Blues Boy Willie

In 1990, Willie McFalls—a Memphis native who actually hailed from Texas rather than Tennessee—caught the chitlin circuit off guard when the humorous blues dialogue on “Be-Who?” carried his second album onto the Billboard charts and sent his show out on the road. Blues Boy Willie reached Ichiban Records through the efforts of his Texas childhood companion, the bluesman-producer Gary B. B. Coleman. The three albums that followed reflected Coleman’s usual approach: solid yet conventional blues numbers recorded with a modest studio group. What set Willie apart, however, was the lively spoken back-and-forth he shared with his wife, Miss Lee, on the novelty cuts, which carved out an unforeseen spot for him on the Southern soul-blues circuit. Blues Boy Willie died on March 2, 2024, at the age of 77.