BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
info
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith 1/19/36 - 9/16/11
An Appreciation by Ms. Marci as told to David Mac
For me there was something magical about the Muddy Waters Band that I met for the first time in 1976. Muddy played with many outstanding musicians throughout his storied career but I have a special place in my heart for the particular band members who were with him at that time. They were not only incredible musicians, but some of the nicest, down to earth people I have ever met.
That line-up consisted of guitarists “Steady Rollin’” Bob Margolin and Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, Jerry Portnoy on harp, bassist Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, Pinetop Perkins on piano and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on drums. I had been a fan of Muddy’s music for years so it was a thrill for me to be introduced to him personally by Luther at the Bi- Centennial Blues Festival on the fourth of July, 1976. We were in the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. It was great to be in one of America’s original thirteen colonies listening to a true American original, Muddy Waters. It was an evening that I will never forget.
Willie’s legacy as a musician is an interesting one. Not only is the Helena, Arkansas, native one of the great drummers in the history of blues, he is also an accomplished harmonica player and a fine vocalist. He began playing the harmonica while still a teenager shortly after his arrival in Chicago. His mother took him to see the Muddy Waters Band at the Club Zanzibar. It would only be a few years later that he would begin an association with Muddy that would last off and on through parts of the next four decades.
In the meantime though the young man who went by the Moniker “Little” Willie Smith would become a recognized harp player on the burgeoning Chicago blues scene. He went into the studio on November 10, 1955, and blew harp on the Bo Diddley classic Diddy Wah Diddy. I always liked this song that was based on decades old folklore, about that mythical place where all people live in harmony with no worries or hardships.
Drummers were more in demand at that particular time in Chicago. So the talented and resourceful Willie Smith took up that instrument as well. It was as a drummer that Willie first worked with Muddy in 1959. He recorded an estimated eighty four tracks through the years with the iconic Muddy Waters.
In 1980 Willie along with Bob Margolin, Jerry Portno, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones and Louis Myers formed the Legendary Blues Band. This band backed up John Lee Hooker in the “Maxwell Street” scene in the 1980 film, The Blues Brothers. For the next thirteen years and seven albums they brought electric, Chicago style blues to audiences around the world. The legacy of this band took on an added dimension of import after we lost Muddy in 1983.
Just a few months ago Willie won a Grammy for "Best Traditional Blues Album.” The record "Joined at the Hip" was recorded with long time friend and bandmate Pinetop Perkins. Willie had wanted to record an album with Pinetop for some time and he felt that the time had finally come. It was terrific to see Willie finally receive wide spread recognition for his music. I just wish it hadn’t come so close to the end of his life.
The past several months have been particularly tough on Muddy’s old band. On August 9,2010, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones passed away at the age of 84. On March 21, 2011, the oldest living blues musician at the time of his death, Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins left us as well at the age of 97.
The real shocker came as the 75 years young, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith had a stroke and passed away on September 16th.
Willie always made me feel like I was part of the family. We always got together when his travels took him to the North East. He was a warm, caring individual who was easy to laugh and was a terrific conversationalist. Our friendship transcended the music. I will always miss him. I hope someday to meet up with my friend in Diddy Wah Diddy.
Copyright 2022 BLUES JUNCTION Productions. All rights reserved.
BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
info