His birth date may have been in doubt (he claimed he was born as early
as 1905), but the slashing slide guitar skills of Homesick James
Williamson were never in question. Many of his most satisfying
recordings placed him in solo settings, where his timing eccentricities
didn't disrupt the proceedings (though he made some fine band-backed
waxings as well).
Williamson was playing guitar at age ten and soon ran away from
his Tennessee home to play at fish fries and dances. His travels took
the guitarist through Mississippi and North Carolina during the 1920s,
where he crossed paths with Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Blind Boy
Fuller, and Big Joe Williams.
Settling in Chicago during the 1930s, Williamson played local
clubs and recorded for RCA Victor in 1937. The miles and gigs had added
up before Williamson made some of his finest sides in 1952-1953 for Art
Sheridan's Chance Records (including the classic "Homesick" that gave
him his enduring stage name).
James also worked extensively as a sideman, backing harp great
Sonny Boy Williamson in 1945 at a Chicago gin joint called The Purple
Cat and during the 1950s with his cousin, slide master Elmore James (to
whom Homesick was stylistically indebted). He also recorded with James
during the 1950s. Homesick's own output included crashing 45s for Colt
and USA in 1962, a fine 1964 album for Prestige, and four tracks on a
Vanguard anthology in 1965.
Williamson recorded into the 1990s, issuing albums on Appaloosa
and Earwig, and continued touring and making festival appearances well
into the 2000s. Williamson's last public appearance was at a British
blues festival in July of 2006; he died on December 13 of that year.
Throughout his life -- and even when he was in his nineties -- there was
nothing over-the-hill about the blues of Homesick James Williamson.
One of the hundreds of repro's that are flooding the market and giving us all a chance ( pun not intended) to fill our jukeboxes with top class music at affordable prices.
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