For years Big Bill Broonzy's guitar was hanging up on the wall at the venerable Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago. Near it, in a frame, on that same wall, was Bill's death certificate. In this fine work by Robert Riesman Big Bill just about lives again. Indeed, Frank Hamilton (who started this thread) and Win Stracke, were two of the founders of the school, and Bill sang at the opening night of that good institution. This book is about the unique and versatile musical artist that Broonzy was. As an early country blues singer on 78 rpm records, Bill sold many thousands of recordings. Capable of performing with just about anyone--he fit in beautifully with jazz and blues performers throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Then, out of economic necessity, Bill Broonzy morphed again, and became a huge part of Chicago's folk music revival scene sharing gigs with Win Stracke and Pete Seeger and Frank Hamilton -- even working with Studs Terkel who interviewed Bill extensively in the studios of radio station WFMT-FM. The music and talk captured there was issued as a wondrous multi-LP set on Verve Records. Valucha Arneson and Sandy Paton and Fleming Brown and so many others lurk on many of these pages. -- Bob Riesman has done a masterful job. You will not be sorry when you read this one. It is a keeper. Enjoy!

Art Thieme