Willie Brown - Future Blues

Willie Brown (August 6, 1900 December 30, 1952) was an American delta blues guitarist and singer. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Brown played with such notables as Charley Patton, and Robert Johnson. He was not known to be a self-promoting frontman, preferring to "second" other musicians. Little is known for certain of the man whom Robert Johnson called "my friend-boy, Willie Brown" (in his prophetic "Cross Road Blues") and whom Johnson indicated should be notified in event of his death. Brown is heard with Patton on the Paramount sessions of 1930, playing "M & O Blues," and "Future Blues." Apart from playing with Son House and Charlie Patton it has also been said that he played with artists such as Luke Thomson and Thomas "Clubfoot" Coles. At least four other songs he recorded for Paramount have never been found. "Rowdy Blues", a 1929 song credited to Kid Bailey, is disputed to have Brown on backup, or Brown himself using the name of Kid Bailey. Both "M & O Blues" and "Future Blues" appear on the album Son House & The Great Delta Blues Singers (1994), recorded between 1928 and 1930, on the Document Records label. They also appear on JSP's Charlie Patton box set. David Evans has reconstructed the early biography of a Willie Brown living in Drew, Mississippi, until 1929. He was married by 1911 to a proficient guitarist named Josie Mills. He is recalled as singing and playing guitar with Charley Patton and others in the neighbourhood of Drew. Informants with conflicting memories led Gayle Dean Wardlow and Steve Calt to conclude that this was a different Willie Brown. Evans rejects this, believing that the singing and guitar style of the 1931 recordings is clearly in the tradition of other performers from Drew such as Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, Kid Bailey, Howling Wolf and artists recorded non-commercially. Alan Lomax added further confusion in 1993, suggesting that the William Brown he recorded in Arkansas in 1942 was the same man as the Paramount artist.[5] The recording was for a joint project between Fisk University and the Library of Congress documenting the music of Coahoma County, Mississippi in 1941 and 1942. Writing over fifty years later, Lomax forgot that he had actually recorded Willie the previous summer with Son House, Fiddlin' Joe Martin and Leroy Williams. Brown played second guitar on three performances by the whole band, and recorded one solo, "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor". The later biography is clear. Willie Brown, the Paramount artist, lived in Robinsonville, Mississippi from 1929 and moved to Lake Cormorant, Mississippi by 1935. He performed occasionally with Charley Patton, and continually with Son House until his death. After this, House ceased performing until his "rediscovery" in 1964. Brown died in Tunica, Mississippi in 1952 at the age of 52.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Blues
• Willie Brown
• Future Blues

[MyMoppet52]

Thank you for your commentary and info. That is really helpful & appreciated. I love this bluesman's voice and playing. At the risk of having hordes of people sending me hate emails and horrible comments, I personally like Willie Brown, Skip James, and Charley Patton's music better than Robert Johnson's. Their voices are much more to my taste and their playing style is excellent also. I know he is considered the very best, but they all played around the same time and all were great!!! Thanks.

[bobbyelvis12]

I Love The Blues !!!

THIS IS GREAT !!!

[withaheadfullofdoubt]

I hate to sound to stupid, but i had no idea langhorne slims version was a cover!

[TheonlyMRAIR]

The blues is delta blues,that's all.

[inadaptado88]

i thought he was an armonica player!

[Morthund]

what with state of sh1t the whole damn world got the future blues

[voodoochild53]

@luvthatzeppelin tell me about it, I saw yesterday a guy on youtube who found a new pic of charley patton, taken on 1925 and it is awesome, what info you got??? send me an invoice.....

[luvthatzeppelin]

Wonderful song! Thanks for uploading.

The details for Willie Brown are about to change.

I recently discovered more accurate info on him.

You will hear about it very soon.....

[expoonation]

Must a far away future...

[shannonandsheila1]

stop er low dawn wayz

[voodoochild53]

@advancedAARdvark It may be The Jinx blues by son house

[advancedAARdvark]

hey all.. does any one out there know the name of an old blues song that sounds just like this? i believe its called eastern time blues or something to that effect but i honestly have no idea.. i know it was included on a blues compilation at one point and the version i heard was live... i dont know ha.. if any one has any i dea let me know please! thank you