Big Bill Broonzy | Artist

Big Bill Broonzy aka Lee Conley Bradley was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist born 1893 in Lake Dick, Arkansas. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country music to mostly black audiences. In the 1930s and 1940s, he navigated a change in style to a more urban blues sound popular with working-class black audiences. In the 1950s, a return to his traditional folk-blues roots made him one of the leading figures of the emerging American folk music revival and an international star. His long and varied career marks him as one of the key figures in the development of blues music in the 20th century. He began playing music at an early age, making a fiddle from a cigar box and learning spirituals and folk songs. He and a friend began performing at church functions and "two-way" picnics where whites and blacks danced at the same event, but on different stages. By the time he was 17 Broonzy was married and working as a sharecropper and part-time preacher. In 1920, he moved north to Chicago in search of work. He learned to play the guitar from the veteran minstrel and medicine show performer Papa Charlie Jackson, who helped Broonzy get a recording audition. His first record, "House Rent Stomp" b/w "Big Bill Blues", credited to Big Bill and Thomps (Paramount 12656), was released in 1927. While still doing odd jobs to provide an income, Broonzy's reputation as a musician grew. In 1938 he was asked to fill in for the recently deceased Robert Johnson at the "From Spirituals to Swing" concert at Carnegie Hall, produced by John H. Hammond. His success led to a small role in Swingin' the Dream, Gilbert Seldes's jazz adaptation of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, set in New Orleans and featuring, among others, Louis Armstrong as Bottom. Broonzy expanded his work during the 1940s as he honed his songwriting skills, which showed a knack for appealing to more sophisticated city audiences. One of his best-known songs, "Key to the Highway", appeared at this time. Broonzy copyrighted more than 300 songs, including adaptations of traditional folk songs and original blues songs. Broonzy left Chicago in 1950 to work as a janitor at Iowa State, but was invited to tour Europe in 1951 where he was greeted with standing ovations and critical praise wherever he played. The tour marked a turning point in his fortunes, and when he returned to the US he was a featured act with many prominent folk artists, such as Pete Seeger, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. From 1953 on, Broonzy's financial position became more secure, and he was able to live well on his earnings from music. His numerous performances during the 1950s in British folk and jazz clubs bolstered the nascent British folk revival and early blues scene. Many British musicians such as Bert Jansch, cited him as an important influence. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, also cited Broonzy as an important early influence. By 1958, Broonzy was suffering from throat cancer died in an ambulance from cancer as he was being rushed to Billings Hospital from his home, on August 15th. Between 1927-42, Broonzy recorded 224 songs, which makes him the second most prolific blues recording artist during that period. By the time Billboard magazine instituted its "race music" charts in October 1942, Broonzy's recordings were less popular, and none appeared in the charts. Recommended albums include Big Bill Blues (1955), The Bill Broonzy Story (1961), Big Bill Broonzy and Washboard Sam (1962), and The Blues (1965). Broonzy also appears on Martin Scorcese's ecxcellent Presents the Blues (2003) series, as well as many other compilations.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Big_Bill_Broonzy

Featured Albums: Big Bill Broonzy

Related Artists: Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Washboard Sam