Casey Bill Weldon
Casey Bill Weldon | |
|---|---|
 One of the only known photos of Weldon | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Weldon |
| Born | December 10, 1909 Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States |
| Died | September 28, 1972 (aged 62) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | Country blues[1] |
| Instruments | Vocals, slide guitar |
| Years active | Presumably 1927 – ca.1940 |
| Labels | Vocalion, Bluebird |
William "Casey Bill" Weldon (possibly December 10, 1909 – September 28, 1972) was an American country blues musician.[1]
Some details of Weldon's life are unconfirmed. According to some sources, he was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States, and later lived and worked in Chicago, Illinois.[2] He reportedly made his way to Chicago via Kansas City, which gave rise to his nickname, a version of K.C.[2] He was one of the early musicians who recorded playing slide guitar.[3] He played upbeat, hokum and country blues tunes. Playing a National steel guitar flat on his lap Hawaiian style, he was known as the "Hawaiian Guitar Wizard".[2]
According to some sources, Weldon was married to the singer and guitarist Memphis Minnie in the 1920s,[4] but this is now believed to be a misidentification. Only recently it has been widely accepted that he is not the musician, Will Weldon, who recorded between 1927 and 1928 as a member of the Memphis Jug Band.[5][6]
Weldon cut over 60 sides for Bluebird and Vocalion. He was also an active session guitarist, performing on records by Teddy Darby, Bumble Bee Slim, Peetie Wheatstraw, and Memphis Minnie. On Memphis Minnie's last recording for Bluebird Records, in October 1935, Weldon accompanied her for the first time. He played on two sides, "When the Sun Goes Down, Part 2" and "Hustlin' Woman Blues".[7] He had solo hits with his two best-known songs, "Somebody Done Changed the Lock on That Door"[8] and "We Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town".[2]
According to some sources, after his divorce from Memphis Minnie, he married the blues singer Geeshie Wiley. They disappeared from the public eye soon after, and he had stopped recording by 1938.[2]
He is believed to be the William Weldon who died in Kansas City in 1972.[6]
Style[]
He played a National steel guitar flat on his lap Hawaiian style. His style of playing was influential on the emerging Chicago Blues style.[3]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 373. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Michael Messer's Top Ten Slide Blues Recordings". Blues Matters! July 2003. Michaelmesser.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-07-07. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
- ^ Giles Oakley (1997). The Devil's Music. Da Capo Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-306-80743-5.
- ^ "Casey Bill Weldon Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Wirz, Stefan. "Illustrated Casey Bill Weldon Discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
- ^ Garon, Paul; Garon, Beth (1992). Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie's Blues. New York: Da Capo Press. p. 39. ISBN 0-306-80460-3.
- ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 13. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
External links[]
- Country blues musicians
- American blues guitarists
- American male guitarists
- People from Pine Bluff, Arkansas
- Guitarists from Arkansas
- Vocalion Records artists
- Bluebird Records artists
- African-American guitarists
- 1909 births
- 1970s deaths
- 20th-century American guitarists
- Guitarists from Chicago
- 20th-century American male musicians