Blind Willie McTell was a master bluesman whose recorded legacy has earned him an exalted ranking among the greatest of all time in his field but, as was the case with any number of others, he enjoyed minimal rewards for his talent during his lifetime and did not live to reap the benefits of any blues revival. Known for his musical knowledge, expertise, and versatility as a guitarist and singer, McTell excelled on 12-string guitar and as a street singer learned to play songs that would please any audience, black or white. He was able to record prolifically, both for major record labels and the Library of Congress, among others, and made classics such as ‘Statesboro Blues’, ‘Dying Crapshooter’s Blues’ and ‘Broke Down Engine Blues’ but none were widespread hits and his fame was concentrated in his native Georgia. One of the rare instances of national press coverage of his records occurred only because a Down Beat writer objected — several years after their release — to the lewdness of the 1932 McTell-Ruby Glaze sides ‘Rollin’ Mama Blues’ and ‘Mama, Let Me Scoop For You’. Still, McTell — whose family name was actually McTear or McTier — was able to support himself for most of his life as a traveling musician; he gave up the blues for gospel music at the end. His birth date has been given as May 5, 1901, and 1903. He died at Milledgeville State Hospital on Aug. 19, 1959.
— Jim O’Neal
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