“…And I can tell you one thing/Nobody can sing the blues/Like Blind Willie McTell”– Bob Dylan, Blind Willie McTell
Like many of his fellow Piedmont Blues legends, Blind Willie McTell was an enigmatic character to whom fame and notoriety were elusive in his lifetime. McTell is now considered one of the great bluesmen of the 1920s and 1930s but that recognition was a long time coming. He had many fans among serious musicians but was largely unknown to the general public until covers of his song “Statesboro Blues” by Taj Mahal and the Allman Brothers Band brought new attention to his life and work.
His headstone, placed in tribute by author David Fulmer in 1992, records his birthdate as 1901, but further scholarship suggests he was actually born in 1898. Additionally, some sources list his birth name as William, but the memorial stone in Jones Grove Baptist Church Cemetery identifies him as Willie.
Born Willie Samuel McTier in Thomson on 5 May 1898 to Minnie McTier, he was blind at birth. The family moved to Statesboro when Willie was about six years old and Minnie taught him to play the guitar. When Minnie died, Willie left Statesboro and performed at carnivals and shows, including the John Roberts Plantation Show. The patronage of Brooke Simmons and Dr. A. J. Kennedy of Statesboro allowed him to attend schools for the blind in Georgia and New York. I believe he was around 17 or 18 at the time.
One source states an error by a clerk at one of the blind schools was the reason his name was changed to McTell; his widow, Ruthy Kate McTell Seabrooks (m. 1934), told an interviewer in 1977, however, that someone in his father’s family changed the name due to their involvement in the moonshine business. Mythology is built in to the biographies of blues legends, so the whole story may never be known. Willie worked at different times over the years, with other bluesmen, including Covington native Curley Weaver and Jewell native Buddy Moss. He traveled extensively but said he always considered Statesboro his home.
He made his first recordings for Victor in Atlanta in 1927. He never had a hit record in his lifetime, but had a relatively prolific output, thanks to his ability to cover many genres of music, and his use of multiple pseudonyms with each genre. His most successful tune was perhaps “Come On Around to My House Mama”, recorded as Blind Sammie for Columbia in 1929. He recorded as “Barrelhouse Sammy” for Atlantic, “Blind Sammie” for Columbia, “Blind Willie” for Vocalion, “Georgia Bill” for OKeh, “Pig n’ Whistle Red” for Regal, and “Red Hot Willie Glaze” for Bluebird. He was also recorded by John and Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress. Since he reaped no financial windfall from his recordings, he spent much time playing for tips in busy areas of larger cities, especially Atlanta. Diabetes and a penchant for alcohol caused his health to decline by the 1950s.
According to Kate, he quit playing the blues altogether around 1957 and became a preacher. He played spiritual and gospel music for the remainder of his life. On 19 August 1959, he died of a stroke at the Milledgeville State Hospital.
Blind Willie McTell remains an enduring Georgia legend. Thomson holds the Blind Willie Music Festival every year and Statesboro has a Blind Willie McTell Trail. I think he’d be happy with all the recognition.
