Happy Birthday to the late great Alex Miller December 5, 1912] – May 25, 1965) known professionally as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and creative songwriting skills. He recorded successfully in the 1950s and 1960s, and had a direct influence on later blues and rock performers. In the early 1960s he toured Europe several times during the height of the British blues craze backed on a number of occasions by The Authentics (see American Folk Blues Festival), recording with The Yardbirds (see album: Sonny Boy Williamson and The Yardbirds) and The Animals, and appearing on several TV broadcasts throughout Europe. During this time Sonny was quoted as saying of the backing bands who accompanied him, those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do. According to the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods, while in England Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator. The book also maintains that future Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant purloined one of the bluesmans harmonicas at one of these shows as well. Robert Palmers Deep Blues mentions that during this tour he allegedly stabbed a man during a street fight and left the country abruptly.Some of his better known songs include Dont Start Me To Talkin (his only major hit, it reached the #3 position on the national Billboard R&B charts in 1955),Fattenin Frogs for Snakes, Keep It To Yourself, Your Funeral and My Trial, Bye Bye Bird, Nine Below Zero, Help Me, Checkin Up on My Baby, and the infamous Little Village, with dialogue unsuitable for airplay with Leonard Chess. His song Eyesight to the Blind was performed by The Who as a key song in their rock opera Tommy (the only song in that opus not written by a band member) and it was later covered on the Aerosmith album Honkin on Bobo.[15] His One Way Out, reworked from Elmore James and recorded twice in the early 1960s, became popularized by The Allman Brothers Band in the early 1970s. In interviews in The Last Waltz, roots-rockers The Band recount jamming with Miller prior to their initial fame as Bob Dylans electric backing band, and making never-realized plans to become his backing band. Many of his most famous recordings appeared on The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson and His Best. thanks Mike =)
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 02:29:52 +0000