This week is a bit of a foray into some old time blues… I mean real deal blues here.
His playing brings the terms foot stompin’, fingerpickin’, and blues mojo to a whole new level. Listening to him sing makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Big Bill Broonzy gets the nod for what I am listening to this week. In particular his album, Big Bill Broonzy Sings Folk Songs. The opening track on this album, “Backwater Blues” is what is tugging at my ears…
Big Bill has a huge powerful voice, plays a sparse yet purposeful guitar, and his music contains so much mojo it almost comes out of the grooves on the record.
Speaking of mojo, at one point in time I had a chance to play Big Bill’s (1946?) Martin 000-28 when I worked in Chicago. Talk about a religious experience… the tone, the smell, the thoughts of what that guitar had been through, a serious #guitargeek moment that connects me even more to this album.
To dig further into Big Bill’s music check out some of the links below.
Big Bill Broonzy Links
- Learn More About Big Bill Broonzy
- Big Bill Broonzy Sings Folk Songs (Album)
- I Love My Whiskey (Album)
- Do That Guitar Rag 1928-1935 (Album)
