Blind Willie McTell is an absolute legend of the blues. One of the most accomplished of the Piedmont guitarists, his recorded works cover a wide range of styles and his 12 string playing has a delicacy that is unique among the early blues players. William Samuel McTier was born in Thompson, Georgia, on May 5th in either 1898 or 1901. His unwed mother was 14 year old Minnie Watkins and his father, Eddie McTier was a moonshiner and gambler and left the family after a few months. William was born blind in one eye, and soon lost his sight in the other.

Guitar of Blind Willie McTell Taught by: Ernie. Blind Willie McTell. 92 minutes • Level 2/3 • Detailed tab/music PDF file on the DVD. By David Hamburger. Click here for the tab file. There are really two “Statesboro Blues” (blueses?). There's the song as originally conceived and recorded by Blind Willie McTell in the 1920s in the prewar solo style, with a bright, syncopated but rhythmically tight and danceable guitar part typical of. Tablature: Tablature is available as a PDF and is meant to be an aid to the detailed video lessons and reflects my basic knowledge of musical notation. To Download TAB PDF: Click the song titles to access the lesson trailer/purchase pages and download TAB PDF's. Special Offer! Beginner's Fingerpicking Guitar $9.95.

Minnie took the McTier name for her blind son and for herself, and moved to the tiny village of Stapleton, a few miles to the south. Minnie worked in the cotton fields, the primary industry in Georgia, and the only work available for share croppers after the end of slavery. The Definitive Guide To Position Sizing Strategies Pdf Reader here. When William was 9, they moved to the nearby large town of Statesboro which was rapidly growing due to the cotton trade. William started school in Stateboro, where due to the phonetic pronunciation of his regional Georgian accent, he was taught his last name was spelt “McTell”. Minnie was a competent guitar player, and started to teach William on a six string in Statesboro. He took to it like a duck to water, and by his early teens was good enough to play for money on the street. Despite his blindness, he took to the road as a teen, following travelling medicine shows.

His mother remarried and had another son, but she died in 1920 bringing William back to Statesboro. Big Fish Audio Nashville Sessions Download Skype. Due to the generosity of neighbours and local businesses, William attended schools for the blind in Macon, Georgia, Michigan and New York where he learnt to read and write braille.

Between schoolings he stayed on the road working for minstrel and medicine shows, and playing on the street in the towns he visited. He would return to Statesboro often, but the town was in decline. The bo weevil is a major pest of cotton crops and in the early 20s it had hit the primary industry of rural Georgia hard. From 1915 to 1923 the weevil had reduced Georgia’s cotton production by half, forcing the residents of towns like Statesboro to look for work in urban centres. Most headed to Atlanta and Augusta and Willie followed them in 1924.

Atlanta had a bustling music scene centred around the infamous Decatur Street in the segregated part of town. Willie found a talented group of bluesmen to play with including Peg Leg Howell, Buddy Moss, Curley Weaver, Charley Lincoln and his brother Barbecue Bob. In Atlanta Willie switched from the six string to the louder twelve string guitar and performed on street corners, fish fries, blacks-only clubs and at his local church every Sunday. Willie’s growing reputation attracted the notice of Victor Records, and he entered their studio in Atlanta to record 4 tracks on October 21, 1927.

They were realesed on two 78’s, and were moderately popular which resulted in another 4 track session on October 17, 1928, where Statesboro Blues was recorded. The records were all successful, and were the start of a 30 year recording career. From 1929 to 1935, Willie recorded a number of records, under his own name and using pseudonyms such as “Blind Sammie”, “Blind Willie” and “Georgia Bill” to record for different labels; as a guitarist for Curley Weaver, Ruth Day aka.

Mary Willis and Alfoncy and Bethenea Harris. In 1931 he met Ruthy Kate Wiliams while attending a Christmas concert at a high school in Atlanta. Origininaly from Savannah, Ruthy Williams was a singer and McTell invited her to record with him. They recorded under the name “Ruth Glaze” in 1932. The two were married in 1934, and preformed and recorded under the name Blind WillieMcTell and Katie McTell. As the Great Depression hit and money for musicians became scarce, Willie’s recordings became less frequent.