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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 1-25 of 164 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-07649 | 10-in. | 5/5/1937 | Good morning, school girl | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-07650 | 10-in. | 5/5/1937 | Blue bird blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-07651 | 10-in. | 5/5/1937 | Jackson blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-07652 | 10-in. | 5/5/1937 | Got the bottle up and gone | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-07654 | 10-in. | 5/5/1937 | Skinny woman | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-016518 | 10-in. | 11/11/1937 | Up the country blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and harmonica | composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-016519 | 10-in. | 11/11/1937 | Worried me blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | composer, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-016520 | 10-in. | 11/11/1937 | Black gal blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-016521 | 10-in. | 11/11/1937 | Collector man blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-016522 | 10-in. | 11/11/1937 | Frigidaire blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-016523 | 10-in. | 11/11/1937 | Suzanna blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-016524 | 10-in. | 11/11/1937 | Early in the morning | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-016525 | 10-in. | 11/11/1937 | Project highway | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and 2 guitars | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-020110 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | My little Cornelius | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020111 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | Decoration blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020112 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | You can lead me | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020113 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | Moonshine | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020114 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | Miss Louisa blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020115 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | Sunny land | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020116 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | I'm tired truckin' my blues away | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020117 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | Down South | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020118 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | Beauty parlor | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, mandolin, and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020119 | 10-in. | 3/13/1938 | Until my love come down | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica and guitar | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020842 | 10-in. | 6/17/1938 | Honey bee blues | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, composer | |
Victor | BS-020843 | 10-in. | 6/17/1938 | My baby I've been your slave | Sonny Boy Williamson | Male vocal solo, with harmonica, guitar, and piano | vocalist, composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Williamson, Sonny Boy," accessed September 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/116388.
Williamson, Sonny Boy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/116388.
"Williamson, Sonny Boy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 September 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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