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Sonny Boy Williamson Video footage from 1942, 1952
Hey All,
I was out in Clarksdale, Mississippi last week teaching at Jon GIndick's Harmonica Jam Camp
at Hopson's Commissary and the Shack Up Inn. One of my fellow teachers, Adam Gussow(of Satan and Adam fame), was telling me about some newly discovered video footage of Sonnyboy Williamson on King Biscuit that he had a chance to see. It turns out that Adam is
a proffessor at the University of Mississippi at Oxford, and he had attended a symposium
there last Friday. he told me that the footage is from an archive at the University of Georgia.
It is footage that was taken by the family of the owner of Interstate Grocery, the parent company of King Biscuit Flour. Unfortunately there is no audio, although the 1942 footage is in color. The 1942 footage shows Sonnyboy Williamson and Robert Junior Lockwood playing as a duet, seated on a frontporch. They are entertaining a crowd of onlookers that are gathered around. Adam said that Sonnyboy is singing and playing into the vocal microphone, but also clearly grabing the Microphone and using it cupped. This is a good visual seeing as most people think that Little Walter was the first to incorporate this technique. I know that Snooky Prior has said in interviews that he had been using an amp to play since the 40's. The 1952 footage shows Sonnyboy with the King Biscuit Band(I am assuming Peck Curtis on drums, and maybe Houston Stackhouse on guitar). Sonnyboy is standing and singing and playing, 'highly animated' is the term Adam used. I am going by my
discussion with Adam Gussow. I have not seen this footage myself, so this is a second hand account related to me by Adam Gussow.
I sure can't wait to see this footage.
HB
I was out in Clarksdale, Mississippi last week teaching at Jon GIndick's Harmonica Jam Camp
at Hopson's Commissary and the Shack Up Inn. One of my fellow teachers, Adam Gussow(of Satan and Adam fame), was telling me about some newly discovered video footage of Sonnyboy Williamson on King Biscuit that he had a chance to see. It turns out that Adam is
a proffessor at the University of Mississippi at Oxford, and he had attended a symposium
there last Friday. he told me that the footage is from an archive at the University of Georgia.
It is footage that was taken by the family of the owner of Interstate Grocery, the parent company of King Biscuit Flour. Unfortunately there is no audio, although the 1942 footage is in color. The 1942 footage shows Sonnyboy Williamson and Robert Junior Lockwood playing as a duet, seated on a frontporch. They are entertaining a crowd of onlookers that are gathered around. Adam said that Sonnyboy is singing and playing into the vocal microphone, but also clearly grabing the Microphone and using it cupped. This is a good visual seeing as most people think that Little Walter was the first to incorporate this technique. I know that Snooky Prior has said in interviews that he had been using an amp to play since the 40's. The 1952 footage shows Sonnyboy with the King Biscuit Band(I am assuming Peck Curtis on drums, and maybe Houston Stackhouse on guitar). Sonnyboy is standing and singing and playing, 'highly animated' is the term Adam used. I am going by my
discussion with Adam Gussow. I have not seen this footage myself, so this is a second hand account related to me by Adam Gussow.
I sure can't wait to see this footage.
HB
Views: 50
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Schaefer on -
Could this sort of thing be put on YouTube? Or does the university frown upon that? Sure would be nice to be able to share that with the world. We'd sure feature it here.
Thanks for the cool story. I'm going to post this on my Facebook page.
Michael
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Permalink Reply by Brian Calway on -
Michael Schaefer said:Could this sort of thing be put on YouTube? Or does the university frown upon that? Sure would be nice to be able to share that with the world. We'd sure feature it here.
Thanks for the cool story. I'm going to post this on my Facebook page.
Michael
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Permalink Reply by G.F. " Hookman " Brown on -
Strat, the link that is going out with Texas Blues Roadhouse updates on this Sonny Boy video isn't working because in the link, the word video is misspelled.
Correct the spelling and it works just fine.
Hookman
Michael Schaefer said:Could this sort of thing be put on YouTube? Or does the university frown upon that? Sure would be nice to be able to share that with the world. We'd sure feature it here.
Thanks for the cool story. I'm going to post this on my Facebook page.
Michael
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Permalink Reply by G.F. " Hookman " Brown on
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I bet that would be interesting.
Who has it?
Where can we see it?
Hookman Brown
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Permalink Reply by Brian Calway on
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I really do not know any of the details, but I am sure they will be comng out soon.
HB
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Permalink Reply by Brian Calway on
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Yes, Rice Miller, Sonnyboy II.
In this modern age people know more about him than his predecessor John Lee Williamson.
He was super star in his own time. Not many people realize how good he was or how much influence he
had on modern blues harmonica. That is truly a shame.
Bill Jones said:We're talking about Rice Miller, right?
One of my favs....mischievous blues artist deluxe.
The video footage of him in Europe is hilarious...what a character!
Another reason to comb the college archives!
Keep it comin!
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Permalink Reply by Brian Calway on
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There actually was a 'Hash Brown and his Orchestra'
I have an LP called the 'Ignant Strings'
That's right! April Fools!
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Permalink Reply by Rockin' Robert T. on -
I totally know this is jumpin' tracks but did anybody catch the DVD "Cadallac Records"- A great flick with some pretty accurate facts about Chess Records and "Little Walter" and Lightnin' Hopkins and some real good blues history and pretty awesome sound tracks. Hash if you get a chance you oughta check it out-rrt
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Permalink Reply by Brian Calway on
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Robert,
I have seen it a few times. First time I hated it for it's many omissions and it's stretching of the truth.
After viewing the film a few more times I found it enjoyable as a movie with blues in it.
Rockin' Robert T. said:I totally know this is jumpin' tracks but did anybody catch the DVD "Cadallac Records"- A great flick with some pretty accurate facts about Chess Records and "Little Walter" and Lightnin' Hopkins and some real good blues history and pretty awesome sound tracks. Hash if you get a chance you oughta check it out-rrt
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Permalink Reply by Rockin' Robert T. on
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I figured you prolly had seen it Brian- However as verserd as I should be on Blues History I was sort of taken back and felt informed about things that I didn't know about- Go figure- I never even new Etta James was a heron addict- I did however know that Little Walter was a little wild and crazy- Didn't mean to change the subject though from Sonnyboy Williamson and Robert Junior Lockwood footage- Would kinda like to see that my self- See ya round soon my brother- Gotta come hear you perform pretty soon again- Starting to suffer from Browntown Withdrawal Syndrom............later -rrt
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Permalink Reply by Brian Calway on
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Yes, Etta had her share of substance abuse,
but she never had an affair with Leonard Chess. Little Walter never killed anyone either.
The way I look at the movie is that the took a large amount of 'poetic license' to spice
up the story. I do like the music, and a bunch of my friends played on it.
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Permalink Reply by Rockin' Robert T. on
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I Didn't think Little Walter killed anyone either- Would I know any of the players that were involved in performing or making the sound tracks for the movie?? _ Did you have a part in anything? Wouldn't surprise me a bit as much as you get around. Later brother- I wasn't ever sure about Etta and Leonord Chess but I couldn't picture it- He was a pretty solid guy family wise and pretty much strictly business and about making the dollar too.
Brian Calway said:Yes, Etta had her share of substance abuse,
but she never had an affair with Leonard Chess. Little Walter never killed anyone either.
The way I look at the movie is that the took a large amount of 'poetic license' to spice
up the story. I do like the music, and a bunch of my friends played on it.
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