What would 10-year-old Willie Smith have said back in 1946 if asked what he wanted to be when he grew up? The Legendary Bluesman would have had the same answer as most any other boy his age in Arkansas: a train conductor, better yet, a freight train conductor. In that Mississippi Delta River town of Helena, Arkansas where he was born, Willie knew only what surrounded him, and to Willie, that meant the farming life. He knew how to “pick cotton, pull cotton, and bail cotton” and he knew that for every hundred pounds he bagged he made $2 in cash. Willie knew how to make sticks and stones into bats and balls. He knew how to ride his prized bicycle, given to him by his adored mother, Lizzie Mae Smith. Willie knew he loved the blue river, the flatlands, and most of all, he knew he loved The Music. Through his RCA Victor Phonograph Gramophone, Willie experienced Robert Johnson, Tampa Red, Leroy Carr and Memphis Minnie, among others. Even now, hearing their songs brings Willie back, as he says, to the days of “jukin’ in smoky, uptown cafes
Check this cd out at http://williebigeyessmith.com
Check this cd out at http://williebigeyessmith.com
