Ralph Willis (c. 1910 – June 11, 1957) was an American

Piedmont blues Piedmont blues (also known as East Coast, or Southeastern blues) refers primarily to a guitar style, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melo ...

and country blues singer,

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

and songwriter. Some of his

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

records were released under the

pseudonyms A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Washboard Pete, Alabama Slim, and Sleepy Joe. His famous song is "Christmas Blues" (credited to Washboard Pete).

Biography

Sources suggest that Willis was born either near Birmingham, Alabama, or at Irvin, Wilkes County, Georgia. In the late 1930s, he moved to North Carolina and started to play with musicians who were familiar with Blind Boy Fuller. Willis made his first recordings in 1944 and continued recording until 1953, issuing fifty tracks on several labels, including

, Signature,

20th Century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...

, Abbey, Jubilee, Prestige, Par, and King. Like

Gabriel Brown Gabriel Brown (1910–1972) was an American Piedmont blues singer and guitarist. Biography Brown was born in Florida, probably in Gadsden County, and graduated from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1934, he performed at the f ...

Alec Seward Alec Seward (born Alexander T. Seward, March 16, 1901 – May 11, 1972) was an American Piedmont blues and country blues singer, guitarist and songwriter. Some of his records were released under pseudonyms, such as Guitar Slim, Blues Servant ...

and Brownie McGhee, Willis relocated to New York City. At first he was recorded on his own, but eventually his record companies frequently paired him with accompanists. Judson Coleman joined Willis on his 20th Century recordings, and McGhee was employed in 1949. McGhee and

Sonny Terry Saunders Terrell (October 24, 1911 – March 11, 1986), known as Sonny Terry, was an American Piedmont blues and folk musician, who was known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers and oc ...

contributed to Willis's later recordings. Willis played in various musical styles, from slow blues to up-tempo country dance tracks. However, he spurned the growing popularity of folk blues and R&B. He was musically conscious of

Blind Lemon Jefferson Lemon Henry "Blind Lemon" Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929)Some sources indicate Jefferson was born on October 26, 1894. was an American blues and gospel singer-songwriter and musician. He was one of the most popular blues sing ...

and

Luke Jordan Luke Jordan (January 28, 1892 or November 1893 – June 25, 1952) was an American blues guitarist and vocalist of some renown, particularly in the area of his home, in Lynchburg, Virginia. Biography Sources conflict on Jordan's birthplace. Some ...

, but in his later recordings his guitar style leaned towards the booming resonance of Lightnin' Hopkins. Willis died in New York City in June 1957, a week before his 48th birthday. His cause of death was unknown.

Selected discography

Albums

*''Faded Picture Blues'' ( King, 1970) *''Carolina Blues'' (Blues Classics, 1974) *''Ralph Willis Vol. 1 1944–1951'' ( Document, 1994) *''Ralph Willis Vol. 2 1951–1953'' (Document, 1994) *''Hop on Down the Line: The (Almost) Complete Recordings'' (

Jasmine Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely cultiva ...

, 2019)

Singles (selected)

*"Cool That Thing" (1949) *"Shake That Thing" (1949) *"Alabama Blues" (1961) *"More Ralph Willis" (1971) *"Boar Hog Blues" (1971)

References

External links