According to most accounts Blind Willie McTell was born in 1901, in Thomson, GA. He attended schools for the blind, locally and in New York. He read Braille and may have had some musical education. In the '20s he took up 12-string guitar. Others used it just for resonant strumming, but McTell had a complex picking technique. His first recordings were in 1927 for a Victor field trip. Most notable is Mama 'Taint Long Fo' Day, featuring superb slide work. The session yielded two releases. Neither was a hit but Victor recorded four more McTell sides when they returned to Atlanta a year later. Blind Willie's most famous song, Statesboro Blues, was recorded for Victor in 1928. His playing is masterly - his keening voice perfect for the material. Perhaps this is why the hitless McTell recorded so regularly. Willie also recorded for Columbia - as 'Blind Sammie'. Many bluesmen did this - but few so distinctively. Either Victor didn't recognize their artist or ignored any similarities. Would Victor willingly have missed Atlanta Strut, with its imitations of bass, cornet, mandolin and trombone' Blind Willie, Blind Sammie and - another alias - Georgia Bill on OKeh continued to record into the early 1930s. As the decade wore on, Willie returned to 'scuffling' for tips. In 1940 john and Ruby Lomax visited Atlanta. Willie, popular in town, was easily found. The Lomaxes recorded him talking and singing for two hours. Notable is Dying Crapshooters Blues - closely related to The Streets Of Laredo. The heartfelt gambling references suggest Willie himself suffered betting losses. The monologues give insights into a society long gone. He cut three more postwar sessions but by then he performed only religious material under his own name. The Blues were billed as by 'Barrelhouse Sammy.' In the 1950s, Blind Willie was still singing and playing around Atlanta. He died in 1959. Accounts of his later years vary. In one version he was the pastor of a local church.
K**T
A good starter
This is great, but it's still not all the McTell you need. To really have everything, you'll need his later recordings, titled 'Atlanta Twelve-String,' 'Pig'n'Whistie Red' and 'Last Session.' Of these three, the last one is for completists only, but the first two are not only stunning, but stunning in more modern sound quality. His voice had matured and lowered quite a bit before these more modern recordings were made, but (except for the last session where he was not only aging but drunk as well) it sounds very strong and vibrant.The JSP box here, on the other hand, focuses on his early sides and the field recordings for Lomax. Unless you own these cuts on other CDs, this is really worth getting.However, it is NOT delta blues as some reviewers like to say. Blind Willie was not from the delta and does not play in the delta style.
F**L
Hall of Fame
Blind Willie is in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and with the shortage of photos and information on him this is as good as the museum could produce. Not every song is great sound and a total classic, but you never go long on any of the four discs before you get to the gem that is a classic. There is a collection of singers and pickers in here, some are unknown, and they add to his unique ability to sing soulfully while he strums a mighty twelve string.
C**D
A great collection of the foundation of ragtime guitar
Landmark material well engineered.
T**3
A great addition for a collector or simple lover of early american music.
This is an excellent collection! Willie McTell was cream of the crop when it comes to taste and talent. I find his music to be among the best of the "old blues guys". Being able to get this much great music at once is a blessing all lovers of blues & spirituals should jump on while it's around.
A**P
Mr Mac Tells got the blues!!!!!!
This is absolutely the definitive, and best sounding collection of BWMs best years. Indispensable. Buy it.
L**.
Five Stars
More great old time Root music for my collection.Lee
E**R
Not Definitive, But An Excellent Start!
Blind Willie McTell was one of the all-time greatest blues guitarists and singers of his or any other era: He is definitely one of my favorites, and this CD compilation is highly recommended. One of the reviewers mentioned that this is not the definitive Blind Willie McTell CD, and I would have to agree. I would also recommend two other CD's by Blind Willie McTell: "Atlanta Twelve-String," and "Pig'n'Whistle Red." As I am writing this review I am listening to his music, and it is a pure joy to the ears. My era of blues is mainly from the 1920's to the the late 1940's. And Blind Willie McTell fits right in there with the greats of his era. I never tire of his music.This CD, "The Classic Years 1927-1940" is just magnificent. This CD is partly a focus of McTell's early years when he recorded for Lomax. And although McTell was not a 'Delta Blues' performer, he was a bridge between the Delta Blues and the more refined East Coast sound: Hence the title given by many as 'East Coast Piedmont Style. The CD itself consists of 4 discs, which were digitally remastered. McTell's 12-string guitar sounds just magnificent on the CDs. And as some reviewers have written; it almost sounds as if two or more guitarist's are playing; but there are not; at least not on the early sides. That's how great he was!You cannot beat the number of songs or the price of this JSP issued DVD. Considering the time period that these recordings were done, and the sound equipment that was used by Lomax, there is some surface noise on the Lomax sides. Not much though. And unless we have a time machine, there is really little technology can do about this. But this does not detract from the beautiful sounds of Blind Willie McTell. I would list some of his songs played on these four Discs; however, there is a listening sample here on amazon; and although it is not as good as your own system or speakers, it does give you ALL the tracks listed with a music sample. The man was just great: and this is a great McTell collection. If you do not have Blind Willie McTell in your Blues collection, then it is not a complete Blues collection. This CD is highly recommended.
