This was filmed the day before Bill, went into hospital, to be operated upon for the cancer.That took him away from us.My dad and Bill were extremely close and devoted friends. Bill was my beginning in blues sounds. He was the very very best man.As my Daddy often remarked. Rest in peace Bill.You were loved, and are loved by many many people always remembered.By those that you were so kind to.In this life.Especially by a little boy, who is now an old man, with a guitar singing your songs.To keep your legacy alive and vibrant....!!!!.
The "British Invasion" of British rock bands in the mid 1960s probably wouldn't have happened without Big Bill Broonzy's influence. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones always cites him as an influence, so does Eric Clapton, and others. Sounds like he happened to be a genuine, good man, even more importantly. Thanks for sharing that story with us. I'm blown away by the man's Delta blues style.
Thank you for that touching and informative comment. It is always nice to have it confirmed that Bill coming across to me as a gentleman, was indeed true.
Also, is there anything else you'd be willing tell me (or us or the world or the internet) about yourself, your father, or Bill? There's so much history, so much that deserves to be remembered, and so little that's actually recorded. I've love to read anything you'd like to share.
I was thirteen and I was there at Circle Pines when Big Bill played this. Pete Seeger was there too. It's still reverberating sixty three years later, how good sound can sound....
My friend Bob Shafritz from Philly was at Circle Pines that summer as well; do you remember him? He passed away about 20 years ago, so I would love to talk to someone who knew him. I knew his whole family many years ago--we were very close during high school and beyond. Richard Lenatsky
IM A CAMPER AT CPC RN. I see all the photos of big bill on the wall and after seeing this it really makes me wish I’d been able to see him play live. Great artist.
For all of us old people who lived most of their lives without RUclips. This is the stuff we were missing out on. Thank God for RUclips!! Awesome video.
Guitar legend "Alvin Lee" (19 December 1944 - March 6 2013) "My father was always playing this ethnic blues stuff around the house, and both my parents played. Then one day my father brought home Big Bill Broonzy, and there he was sitting in our living room playing, and blues was in my heart from the time I was 12 years old"
Although it was the day before his throat-cancer surgery, on that day he sang with a smile. He requested Pete Seegar(folk singer and the author of this video) who was visiting the tourist camp he was staying, to record him. Maybe he thought he would lose his voice after.... And he most likely did. The last performance of the Big B,
Really appreciate the little snippets of information you tube viewers give such as this performance and Big Bill's surgery. I have been a fan for forty years and didn't know this about Bill. Keep it coming, cheers from Australia.
This is a era of music that is rapidly disappearing,I just dream of these guys sitting on the porch playing cooking crawdads drinking whiskey & beer. Ohh how wish I could have been there. Thank you.
Man these were professional musicians ... OK Robert Johnson & co had to be like hobos, but later but Bill, Minnie, Tampa, those ones, they were not rich but were full time. If you want your romantic ideal :) yes they existed too ... Peg Leg Howell, Little Hat Jones, Nappy Brown, King Solomon Hill, the fantastic great players who recorded a few sides and vanished again.
It's amazing that he was in his mid fifties in this video, he looks much younger. Sadly he actually died just a year after this recording, from throat cancer.
Kind of Ironic to thumbs up your comment.. I didn’t know that’s how he went, nor when... and damn, that’s ironic too, what took him... being the singer he was just a year prior. what a natural bluesman he was and will always be to me. Thanks for the information.
This is amazing, considering he was 64 years old when the film was shot (he doesn't look a day over 40), and suffering from cancer, with only one year left to live, yet he sounds so perfectly wonderful. Simply amazing.
