Willie Love
Encyclopedia
Willie Love was an American
Delta blues
pianist
. He is best known for his association with, and accompaniment of Sonny Boy Williamson II
.
, Mississippi
, and in 1942, he met Sonny Boy Williamson II
in Greenville, Mississippi
. They played regularly together at juke joint
s throughout the Mississippi Delta
. Love was influenced by the piano playing of Leroy Carr
, and adept at both standard blues and boogie-woogie
styling.
In 1947 Charley Booker
moved to Greenville, where he worked with Love. Two years later, Oliver Sain
also relocated to Greenville to join his stepfather, Love, as the drummer in a band fronted by Williamson. When Williamson recorded for Trumpet Records
in March 1951, Love played the piano on the recordings
. Trumpet's owner, Lillian McMurray, had Love return the following month, and again in July 1951, when Love recorded his best known number, the self-penned, "Everybody's Fishing." Love played piano and sang, while the accompanying guitar come from Elmore James
and Joe Willie Wilkins
. His backing band was known as the Three Aces. A further studio session in December 1951 had Love backed by Little Milton
(guitar), T.J. Green (fiddle), and Junior Blackman (drums). In his teenage
years, Eddie Shaw
played tenor saxophone
with both Milton and Love.
Under his own name, Love did not return to the studio until March 1953, when he cut "Worried Blues" and "Lonesome World Blues." Despite the friendship between them, Love did not utilise Williamson's playing on any of his own material. In April 1953, Love and Williamson recorded in Houston, Texas
, but it was Love's final recording session.
Love played piano on Williamson's albums, I Ain't Beggin' Nobody and Clownin' With The World (1953). All of Love's own recordings appeared on the compilation album
, Greenville Smokin, issued in 2000.
After suffering the effects of years of heavy drinking, Love died of bronchopneumonia
, in August 1953, at the age of 46. He was interred at the Elmwood Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi
.
Shout Brother Shout
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. He is best known for his association with, and accompaniment of Sonny Boy Williamson II
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Willie "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and highly creative songwriting skills...
.
Biography
Love was born in DuncanDuncan, Mississippi
Duncan is a town in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 578 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Duncan is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land....
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and in 1942, he met Sonny Boy Williamson II
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Willie "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and highly creative songwriting skills...
in Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Washington...
. They played regularly together at juke joint
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
s throughout the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
. Love was influenced by the piano playing of Leroy Carr
Leroy Carr
Leroy Carr was an American blues singer, songwriter and pianist, who developed a laid-back, crooning technique and whose popularity and style influenced such artists as Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. He first became famous for "How Long, How Long Blues" on Vocalion Records in 1928.-Life and...
, and adept at both standard blues and boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
styling.
In 1947 Charley Booker
Charley Booker
Charley Booker was a blues singer and guitarist from the Mississippi Delta, who recorded in the early 1950s for Modern Records.-Early life and career:...
moved to Greenville, where he worked with Love. Two years later, Oliver Sain
Oliver Sain
Oliver Sain was an American saxophonist, songwriter, bandleader, drummer and record producer....
also relocated to Greenville to join his stepfather, Love, as the drummer in a band fronted by Williamson. When Williamson recorded for Trumpet Records
Trumpet Records
Trumpet Records was a recording company started by Henry and Lillian McMurry in Jackson, Mississippi in 1951.-History of Trumpet Records:The goal of Trumpet Records was to provide a means of recording some of the most popular combos in the Mississippi Delta region that were going unrecorded because...
in March 1951, Love played the piano on the recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
. Trumpet's owner, Lillian McMurray, had Love return the following month, and again in July 1951, when Love recorded his best known number, the self-penned, "Everybody's Fishing." Love played piano and sang, while the accompanying guitar come from Elmore James
Elmore James
Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...
and Joe Willie Wilkins
Joe Willie Wilkins
Joe Willie Wilkins was an American Memphis blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Whilst he influenced contemporaries such as Houston Stackhouse, Robert Nighthawk, David Honeyboy Edwards, and Jimmy Rogers, Wilkins' bigger impact was on up and coming guitarists, including Little Milton, B.B....
. His backing band was known as the Three Aces. A further studio session in December 1951 had Love backed by Little Milton
Little Milton
James Milton Campbell, Jr. , better known as Little Milton, was an American electric blues, rhythm and blues, and soul singer and guitarist, best known for his hit records "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "We're Gonna Make It."-Biography:Milton was born James Milton Campbell, Jr., in the Mississippi...
(guitar), T.J. Green (fiddle), and Junior Blackman (drums). In his teenage
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
years, Eddie Shaw
Eddie Shaw
Eddie Shaw is an African American, Chicago blues tenor saxophonist.-Biography:In his teenage years, Shaw played tenor saxophone with local blues musicians such as Little Milton and Willie Love. At the age of 14, he was involved in a jam session in Greenville, Mississippi with Ike Turner's band...
played tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
with both Milton and Love.
Under his own name, Love did not return to the studio until March 1953, when he cut "Worried Blues" and "Lonesome World Blues." Despite the friendship between them, Love did not utilise Williamson's playing on any of his own material. In April 1953, Love and Williamson recorded in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, but it was Love's final recording session.
Love played piano on Williamson's albums, I Ain't Beggin' Nobody and Clownin' With The World (1953). All of Love's own recordings appeared on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Greenville Smokin, issued in 2000.
After suffering the effects of years of heavy drinking, Love died of bronchopneumonia
Bronchopneumonia
Bronchopneumonia or bronchial pneumonia or "Bronchogenic pneumonia" is the acute inflammation of the walls of the bronchioles...
, in August 1953, at the age of 46. He was interred at the Elmwood Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
.