A**R
Classic
Years ago I traveled across the U.S. at times living out of my car or hitch hiking. I started a gas station tape collection as I called it. This was before the ease of the internet and cheap compact discs. They always had random blues collections on tape etc. on the counters of gas stations for cheap. I found some tapes some where forgotten that had classic blues tracks from the 20"s-30's with a smattering of 40's and 50's. I have since lost those tapes in my many moves before settling down but I never forgot their sound and feel. I had purchased some Memphis Minnie, Big bill Broonzy, and other but had neglected to pick up Blind Willie McTell. He has such a great sound it is amazing he never found the popularity of the others of his time. These tracks are nostalgic of a time past in not only Willie's history but my own. The sound is still vital, guitar is excellent, and the vocals clear. JSP puts out great stuff and the remastering is superb especially when you consider the probable condition of what they had to work with. There are nice liner notes and listings of tracks with known personnel and locations. If you like the blues or just a slice of music history I recommend this collection. Great stuff.
M**N
An Excellent 4 CD Set Of Blind Willie McTell
This is an excellent collection of Blind Willie McTell recordings containing all of McTell's surviving recordings from 1927 to the 1940 John Lomax recordings in Atlanta for the Library of Congress.The remastered sound is very good.Blind Willie McTell was one of the great early 20th century blues players. This 4CD set is a cost effective way to get all his classic recordings with good remastered sound.
P**T
Quality copies of most of the old 78s recorded by Blind Willie McTell
This is a great compilation of Mc'Tell's early works. Some tracks sound a bit thin to my liking so I re-equalized them on Garage Band, generally to accentuate the base and smooth out the upper mid-range. Its amazing what detail is still lurking in these old recordings.
M**S
"How ye wanna go Jessie"?
There are far too many fine moments on this collection to go into so here are just a few thoughts.McTell never really had any big hits in his life time, but was able, due to his charisma, motivation and quality to make many recordings. Much of his output is here in this collection, split up into convenient disks, each of which covers a particular period in time.Completely blind by his mid teens, Blind Willy taught himself to play a picking/strumming technique on 12 string guitar. In fact, it is my understanding that all his recordings are on 12 string. Acompanying his playing is a voice that is melodic and clear. At times, he combines his voice with his playing in a way that is sublime in the truest sense. At other times, his playing takes centre stage and I don't think it is over the top to suggest that this man achieved levels of ability with the guitar that will take your breath away. He covers various styles from blues to ragtime and folk to religious songs. In fact for me, it's this variety in his music that makes him so appealing to me.Among the many highlights in this collection include Searching the Desert for the Blues, a beautifully sung and played piece that will convince you there are 2 guitar players here, the playing is that good. In fact this occures time and again throughout this collection (it should be noted that guitar player Curley Weaver features heavily on disk 2 and about half the tracks on disk 3,so there really are 2 players at times). Disk 4 is a compelling window into 40's America were Willy is interviewed by John Lomax, a folk music archivist. Here he plays some of his best (in my opinion)and vibrant music for Lomax. Dying Crap Shooters Blues is for me one his finest moments, the interaction of voice and guitar is achingly good and his lyrical content to me seems years ahead of his time, the line " I want 9 men going to the graveyard, but only 8 men coming back", in context with the song is inspired. On "I got to cross the river Jordan" he gets to show off his slide technique to great effect and on "Kill-it-Kid Rag" he lightens the mood with a joyfull ragtime number which is played with impressive speed and precision, much to the amusement of the Lomax's. Disk 4 also includes various comments and interviews that give insight into the times and the man.In conclusion it's easy to see why the White Stripes loved his style and used it as inpiration for so much of their sound. Blind Willy Mctell for me doesn't have nearly a high enough profile. Maybe it's because he sadly died before the blues revival in the late 50's and 60's.
R**Y
One stop Piedmnont blues shop.
Get all of Blind Willie McTell's important recordings from the late Twenties to his Library of Congress recordings of 1940. McTell played blues and rags on a twelve string guitar in the Piedmont style. This four CD collection is a must for early blues fans.
D**R
Blind Willlie McTell
Chronological order is helpful - you can hear how McTell develops. But even at the beginning, quite apart from his achievement in learning to play at all, you can hear how he works his instrument as a natural entertainer, and also takes full advantage of folk song's capacity to convey a complex story in concise form.
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