I started listening to Big Bill Broonzy while I was on my first roadtrip after a while. My girlfriend was sitting next to me while we travelled across the country for the first time together. His music touched my heart and it makes me so happy that music can do this, no matter how old the song. Thank you Bill
How humble and unassuming he is. Sitting on a porch, flies buzzing 'round his head while he lays down some incredible blues. No bling, bling just passion, artistry and talent. One of the fathers of modern music. Today's artists should tip their caps to artists like Big Bill Broonzy. Long may he live and long live the blues.
i really hope that the 4 dislikes are because not all 3 songs are complete in the video. i dont see no other reason why someone could dislike this pure and true expression of music
This guy does not muck about with the guitar. Particularly in the second song, you can see that he makes it do whatever he wants. He has the idea and the guitar complies. Good man.
+Zachary Auster-Mehr I just finished Claptons autobiograghy and he talks about Broonzy and the big influence that he had on his playing. Keith Richards does the same in his autobioraghy too. In fact almost every English guitar player from that time who was into American blues looked up to and studied Broonzys music.
The first song is “Stump Blues,” featured on The Big Bill Broonzy Story, recorded in ‘57. Dialogue tracks of the conversations between Big Bill and Bill Randle have a fantastic description of the song and it’s history
this man was so influential to my favorites. Johnny Winter who died two days ago was my all time fav and I can hear Big Bills sound in Johnny. I just luv Bills melody lines, they got so much feel to them. thanx for the upload-peace,bro
Met Johnny at a local record store last year. I bet I was the only 16 year old there. Sadly I passed up on the opportunity to see his show later that night. RIP
I’ve heard like an hour and a half long interview with songs. I think he must’ve been a really good man other than an incredible musician. Looks like a performance filmed in some place in heaven. Blessed footage of this massive bluesman. Reading the comments it’s also super interesting. Please, never delete this. It’s one of my favorite videos on YT. Knowing that this was filmed by Pete Seeger it’s unbelievable. I was looking for gold and I found diamonds. I often come back here.
He strikes me as a kind of genius I want to pair with Mississippi John Hurt. He has the ability to fill the world with his guitar and voice and an entirely original style that has a lot of heritage to it.
Why is it whenever I find a great, inspiring video on RUclips, I always make the mistake of reading the comments section. Seems that many people have not yet learned to simply enjoy life, they have to constantly make comparisons. They cannot praise one, without knocking another. They cannot experience something positive, without a big dose of something negative. And here I thought music was supposed to have something to do with feeling good.
Where you at now? I actually play something about note for note the main thing in e, I didn't realize it's like the same, I worked it out from rising river blues by George carter an to my revelation its like the exact same thing basically, trying to work out the rest of what he's doin, looks simple but under the hood there's some technique goin on
@nathaniel.7172 seeing this 2 years on, I've progressed loads, it's all in the thumb of your string playing hand, you gotta have rhythm but more importantly feeling
I discover this genius musician, when I was student in Florence, Italy, in the early '60. My appreciation of his performance today is like it was 52/3 years ago!
I keep coming back to this. Beautiful, relaxed performance. A glimpse at how Big Bill played for himself and family and friends. Love it. I wish I could play or sing 1/4 that well.
This is immortal. God bless Big Bill for sitting out on his porch that day and bearing the flies to preserve his techniques for all-- and thank the people who had the foresight to record and preserve it. This footage belongs in a museum theater of the blues. I wish there were more Big Bill Broonzy live videos. Lightnin' Hopkins is well preserved on RUclips, another blues master I have been thankful to see over and over.
If you love a groove that is just pure balls to the wall, there aint much better than Big Bill. This style of playing is just propelled by the right thumb. Jorma Kaukonen is fond of saying, "your left hand is what you know; your right hand is who you are." And after being propelled by that incredible groove, Big Bill proves that he can do it with a flatpick too. I love how he is really digging in with that flatpick with this right hand. He has moved his right hand back towards the bridge which gives it that great tone.
oh man, still loving this!!!!!! if you're feet aren't a tappin'.. and your heart ain't a saggin'.. welp then, this is the wrong place for you to be. True Guitar.
