Bman's Blues Report

Robert Pete Williams Born:  Zachary, La March 14, 1914 - December 31, 1980 Genre Style:  Delta Blues Robert Pete Williams  was born into a sharecropping family in Zachary, Louisiana, back in 1914, growing up working the fields with no formal schooling. He picked up music relatively late, picking up a home-made cigar box guitar around the age of 20 and teaching himself a deeply personal way of playing. His life took a sharp turn in 1956 when he shot a man at a nightclub in what he claimed was self-defense. Convicted of murder, he was sentenced to life at the notoriously harsh  Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola , where his raw talent might have stayed hidden forever. Instead, ethnomusicologists Harry Oster and Richard Allen discovered him at Angola in 1958, captivated by the haunting, stream-of-consciousness songs he sang about prison life. Oster was so moved that he lobbied the governor for Williams' release, helping him secure parole by late 1959. Thi...

Robert Pete Williams (March 14, 1914 – December 31, 1980) was an American Louisiana blues musician. His music characteristically employed unconventional blues tunings and structures, and his songs are often about the time he served in prison. His song "I've Grown So Ugly" has been covered by Captain Beefheart, on his album Safe as Milk (1967), and by The Black Keys, on Rubber Factory (2004) Williams was born in Zachary, Louisiana, to a family of sharecroppers. He had no formal schooling and spent his childhood picking cotton and cutting sugar cane. In 1928, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and worked in a lumberyard. At the age of 20, Williams fashioned a crude guitar by attaching five copper strings to a cigar box, and soon after bought a cheap, mass-produced one. Williams was taught by Frank and Robert Metty, and was at first chiefly influenced by Peetie Wheatstraw and Blind Lemon Jefferson. He began to play for small events such as Church gatherings, fish fries, supp...

Robert Pete Williams (March 14, 1914 – December 31, 1980) was an American Louisiana blues musician. His music characteristically employed unconventional blues tunings and structures, and his songs are often about the time he served in prison. His song "I've Grown So Ugly" has been covered by Captain Beefheart, on his album Safe as Milk (1967), and by The Black Keys, on Rubber Factory (2004). Williams was born in Zachary, Louisiana, to a family of sharecroppers. He had no formal schooling, and spent his childhood picking cotton and cutting sugar cane. In 1928, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and worked in a lumberyard. At the age of 20, Williams fashioned a crude guitar by attaching five copper strings to a cigar box, and soon after bought a cheap, mass-produced one. Williams was taught by Frank and Robert Metty, and was at first chiefly influenced by Peetie Wheestraw and Blind Lemon Jefferson. He began to play for small events such as Church gatherings, fish fries, ...

Will YOU help me share!! At Bman's Blues Report I am on the quest to find every cool blues band I can find. I share my finds with everyone who will listen. I have over 20,000 monthly readers but would like to give the artists that I find as much of an audience as I can. I post the fathers and sons of the blues every morning and every night, post bands from outside the continental US most every night and review at least one new blues CD or DVD every day with videos. I regularly conduct interviews with top blues talent, music promoters and record company owners. Every week I post a review of a vintage blues amp and also a video review of a beautiful guitar. You never know what I'll come up with next. I tweet the fans favorite post of the week every Monday. My specialty is digging up bands that are new that you have never heard of ... many from other parts of the world and frequently have free downloads. Please give Bman's Blues Report a try! Have a great day! Bm...

Robert Pete Williams (March 14, 1914 – December 31, 1980) was an American Louisiana blues musician. His music characteristically employed unconventional blues tunings and structures, and his songs are often about the time he served in prison. His song "I've Grown So Ugly" has been covered by Captain Beefheart, on his album Safe as Milk (1967), and in 2004, by The Black Keys, on Rubber Factory Williams was born in Zachary, Louisiana, to a family of sharecroppers. He had no formal schooling, and spent his childhood picking cotton and cutting sugar cane. In 1928, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and worked in a lumberyard. At the age of 20, Williams fashioned a crude guitar by attaching five copper strings to a cigar box, and soon after bought a cheap, mass-produced one. Williams was taught by Frank and Robert Metty, and began to play for small events such as Church gatherings, fish fries, suppers, and dances. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Williams played music and contin...

Robert Pete Williams (March 14, 1914 – December 31, 1980) was an American Louisiana blues musician. His music characteristically employs unconventional blues tunings and structures, and his songs are often about the time he served in prison. His song "I've Grown So Ugly" has been covered by Captain Beefheart, on his album Safe as Milk (1967), and in 2004, by The Black Keys, on Rubber Factory (2004).Williams was born in Zachary, Louisiana, to a family of sharecroppers. He had no formal schooling, and spent his childhood picking cotton and cutting sugar cane. In 1928, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and worked in a lumberyard. At the age of 20, Williams fashioned a crude guitar by attaching five copper strings to a cigar box, and soon after bought a cheap, mass-produced one. Robert was taught by Frank and Robert Metty and began to play for small events such as Church gatherings, fish fries, suppers, and dances. From the 1930s-1950s, Williams played music and continued t...

Robert Pete Williams (March 14, 1914 – December 31, 1980) was an American Louisiana blues musician. His music characteristically employs unconventional blues tunings and structures, and his songs are often about the time he served in prison. His song "I've Grown So Ugly" has been covered by Captain Beefheart, on his album Safe as Milk (1967), and in 2004, by The Black Keys, on Rubber Factory (2004). Williams was born in Zachary, Louisiana, to a family of sharecroppers.[3] He had no formal schooling, and spent his childhood picking cotton and cutting sugar cane. In 1928, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and worked in a lumberyard. At the age of 20, Williams fashioned a crude guitar by attaching five copper strings to a cigar box,[3] and soon after bought a cheap, mass-produced one. Robert was taught by Frank and Robert Metty and began to play for small events such as Church gatherings, fish fries, suppers, and dances. From the 1930s-1950s, Williams played music and con...