Archive Review: Blind Willie McTell’s The Definitive Blind Willie McTell (1994)

This two disc set provides a wonderful overview of the life of blues legend Blind Willie McTell, literally collecting nearly every side he ever recorded (only a handful of songs that couldn’t be found in any form were omitted). A pioneer of 12-string guitar playing, McTell’s unspectacular commercial career would prove to be quite influential nonetheless.

Born at the turn of the century in Georgia as Willie Samuel McTier (the origin of the McTell spelling is unclear), he picked up on music at an early age, evidently discarding it while attending several schools for the blind, only to pick it up again sometime in the 1920s. Throughout his career, McTell traveled constantly, performing for both white and black audiences, earning a reputation by word of mouth. If there was a crowd, whether in a club or on the street, McTell would play for them.

Lawrence Cohn, producer of The Definitive Blind Willie McTell, has done an impressive job of collecting the various widespread recordings of McTell. He had recorded sessions for a number of labels during the 1920s and ‘30s, often under a pseudonym. Many times, only a few hundred copies of a disc were pressed and distributed. McTell’s thin, trebly voice, with its Southern twang, and his distinctive guitar style were undeniably his own, however, under whatever name he chose to record under. 

The Definitive Blind Willie McTell offers them all, 41 songs total, including his
best-known composition, “Statesboro Blues.” McTell incorporated a myriad of influences into his style, from talking blues to ragtime. The collection offers fascinating look at an artist who built a legend entirely on the strength of his talents and his music. (Sony Legacy Recordings, released 1994)

Review originally published by R.A.D! zine, July 1994