twelve string my shit
-
thehipi wrote:
So much soul - one of the best. Don't miss his lesser known spirituals - like 'Hide me in thy bosom' and 'How about You'!
-
SilentLuke wrote:
Genius guitar player.One of a kind.
-
pteronophobic wrote:
Blind Willie McTell brought me here.
-
ArbuzowaKalina wrote:
Bob Dylan brought me here [3]
-
maskeraddanne wrote:
the white stripes brought me here
-
Druid66 wrote:
Cat could "see" farther than most of us!
-
bigcityblinkin wrote:
Bob Dylan brought me here [2]
-
Michael_Dias wrote:
Bob Dylan brought me here
-
strangeinocence wrote:
Jack white brought me here :D
-
IAJP wrote:
my main nigga BW-McT
-
SkinneeJay wrote:
Is it me or does he talk instead of singing in "Atlanta Twelve String"?
-
WildOrphan wrote:
Piedmont blues, not Delta blues.
-
DeucesAreWild wrote:
awesome stuff, does his voice remind anyone else of Lonnie Johnson?
-
almagal wrote:
a century later, McTell is still up there with the best the world has to offer.
Videos
Listening Now
Top Listeners
-
ohjocelynn
Top Listener
-
bambaloogie
Top Listener
-
bradfordjames
Top Listener
-
Matataliki
Top Listener
Recent Activity
-
Grindermill666, kingcoupdaville, RawMilkCheese and 10 other people added Blind Willie McTell to their libraries. 3 hours ago
-
sirioav tagged Blind Willie McTell with ‘blues’. Tuesday morning
-
DayBee33, eirelavv, inthezenarcade and 6 other people added Blind Willie McTell to their libraries. Tuesday morning
-
Tolmi-Kiev tagged Blind Willie McTell with usa, country blues and blues. 9 days ago
-
pooldeck, RichardGobbler, sheenavonkiller and 19 other people added Blind Willie McTell to their libraries. 9 days ago
-
DrYogurt tagged Blind Willie McTell with blind and blues. 18 days ago
-
KAub and derekSouLa added Blind Willie McTell to their libraries. 19 days ago
-
yasminemazz tagged Blind Willie McTell with classic blues, delta blues and blues. last month
-
underkneeth, rinsehead, frrausch and 41 other people added Blind Willie McTell to their libraries. last month
-
novira tagged Blind Willie McTell with ‘blues’. last month
Related Journals
-
Two Gallants Return (to London)
by Gravejr |
19 Jul 2011
-
Greatest 500 Musicians-Bands Ever (350 to 500)
by selcukalhan |
7 Feb 2011
| 13 comments
-
Milestones 2
by WLDB |
24 Jun 2010
Groups (38)
-
Country Folk Blues
167 members
-
Old Weird America
203 members
-
Pre-War Blues
360 members
-
studio typewriter
41 members
-
House M.D.
6,136 members
More Information
- Links
- Labels
Email Newsletter
Get exclusive tour, release & promotion updates on Blind Willie McTell from Universal Music.
