SONNY TERRY
(October 24, 1911 - March 11, 1986)
Born Saunders Terrell in Greensboro, Georgia, Sonny Terry was a blind American Piedmont blues musician. The Piedmont style is differentiated from other styles, particularly the Mississippi Delta blues, by its ragtime-based rhythms. Terry, a master of Piedmont blues, was widely known for his energetic harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers, and imitations of trains and fox hunts.
He was taught to play the harmonica by his father, a farmer who was a folk-styled harmonica player and performed locally at dances. But the blues weren't part of his repertoire. He blew reels and jigs. Terry’s other musical education began in the Baptist church, where as a child he sang at tent meetings. Those early experiences would serve him well later in life. Two separate accidents rendered the teen-aged musician almost completely blind, and music became the logical option for him. He began playing in Shelby, North Carolina and later performed on street corners in Durham and Raleigh for tips. Sometime around 1934, Terry was befriended by Blind Boy Fuller, one of the Piedmont area's most popular guitarists and performers. Terry's harp playing became an essential part of Fuller's trio, and the young bluesman traveled with Fuller to New York City in 1937 to record songs for the Vocalion and American Record Company labels. A year later, he appeared as part of John Hammond's first ‘From Spirituals To Swing’ concert in New York City, performing his song "Mountain Blues" for the audience in Carnegie Hall.
In the late-1930s, Fuller introduced Terry to guitarist Brownie McGhee, thereby accidently creating one of the most enduring and popular duos in the history of the blues. Terry and McGhee became well-known among white audiences, as they joined the growing folk movement of the 1950s and 60s. They were also among the first blues artists to perform in Europe during the 1950s, brought overseas by promoter and musician Chris Barber. Their popularity in folk music circles led to collaborations with Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and producer of the Anthology of American Folk Music, Moses Asch.
The duo's Piedmont blues sound was ready-made for the folk festivals and college campuses of the 1960s, and the two toured together steadily traveling to Australia and New Zealand in addition to the United States and Europe.
Terry and McGhee recorded regularly for labels like Folkways, Bluesville, and Fantasy, and even stepped out of their "pure" folk style to frequently perform with a jump blues band with horns.
A well-rounded artist of seemingly limitless talent, Terry also was involved in acting. In 1946, he was part of the original cast of the hit Broadway play Finian's Rainbow, and a decade later he returned to the "Great White Way" to appear in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. During the 1960s, Terry performed with singer Harry Belafonte, and appeared in several television commercials. In 1975, he found the time to write The Harp Styles of Sonny Terry, an instructional guide to the harmonica.
His solo work often gets short changed due to his lengthy and often prolific association with McGhee. On his own, Terry recorded sporadically throughout the 1940s and '50s, later producing full-length albums like Sonny's Story and Sonny Is King during the early-60s, performing with musicians like Sticks McGhee, Brownie's brother; harpist J.C. Burris; and Texas blues legend Lightning Hopkins.
By the mid-1970s, the strain of being on the road developed into personal problems between McGhee and Terry. Unfortunately, they resigned their long partnership, divided by the bitterness of constant touring. Terry was still being discovered by a younger blues generation. Johnny Winter produced Terry’s final studio album, Whoopin' for the Alligator label, featuring Winter on guitar and Willie Dixon on bass. Winter had produced a comeback album for Muddy Waters that helped rejuvenate his career, and he was attempting to achieve the same success with Terry. But by the 1980s, his age was catching up with him. He quit recording and only accepted sporadic live appearances. Terry passed away in 1986, the year he was inducted into the Blues Foundations Hall of Fame.
He was taught to play the harmonica by his father, a farmer who was a folk-styled harmonica player and performed locally at dances. But the blues weren't part of his repertoire. He blew reels and jigs. Terry’s other musical education began in the Baptist church, where as a child he sang at tent meetings. Those early experiences would serve him well later in life. Two separate accidents rendered the teen-aged musician almost completely blind, and music became the logical option for him. He began playing in Shelby, North Carolina and later performed on street corners in Durham and Raleigh for tips. Sometime around 1934, Terry was befriended by Blind Boy Fuller, one of the Piedmont area's most popular guitarists and performers. Terry's harp playing became an essential part of Fuller's trio, and the young bluesman traveled with Fuller to New York City in 1937 to record songs for the Vocalion and American Record Company labels. A year later, he appeared as part of John Hammond's first ‘From Spirituals To Swing’ concert in New York City, performing his song "Mountain Blues" for the audience in Carnegie Hall.
In the late-1930s, Fuller introduced Terry to guitarist Brownie McGhee, thereby accidently creating one of the most enduring and popular duos in the history of the blues. Terry and McGhee became well-known among white audiences, as they joined the growing folk movement of the 1950s and 60s. They were also among the first blues artists to perform in Europe during the 1950s, brought overseas by promoter and musician Chris Barber. Their popularity in folk music circles led to collaborations with Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and producer of the Anthology of American Folk Music, Moses Asch.
The duo's Piedmont blues sound was ready-made for the folk festivals and college campuses of the 1960s, and the two toured together steadily traveling to Australia and New Zealand in addition to the United States and Europe.
Terry and McGhee recorded regularly for labels like Folkways, Bluesville, and Fantasy, and even stepped out of their "pure" folk style to frequently perform with a jump blues band with horns.
A well-rounded artist of seemingly limitless talent, Terry also was involved in acting. In 1946, he was part of the original cast of the hit Broadway play Finian's Rainbow, and a decade later he returned to the "Great White Way" to appear in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. During the 1960s, Terry performed with singer Harry Belafonte, and appeared in several television commercials. In 1975, he found the time to write The Harp Styles of Sonny Terry, an instructional guide to the harmonica.
His solo work often gets short changed due to his lengthy and often prolific association with McGhee. On his own, Terry recorded sporadically throughout the 1940s and '50s, later producing full-length albums like Sonny's Story and Sonny Is King during the early-60s, performing with musicians like Sticks McGhee, Brownie's brother; harpist J.C. Burris; and Texas blues legend Lightning Hopkins.
By the mid-1970s, the strain of being on the road developed into personal problems between McGhee and Terry. Unfortunately, they resigned their long partnership, divided by the bitterness of constant touring. Terry was still being discovered by a younger blues generation. Johnny Winter produced Terry’s final studio album, Whoopin' for the Alligator label, featuring Winter on guitar and Willie Dixon on bass. Winter had produced a comeback album for Muddy Waters that helped rejuvenate his career, and he was attempting to achieve the same success with Terry. But by the 1980s, his age was catching up with him. He quit recording and only accepted sporadic live appearances. Terry passed away in 1986, the year he was inducted into the Blues Foundations Hall of Fame.
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