Topic: Big Joe Williams

[blueshome]

This stuff passed me by over the years, I don't know how.
Universal, who now own Fantasy/Bluesville have reissued Joe's 2 1961 Bluesville albums on one cd which I spotted for ?6 ($10?) on Friday. Money well spent!
This is some of the best stuff of Joe's 2nd career, despite (in fact enhanced by!) the presence of Willie Dixon on bass and an initially faltering young Larry Johnson on harp. 
I'm sure this is no news to those who have had these recordings for years, but it's rekindled my interest in Big Joe to the extent that my Stella Harmony 12-string has become a 9-string a la Joe overnight.

[Bunker Hill]

Whilst that interest is "kindled" keep it going by visiting Stefan's BJW discography

http://www.wirz.de/music/willjfrm.htm

[uncle bud]

What is the title of this double-album CD? Walking Blues?

[Prof Scratchy]

Phil - I may have bored you with this story already....but in about 1971 I saw BJW play in Frankfurt and (being a naive twenty-something -year old at the time) asked him how he tuned his guitar when he de-tuned his 6th string between songs. He grunted impatiently "E"! But the he left the stage for his break and I picked up his guitar to find out that he detuned the bass string to B (in open G tuning) to achieve one of his signature bass runs and to produce that unusual C chord when you then barre at the fifth fret. If you've got your BJW guitar, try it....!

[blueshome]

"Walking Blues"

Later today Prof. I'll let you know how I get on. 
BTW I see the same tuning info is on a note on Herr Wirz's site.

[Prof Scratchy]

...just had a look at Stefan's page - good to get confirmation I didn't imagine the whole thing (my Frankfurt days were a bit hazy, even then)! I think Big Joe must've played Germany a lot in the sixties and seventies (I see somebody's written a book: "Unterwegs mit Big Joe") - I certainly managed to see him two or three times then. Others who regularly toured were Memphis Slim, Robert Pete Williams, Big Mama Thornton, Homesick James, Dr Ross, Muddy Waters, Champion Jack Dupree, Thomas Shaw, Larry Johnson, and many more. Good old Lippman & Rau (the promoters) certainly did their bit to bring decent blues players to Europe.

[Bunker Hill]

(I see somebody's written a book: "Unterwegs mit Big Joe")

It's more of booklet proportions and contained in the box of the 1974 Oldie Blues release. For its time it's still quite a useful reference. There's always Mike Bloomfield's 1982 "Me & Big Joe" publication which is still around and full of anecdotes of he and Big Joe on the road.

[frankie]

I ran across this a little while ago:

Me And Big Joe

[Stefan Wirz]

(I see somebody's written a book: "Unterwegs mit Big Joe")

It's more of booklet proportions and contained in the box of the 1974 Oldie Blues release. For its time it's still quite a useful reference. There's always Mike Bloomfield's 1982 "Me & Big Joe" publication which is still around and full of anecdotes of he and Big Joe on the road.

Bunker Hill, I hate to correct you, but - as far as I know (and I own both of them) - 'Unterwegs mit Big Joe' was a German translation of Michael Blomfields 'Me and Big Joe', while the booklet accompanying the Leo Bruin LP (Oldie Blues OL 2814) was called 'Malvina My Sweet Woman - The Story of Big Joe Williams' (but you are right: On my BJW page the proportions of the pics of those books are far from realistic - I'll embellish them asap) 
Stefan

[uncle bud]

I ran across this a little while ago:

Me And Big Joe

There's a reality check for you...

 

[Bunker Hill]

That?ll teach me to jump in with both feet on a Monday before having my daily wheaties to power that one brain cell which remains!  Duh