Blind Willie McTell (Born William McTier)
May 5, 1898 (or 1901 or 1903) – August 19, 1959
Blind Willie McTell was an influential blues singer and guitarist during the ’20s and 30s. He played a form of blues that found an audience right between country and urban, or Piedmont blues. McTell began his career by busking during the mid ’20s which lead to his being signed by RCA Victor in 1927. During a career in which he recorded nearly 150 songs, McTell played on the road extensively and recorded for several labels, oftentimes using different names like Blind Sammie, Hot Shot Willie, or Willie Glaze. By the late ’40s, McTell was suffering from diabetes and alcoholism and therefore not able to earn much of a living. In 1956, he was found playing for quarters on the streets of Atlanta by a local record retailer who invited him into his shop to play into a tape recorder. Those recordings were eventually released as his final recordings. Blind Willie McTell died of a stroke on August 19, 1959.
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