Willie "Big Eyes" Smith
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith | |
|---|---|
Smith at the 2008 Master Musicians Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Willie Lee Smith[1] January 19, 1936 Helena, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 2011 (aged 75) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Blues |
| Occupations | Singer, musician, bandleader, composer |
| Instruments | Harmonica, drums |
| Years active | 1954–2011 |
| Labels | Rounder, Hightone, Electro-Fi, Telarc, Big Eyes |
| Website | williebigeyessmith |
Willie Lee "Big Eyes" Smith (January 19, 1936 – September 16, 2011)[2] was an American electric blues vocalist, harmonica player, and drummer.[3] He was best known for several stints with the Muddy Waters band beginning in the early 1960s.
Biography
Born in Helena, Arkansas, Smith learned to play harp at age 17 after moving to Chicago, Illinois. He became a musician during the 1950s. In 1955, Smith joined Bo Diddley with "Diddy Wah Diddy" for the Checker label as a harmonicaist.[4][5] He starting playing with Muddy Waters after becoming a drummer.[4] He was a part of Muddy Waters Sings Big Bill Broonzy.[4][6]
In 1961, Smith became a regular member of Muddy Waters' band. He remained a permanent member until 1980 apart from a break during the 1960s.[4] All of Muddy's Grammy Award winning albums (Hard Again, I'm Ready, They Call Me Muddy Waters, Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live, The London Muddy Waters Session, and The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album were released between 1971 and 1979 during Smith's tenure with the band.[7])
The Legendary Blues Band was co-founded by Smith during 1980.[8] Smith had recorded with Eric Clapton in the 1964 Otis Spann recording of "Pretty Girls Everywhere".[9]
Smith's 2008 album Born in Arkansas utilized bassman Bob Stroger, pianist Barrelhouse Chuck, guitarist Billy Flynn, guitarist Little Frank Krakowski (who has worked with Smith for years) and his son and drummer, Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith. In June 2010, Smith released Joined at the Hip with Pinetop Perkins. Joining these two in the studio were Stroger, and his son Kenny Smith on drums. John Primer, who was another Muddy Waters band alumnus, joined on lead guitar along with Frank Krakowski.
On February 13, 2011, Smith won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album for Joined at the Hip, an album he recorded with Pinetop Perkins. He remained active in his final year of life, encouraging Liz Mandeville to start her own record label (Blue Kitty Music) and he was featured on two tracks of her album, Clarksdale that was released in 2012.[10][11]
Death
Smith died in Chicago following a stroke on September 16, 2011.[2]
The Blues Foundation Awards
| Blues Music Awards[12] | ||||
| Year | Category | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Traditional Blues Album of the Year - Joined at the Hip (with Pinetop Perkins) | Winner | ||
| 2009 | Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 2008 | Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 2007 | Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 2006 | Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 2005 | Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 2004 | Blues Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 2003 | Blues Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 2002 | Blues Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 1999 | Blues Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 1998 | Blues Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 1997 | Blues Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
| 1996 | Blues Instrumentalist - Drums | Winner | ||
Selective discography
As bandleader
| 2012 | Live Blues Protected by Smith & Wilson (with Roger "Hurricane" Wilson) | Blues (acoustic) | Blue Storm |
| 2010 | Joined at the Hip (with Pinetop Perkins) | Blues | Telarc |
| 2008 | Born in Arkansas | Blues | Big Eyes Records |
| 2006 | Way Back | Blues | Hightone |
| 2004 | Bluesin' It | Blues | Electro-Fi |
| 2000 | Blues from the Heart | Blues | Juke Joint |
| 1999 | Nothin' but the Blues Y'all | Blues | Juke Joint |
| 1995 | Bag Full of Blues | Blues | Blind Pig |
Legendary Blues Band
| Year | Title | Genre | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Money Talks | Blues | Wild Dog Blues |
| 1992 | Prime Time Blues | Blues | Wild Dog Blues |
| 1991 | U B da Judge | Blues | Ichiban |
| 1990 | Keepin' the Blues Alive | Blues | Ichiban |
| 1989 | Woke Up with the Blues | Blues | Ichiban |
| 1983 | Red Hot 'n' Blue | Blues | Rounder |
| 1981 | Life of Ease | Blues | Rounder |
With other artists
| Year | Title | Artist | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The Blues of Otis Spann | Otis Spann | Decca |
| 1966 | Muddy, Brass & the Blues | Muddy Waters | Chess |
| 1971 | Live at Mr. Kelly's | Muddy Waters | Chess |
| 1973 | Last Night | Carey Bell | BluesWay |
| 1973 | Can't Get No Grindin' | Muddy Waters | Chess |
| 1974 | "Unk" in Funk | Muddy Waters | Chess |
| 1977 | Hard Again | Muddy Waters | Blue Sky |
| 1977 | Nothin' but the Blues | Johnny Winter | Blue Sky |
| 1978 | I'm Ready | Muddy Waters | Blue Sky |
| 1979 | Muddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live | Muddy Waters | Blue Sky |
| 1981 | King Bee | Muddy Waters | Blue Sky |
| 1997 | Born in the Delta | Pinetop Perkins | Telarc |
| 2007 | Breakin' It Up, Breakin' It Down | Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, James Cotton | Epic |
| 2010 | Live! in Chicago | Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band | Roadrunner |
References
- ^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues – A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 163. ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ a b "Willie Big Eyes Smith official homepage". Williebigeyessmith.com. September 16, 2011. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
- ^ Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
- ^ a b c d Komara, Edward M. Encyclopedia of the Blues, Routledge (2006) page 902 – ISBN 0-415-92699-8
- ^ "WangDangDula.com". Koti.mbnet.fi. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
- ^ Strong, Martin Charles. The Great Rock Discography, Canongate U.S. (2004), page 1637 – ISBN 1-84195-615-5
- ^ [1] Archived January 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hanson, Karen. Today's Chicago Blues, Lake Claremont Press (2007), page 192 – ISBN 1-893121-19-4
- ^ Roberty, Marc, Eric Clapton: The Complete Recording Sessions 1963 – 1995, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1993
- ^ Uchiyama, Elizabeth. "Blue Kitty Music". lizmandeville.com. Word Press. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Vermilyea, John. "Liz Mandeville Clarksdale (USA)". bluesundergroundnetwork.com. The Blues Underground Network. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
- ^ "The Blues Foundation Database". Blues.org. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
External links
- Official website Archived November 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine