Biography
Uncertainty surrounded the birth year of Homesick James Williamson, who maintained it stretched back as far as 1905, yet his slashing slide guitar technique never invited doubt. Solo settings produced many of his most rewarding sessions, allowing his distinctive timing to proceed without friction, although he also generated strong ensemble recordings.
Guitar performance began for him at age ten, after which he left his Tennessee home to appear at fish fries and dances. The 1920s found him traveling through Mississippi and North Carolina, where meetings took place with Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Blind Boy Fuller, and Big Joe Williams.
Chicago became his base in the 1930s, leading to local club work and a 1937 session for RCA Victor. Considerable road experience and engagements preceded his strongest sides, cut for Art Sheridan's Chance Records in 1952-1953 and highlighted by the classic "Homesick," which supplied his lasting stage name.
Sideman activity occupied James extensively as well, including support for harp great Sonny Boy Williamson at Chicago's Purple Cat in 1945 and, throughout the 1950s, work alongside his cousin, slide master Elmore James, whose approach left a clear stylistic mark; further recordings with James occurred during that decade. His own releases encompassed dynamic 45s on Colt and USA in 1962, a strong 1964 Prestige album, and four selections on a 1965 Vanguard anthology.
Williamson kept recording into the 1990s, with albums appearing on Appaloosa and Earwig, while sustaining tours and festival performances well into the 2000s. A British blues festival in July 2006 marked his final public appearance, and he died on December 13 of that year. Even in his nineties, nothing over-the-hill characterized the blues of Homesick James Williamson.
Guitar performance began for him at age ten, after which he left his Tennessee home to appear at fish fries and dances. The 1920s found him traveling through Mississippi and North Carolina, where meetings took place with Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Blind Boy Fuller, and Big Joe Williams.
Chicago became his base in the 1930s, leading to local club work and a 1937 session for RCA Victor. Considerable road experience and engagements preceded his strongest sides, cut for Art Sheridan's Chance Records in 1952-1953 and highlighted by the classic "Homesick," which supplied his lasting stage name.
Sideman activity occupied James extensively as well, including support for harp great Sonny Boy Williamson at Chicago's Purple Cat in 1945 and, throughout the 1950s, work alongside his cousin, slide master Elmore James, whose approach left a clear stylistic mark; further recordings with James occurred during that decade. His own releases encompassed dynamic 45s on Colt and USA in 1962, a strong 1964 Prestige album, and four selections on a 1965 Vanguard anthology.
Williamson kept recording into the 1990s, with albums appearing on Appaloosa and Earwig, while sustaining tours and festival performances well into the 2000s. A British blues festival in July 2006 marked his final public appearance, and he died on December 13 of that year. Even in his nineties, nothing over-the-hill characterized the blues of Homesick James Williamson.