Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)

Subject: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday
From: The Shambles
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 03:59 PM

Sonny Boy Williamson [Aleck Miller] was born this day (5 December) in 1899.

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 04:16 PM

You sound quite certain of that ... source?

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday
From: The Sandman
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 04:37 PM

your talking about sonny boy williamson the second. sonny boy williamson the first was born on march 30 1914, and played with Sleepy John Estes, and was a great harmonica player too.

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 04:45 PM

I thought Sonny Boy Williamson II's real name was Rice Miller.

Sonny Boy I was born 30 years to the day before I was and 31 years before Eric Clapton.

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: The Sandman
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 06:22 AM

yes ,alec rice miller.his family knew him as rice.

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: Wolfgang
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 10:21 AM

the many birthdays of SBW II

Williamson told/sung many different stories when he was born. 1899 featured in just one such story. The headstone on his grave says born Mar 12, 1905. The article I have linked to makes a good point that he may have been born in 1912.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: The Shambles
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 01:42 PM

Perhaps we could just agree that it was a fact that he was born?

Jolly good job he was too..........

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 02:22 PM

Not only was he born, but (according to Wolfgang) he was born singing and telling many different stories!

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: GUEST,Blues enthooze
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 04:43 PM

When John Lee Williamson suffed it - Rice Miller nicked the name to cash in on the popularity that the original bloke had built for himself

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: Wolfgang
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 05:12 AM

grin

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 08:43 AM

(Glad you're grinning - I'd hate to have to run away with my tail between my legs!).

Since I'm here anyway - it's my understanding that Sonny Boy II was using the name for some time before SBWI's death.

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: fat B****rd
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 03:33 PM

I don't care when he was born. I wish I'd sen him when he played the South Bank in Grimsby. Sonny Boy The Second that is.

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 03:49 PM

sonny boy williamson the first was also a GREAT harmonica player.I think guest blues enthooze might be right,he certainly stole his name. it must be something about the millers, alec and sonny boy jIMMY AND EWAN.sonny boy the first was williamson ,its blatantly obvious.

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: woodsie
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 09:12 PM

Recordings that I have seen by Sonny Boy Williamson II are much later than SBW I

To confuse things there is no I or II on the actual records. As a rule of thumb the stuff issued on Chess records is the "imposter" - but still excellent stuff.

The original John Lee Williamson wrote such classics as Good Mornin Little Schoolgirl, Susie Q & Bluebird blues.

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 11:32 PM

Most of the SBWII recordings, and all the well-known ones, ARE from much later than the SBWI recordings - but the men were contemporaries; however, SBWI was a "star" first. He was based in Chicago, or at least worked there a lot, while SBWII was still working in the South. SBWII took the name to cash in on it. They did meet sometime a few years into the mutual name business, when SBWI made a trip South, and apparently he bore SBWII no animosity, presumably feeling that SBWII was just doing what he could to get by, and it wasn't really hurting him. SBWI was clearly a major influence musically on SBWII, in his harmonica style but even moreso in his vocal style.

Although SBWI died in 1948, he wasn't a whole lot older than SBWII, who lived into the 1970's; he just ran into some bad luck.

I don't have any particular inside knowledge on any of this; I'm just repeating things I've read here and there ...

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: Abby Sale
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 01:53 PM

To summarize - from the Happy File:

The blues' first radio star, legendary blues harmonicist Sonny Boy Williamson #2 (ie Aleck "Rice" Miller,) who probably taught Howlin' Wolf harmonica...

... probably was born 12/5/1899 in Glendora Mississippi. (He was also born in 1894, 1897, 1905, 1909, 1910 and 1912.) We believe he holds the record for the Most Often Born person in all the Happy archives.

(died 5/25/1965 [per Pete Welding] and also 6/23/1965)

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: GUEST,Cecil.J.Sharpe
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 05:36 PM

Anyone ever seen the bit of footage he did for possibly Granada (UK) in early 60's ? My first experience of real blues never seen it since, did about 3 numbers, magic!

Subject: RE: Sonny Boy Williamson's birthday (5 Dec. 1899)
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 05:45 PM

For anyone who's a real fan, the clips on Youtube will put you into seventh heaven. There are about a dozen; here's one to get you started: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iup4hG7DmNA&mode=related&search=   ...