I love SBWI's stuff - there's a cool clatter and energy about his playing from the tongue blocking and chords (and Nat Riddles can definitely do this too). Playing along with it, you realise how difficult it is: there's a lot of variation in tone from hand technique, a lot of what sound like easy bends (but aren't) and a lot of double-stops. Also, his rhythms seem far more complicated and difficult to match than they sound.
I suppose that picture of Sonny Boy 2 in the yard with the silvertone amp is probably the world's greatest....how many have ever noticed on the drum head that "entertainers" is spelled "enterainers"? I know, I know, I'm a pain in the ass.....but I'm an old newspaper proof reader. I have chuckled at that picture for years. As James Harman said...."I love the ignorance of it all". That's not Sonny Boy 2 (Rice Miller) on these tunes though.
Last Edited by on Nov 13, 2010 4:13 PM
yeah its good...i have a SBW1 record with pictures of SBW2 all over the cover. i notice theres a trend to call SBW2 Rice Miller more often these days.
SBW1's playing is certainly distinctive. Rick Estrin makes a fair job of the style on 'You dont love me that way' (Little Charlie and the Nightcats - Shadow of the Blues)
The songs performed in first two videos are done by Sonny Boy Williamson I. He was a bad ass player and hugely influential prior to the arrival of Little Walter. When I lived in Chicago, there were a lot of artists (harp players and non-harp players) covering Sonny Boy's tunes. He, Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red and Memphis Slim were highly influential on the artists that shaped the post war Chicago Blues sound.
Junior Wells covered a number of Sonny Boy I tunes during the course of his career.
nat riddles does a great job doing that same sound effect the SB1 does that BRRRRRRR! sound I am glad I have learned about nat I thank adam for that-he was a stellar player
John Lee Williamson is one of my favourites. Rice Miller went on to become, perhaps, an even greater player, but it's interesting to listen for certain licks and even lyric phases that he obviously took from the original Sonny Boy. I think that Nat did a great job with the song too. Thanks H2H for posting those. ----------
