Big Bill Broonzy
On this date, we celebrate the birth of Big Bill Broonzy, a Black blues singer and guitarist, in 1893.
William Lee Conley Broonzy was born in Scott, MS, but grew up in Arkansas. He served in the army from 1918 to 1919 and moved to Chicago a year later; in 1926, he made his recording debut as a guitar sideman to some black blues singers.
Later, he became a singer, making his New York City concert debut at Carnegie Hall in 1938. By 1940, Broonzy was recognized as one of the best-selling blues recording artists. In 1951, he toured Europe, becoming popular across that continent. Many students of the blues have found his work almost as fascinating for its sociological as for its strictly musical content.
His mother, born a slave, died at 102, having survived to see her son become a world-famous musical figure. His autobiography, “Big Bill Blues,” appeared in 1955. Broonzy embodied a tradition of itinerant folk blues. At the height of his popularity in 1957, a lung operation reduced his vocal effectiveness. Bill Broonzy died of cancer in Chicago, Illinois, on August 14, 1958.
Nothing But the Blues: The Music and the Musicians
Edited by Lawrence Cohn
Copyright 1993 Abbeville Publishing Group, New York
ISBN 1-55859-271-7
