Memphis Willie B.

Willie Borum, better known under his saving sobriquet of Memphis Willie B., was a mainstay from the Memphis blues and jug music group circuit. Adept at both harmonica and electric guitar, Borum could add pep to any mixture he proved helpful in, in addition to leaving a stunning impression being a single artist. He was created in 1911 in Shelby State, Tennessee. He had taken to your guitar early in his youth, being principally trained by his dad and Memphis medication show superstar Jim Jackson. By his past due teenagers, he was dealing with Jack port Kelly’s Jug Busters, doing work for advice on the road with the casual home party and nation supper rounding out his meager salary. This didn’t last lengthy, as Borum became a member of up with the Memphis Jug Music group, 1 of 2 professional outfits around in those days. The group often worked what afterwards became W.C. Handy Recreation area in Memphis, with touring extending completely right down to New Orleans through the Mardi Gras. Sometime in the ’30s he discovered to try out harmonica, being shown by believe it or not a get good at than Noah Lewis, the very best harp blower in Memphis and mainstay of Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers. As his design begun to move additional from a tight jug music group strategy, Willie B. started focusing on and off with several vacationing Delta bluesmen, executing at several functions with Grain Miller, Willie Dark brown, Garfield Akers, and Robert Johnson. He finally surely got to make some information in NY under his very own name in 1934 for Vocalion, but quickly transferred back to playing juke bones and gambling homes with Child Joe, Joe Hill Louis, and can Color until around 1943, when he joined up with the U.S. Military. It had been a very much different globe he came back to and following a short fling at attempting to get where he remaining off, Borum quickly cashed in his potato chips and began buying day job. That could have been the finish of the tale, except in 1961 — using the folk and blues revival completely hootenanny vapor — Borum was monitored down and documented an absolutely wonderful session at sunlight studios for Prestige’s Bluesville label. It converted into a small amount of a profession upswing for another couple of years; Willie B. began working the event and coffeehouse circuit with aged Memphis buddies Gus Cannon and Furry Lewis. But just like quickly, he fallen from the music picture and finally out of view completely. Willie B. apparently passed away in Memphis through the early ’70s.