Sonny, Brownie, Lightnin, and ??

10 Feb 99 - 02:31 AM (#57942)
Subject: Sonny, Brownie, Lightnin, and ??
From: [e-mail]

I took a cassette out of the library called "Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee Walk On", Bulldog Records POWC 4014. In it there is a piece called "Everybody's Blues" which has Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and Lightnin' Hopkins. I recognized their voices, and they refered to each other by name. ("take it now Brownie", etc.).

I was sure there was a fourth voice (bass or) guitar in there. They didn't refer to any other name. The casette has no documentation.

I recently found the piece on another CD called "Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee" on the European TKO label. This has little documentation either; but it does list four names--Terry, McGhee, Hopkins, Williams.

So there is a fourth called Williams. Does anyone know who that would be?

Murray

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10 Feb 99 - 05:29 AM (#57953)
Subject: RE: Sonny, Brownie, Lightnin, and ??
From: dwditty

Perhaps Big Joe?

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10 Feb 99 - 10:06 AM (#57977)
Subject: RE: Sonny, Brownie, Lightnin, and ??
From:

Definately. He was also listed on Hopkins Everest album Called Lightnin Hopkins. First purchase I made was 33c cutout Lightnin Hopkins albums which I got at Kmart as a sniveling teen. Got me hooked on the blues... Brad http://www.camasnet.com/~asondahl/bradindex.html

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10 Feb 99 - 06:11 PM (#58035)
Subject: RE: Sonny, Brownie, Lightnin, and ??
From: Art Thieme

DEFINITELY, it was Big Joe Williams & his 9-string guitar. (Used to tag after Joe in Chicago when young. That's where I got the idea to convert my Martin D-76 to a 9-string instrument.)

There were several LPs with these four just jamming and improvising & swapping zipper verses from various songs that fit (more or less) a given song title or topic---things like: "Penitentiary Blues", "Drinking Blues", "Road Blues" etc. One great one was about how they were gonna steal each others women. Got kind of testy--and then mellowed out. One LP was on United Artist. Another was a cheaper label/ ($1.98)

Art Thiene

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11 Feb 99 - 05:23 AM (#58131)
Subject: RE: Sonny, Brownie, Lightnin, and ??
From: [e-mail]

Thanks Art, Dwitty, and Brad. Big Joe is the only Williams I know and I could kick myself for not thinking of him. I like his playing on that 9-stringer and I will have to listen to the album again to see why I didn't recognize his voice.

Murray

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