First Name |
Blind
|
Middle Name |
Willie
|
Last Name |
McTell
|
Alternative Name |
William Samuel McTear, Blind Sammie, Georgia Bill, Hot Shot Willie, Blind Willie, Barrelhouse Sammy, Pig & Whistle Red, Blind Doogie, Red Hot Willie Glaze, Red Hot Willie, Eddie McTier
|
Birthday |
5th May, 1898
|
Birthplace |
Thomson, Georgia, United States
|
Died |
19th August, 1959
|
Place of Death |
Milledgeville, Georgia, U.S.
|
Buried |
Jones Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Thomson, McDuffie County, Georgia, USA
|
Zodiac Sign |
Taurus
|
Nationality |
American
|
Occupation Text |
Musician, songwriter, songster, accompanist, preacher
|
Occupation |
Composer
|
Music Genre (Text) |
Country blues, Piedmont blues, East Coast blues, Songster, ragtime, Delta blues, gospel
|
Music Genre |
Blues, Piedmont Blues
|
Year(s) Active |
1927–1956, 1910s–1956
|
Music Style |
Acoustic Blues, Country Blues, Pre-War Country Blues, Piedmont Blues, East Coast Blues, Regional Blues, Songster
|
Music Mood |
Earthy, Passionate, Plaintive, Gritty, Rousing, Spiritual, Earnest, Bittersweet, Intimate, Whimsical, Playful, Atmospheric, Austere
|
Instrument |
Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Harmonica, Accordion, Vocals
|
Instrument (text) |
Vocals, guitar, harmonica, accordion, kazoo, violin
|
Record Label |
Victor, Columbia, Okeh, Vocalion, Decca, Library of Congress, Atlantic, Regal, Prestige, Transatlantic
|
Associated Acts |
Curley Weaver, Kate 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.