Bman's Blues Report

Just a quarter mile from the legendary “crossroads,” a blues guitarist crawls across the floor on his knees as sweat streaks down his face. He's well into his first set of the night as he takes “Catfish Blues” from 0 to 11 and back again. The crowd is on its feet. The cameras are flashing. The sound falls somewhere between Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and another world. The backing band is all smiles as it locks in tight, waiting for all hell to break loose. He's back on his feet now... slaughtering the guitar as he makes his way into the crowd that quickly surrounds him. Again, he takes the volume up before bringing it back down. The band follows his lead impeccably. He's back on stage now... singing and punctuating each phrase with his deep Delta guitar riffs. He's the real deal. A sure thing. He's the man they call “Big T.” And whether it's a neighborhood juke joint in Clarksdale, Mississippi or a big city blues club in Chicago, Illinois, the result is the same. T...

Terry “Big T” Williams has dedicated his life to his music. Born in Clarksdale in 1960, he spent his early years on a plantation in Farrell, Mississippi, hearing stories about Muddy Waters attending Sunday picnics in his grandmother’s yard. These influences, as well as the music he was hearing on the radio by Deltans such as B.B. King, had an impact on him at a very young age. At nine, Big T’s father gave him a guitar and so he took it upon himself to learn how to play. Eventually, Big T came under the tutelage of legendary blues educator Johnnie Billington He was twelve years old when the Jelly Roll Kings (Big Jack Johnson, Frank Frost and Sam Carr) took him under their wing and eventually even took him on the road all over the world. But Big T knew he eventually wanted to front his own band, and over the years he has been with bands like The Creative Funk, The Stone Gas Band and Big T & The Family Band. Today, Big T and his Review Band play gigs all over, but he is especially fon...