Topic: How do you pronounce...

[Marco]

Hello!

Maybe is a stupid question but some of us ARE NOT from USA (or from U.K., Australia, New Zeland...) and the pronounce of names and/or typical words used on Blues lyrics could be wrong.

I'm from Italy and I'd like to know HOW do you pronounce the name "GEESHIE WILEY" (or "GEECHIE WILEY).

For ex. is it:
G = "sweet" like Georgia
EE = like Italy
SH = like SHort
IE = like Iowa

W = like West
I = like Iowa
LEY = like "lee"

Is it right or wrong?

I know, is a little bit hard to answer but I think it could be an interesting topic.
Maybe some you pronounce the same name in different ways!!!

Many thanks for your answers!!!

Marco.

[Parlor Picker]

Ciao Marco,

The G is hard (as if it had an H after it in Italian - like 'spaghetti').
Otherwise you seem to have it OK.  The vowel sounds are all long, except the end of the surname which is a short "I" sound (like the Y at the end of 'country').

As you say it is hard to explain (and I'm a professional linguist).

Maybe some smart Weenie will upload an MP3 file for you, then you can hear the name spoken.  I don't have the equipment or know-how.

It is nice to have some people on the forum who do not have English as their mother tongue.

Michael

[waxwing]

I believe you can hear Elvie Thomas pronounce it Ghee'chee at the beginning of Picked Poor Robin Clean, which I'm sure is on the Juke.

All for now.
John C.

[Marco]

Many thanks!

Now I can speak about Geeshie Wiley without this problem!

Marco.

[Slack]

I think it is the former -- I know a Maceo -- and that is how he pronounces his name.

[Bunker Hill]

In my head I can hear a post war recording in which Tampa and Maceo swap a "line of jive" during an instrumental and am fairly sure TR addresses him as (phonetically) May-cee and May-cee-o. Texas Stomp? Detroit Jump? Will need to resfresh the little grey cells on this...

[dj]

James Brown always pronounced Maceo parker's name MAY-see-oh, accent on the first syllable.