Blind Willie McTell

**Blind Willie McTell** (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a Piedmont blues and ragtime singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont blues. Unlike his contemporaries, he came to use twelve-string guitars exclusively. McTell was also an adept slide guitarist, unusual among ragtime bluesmen. His vocal style, a smooth and often laid-back tenor, differed greatly from many of the harsher voices of Delta bluesmen such as Charley Patton. McTell performed in various musical styles, including blues, ragtime, religious music and hokum.

He was born William Samuel McTier in Thomson, Georgia. Most sources give the date of his birth as 1898, but researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc suggest 1903, on the basis of his entry in the 1910 census. McTell was born blind in one eye and lost his remaining vision by late childhood. He attended schools for the blind in Georgia, New York and Michigan and showed proficiency in music from an early age, first playing the harmonica and accordion, learning to read and write music in Braille, and turning to the six-string guitar in his early teens. His family background was rich in music; both of his parents and an uncle played the guitar. He was related to the bluesman and gospel pioneer Thomas A. Dorsey. McTell's father left the family when Willie was young. After his mother died, in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became an itinerant musician, or "songster". He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records in Atlanta

## Links to Kershaw

Andy Kershaw often played material from the musician on his shows and in 2000, retraced the route of Chuck Berry's song Promised Land, for the BBC Radio 4 documentary, The Promised Land, where he also found Blind Willie McTell's grave under his real name, William McTier.

## Shows Played

   1985
* 20 July 1985: Ticket Agent Blues

1986
* 03 April 1986: Lay Some Flowers On My Grave
* 04 November 1986 (John Peel): Kill It Kid (v/a LP - Maple Leaf Rag: Ragtime In Rural America) New World

1991
* 06 October 1991: Stomp Down Rider (album - The Early Years (1927-1933)) Yazoo

1993
* 23 January 1993: Atlanta Strut (album - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order: Volume 1 (18 October 1927 To 23 October 1931)) Document
* 20 November 1993: Broke Down Engine Blues (CD - The Early Years 1927-1933) Yazoo

1994
* 01 October 1994: Lord Send Me An Angel (2CD compilation - The Definitive Blind Willie McTell) Columbia
* 08 October 1994: Travelin' Blues (2xCD - The Story Of The Blues) Columbia

1996
* 10 November 1996: Atlanta Strut (v/a CD - The Roots Of Rap (Classic Recordings From The 1920's And 30's)) Yazoo

2000
* 23 March 2000: The Dyin' Crapshooter's Blues (LP - The Last Session) Prestige Bluesville

2002
* 01 November 2002: Atlanta Strut (CD - The Definitive Blind Willie McTell) Katfish

2003
* 03 January 2003: Warm It Up To Me (3xCD - The Definitive Blind Willie McTell 1927-1935) Catfish
* 11 July 2003: Praise God I'm Satisfied

2004
* 18 April 2004: Dying Crapshooters Blues

2005
* 16 January 2005: Searching the Desert For The Blues (v/a CD - Country Blues Hard Hitters Volume One) Pigmeat

2022
* Andy Kershaw Podcast Episode 11: Kill It Kid (album - Last Session) Prestige Bluesville

## External Links

* Wikipedia
* Discogs