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 1-25 of 50 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-37941 | 10-in. | 2/24/1927 | Sun brimmers | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | vocalist, songwriter, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-37942 | 10-in. | 2/24/1927 | Stingy woman | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | songwriter, instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-37943 | 10-in. | 2/24/1927 | Memphis jug | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-37944 | 10-in. | 2/24/1927 | Newport News blues | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-37963 | 10-in. | 2/28/1927 | I raised my window and looked at the risin' sun | Ollie Rupert | Female vocal solo, with 2 guitars and jew's harp | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-37964 | 10-in. | 2/28/1927 | Ain't goin' to be your low down dog | Ollie Rupert | Female vocal solo, with 2 guitars and jew's harp | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-38657 | 10-in. | 6/9/1927 | Sometimes I think I love you | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-38658 | 10-in. | 6/9/1927 | Sunshine blues | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | vocalist, songwriter, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-38659 | 10-in. | 6/9/1927 | Memphis boy | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-38660 | 10-in. | 6/9/1927 | I'm looking for the bully of the town | Memphis Jug Band | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-40312 | 10-in. | 10/19/1927 | I packed my suitcase, started to the train | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-40313 | 10-in. | 10/19/1927 | State of Tennessee blues | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-40314 | 10-in. | 10/19/1927 | Bob Lee Junior blues | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-40315 | 10-in. | 10/19/1927 | Kansas City blues | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-40320 | 10-in. | 10/20/1927 | Beale Street mess around | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-40321 | 10-in. | 10/20/1927 | I'll see you in the spring, when the birds begin to sing | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-40322 | 10-in. | 10/20/1927 | Turpentine blues | Will Weldon | Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars | instrumentalist, guitar, composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BVE-40323 | 10-in. | 10/20/1927 | Hitch me to your buggy, and drive me like a mule | Will Weldon | Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-40324 | 10-in. | 10/20/1927 | Vol Stevens blues | Vol Stevens | Male vocal solo, with banjo-mandolin and guitar | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-40325 | 10-in. | 10/20/1927 | Baby got the rickets | Vol Stevens | Male vocal solo, with banjo-mandolin and guitar | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-41817 | 10-in. | 2/1/1928 | Snitchin' gambler blues | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-41818 | 10-in. | 2/1/1928 | Evergreen money blues | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-41888 | 10-in. | 2/13/1928 | Coal oil blues | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-41889 | 10-in. | 2/13/1928 | Papa Long blues | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-41890 | 10-in. | 2/13/1928 | Peaches in the springtime | Memphis Jug Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Weldon, Will," accessed November 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/210864.
Weldon, Will. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/210864.
"Weldon, Will." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 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
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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