Just got Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin's album common ground, their tribute to Big Bill Broonzy. Still nothing like the original man himself. This is timeless blues. Cheers to Big Bill, an American Classic.....
Olá! Estou aqui lendo a biografia de Eric Clapton e ele fala de inspiração deste artista na vida dele junto com Robert Jonhson. Eu sou Samuel, moro aqui em Sao Paulo, Brasil e hone é 12 de fevereiro de 2024, segunda-feira, agora 20:57 horas. Obrigado pelo video.
The Towering Greats like Broonzy are the reason I'm shy about playing and singing The Blues. ... This is TRULY A High Art at this level and you've GOT TO have the credibility to be real. .... Not enough of us realize the Total Mastery and Genius Of The Artist being expressed here. ...a MIND BLOWING HISTORICAL RECORDING.
This video is priceless. It's as if you showed up at his house unannounced and asked "Bill, can you come out on the porch steps and play a couple songs? And he dropped whatever he was doing and obliged. Gotta love the pen in the shirt pocket too.
"I love the Delta blues" Great musician. He led people to believe that he was from the Mississippi/Yazoo Delta and was almost as old as Charlie Patton -- two things people wanted to hear in the 1950s -- but he was really born in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas area in 1903 and learned to play guitar in the North.
The tune that Bill is playing at the end of the video, 'How You Want It Done?' was one he first recorded in 1930 (27 yrs earlier) & it's so great that we have this candid footage of him trying to remember one of his old tunes & stumbling a bit in the process . . . gold!
This was filmed the day before Bill, went into hospital, to be operated upon for the cancer.That took him away from us.My dad and Bill were extremely close and devoted friends. Bill was my beginning in blues sounds. He was the very very best man.As my Daddy often remarked. Rest in peace Bill.You were loved, and are loved by many many people always remembered.By those that you were so kind to.In this life.Especially by a little boy, who is now an old man, with a guitar singing your songs.To keep your legacy alive and vibrant....!!!!.
The "British Invasion" of British rock bands in the mid 1960s probably wouldn't have happened without Big Bill Broonzy's influence. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones always cites him as an influence, so does Eric Clapton, and others. Sounds like he happened to be a genuine, good man, even more importantly. Thanks for sharing that story with us. I'm blown away by the man's Delta blues style.
Thank you for that touching and informative comment. It is always nice to have it confirmed that Bill coming across to me as a gentleman, was indeed true.
Thank you for sharing this. Bless you.
Also, is there anything else you'd be willing tell me (or us or the world or the internet) about yourself, your father, or Bill? There's so much history, so much that deserves to be remembered, and so little that's actually recorded. I've love to read anything you'd like to share.
So glad someone filmed this and Big Bill took time to do it, though he may not have felt well.
Recorded this with throat cancer, absolutely a legend
I was thirteen and I was there at Circle Pines when Big Bill played this. Pete Seeger was there too. It's still reverberating sixty three years later, how good sound can sound....
My friend Bob Shafritz from Philly was at Circle Pines that summer as well; do you remember him? He passed away about 20 years ago, so I would love to talk to someone who knew him. I knew his whole family many years ago--we were very close during high school and beyond. Richard Lenatsky
IM A CAMPER AT CPC RN. I see all the photos of big bill on the wall and after seeing this it really makes me wish I’d been able to see him play live. Great artist.
Yeeehhaaaa
You weren’t there!
you guys are insane, that’s probably the craziest comments i’ve ever seen on youtube, Big Bill live…😳
To me this is one of the most valuable videos on youtube.
definitley is
Too few people realize how valuable..
Couldn't agree more.
Brent Boggess totally agree
Amen
For all of us old people who lived most of their lives without RUclips. This is the stuff we were missing out on. Thank God for RUclips!! Awesome video.
Guitar legend "Alvin Lee" (19 December 1944 - March 6 2013)
"My father was always playing this ethnic blues stuff around the house, and both my parents played. Then one day my father brought home Big Bill Broonzy, and there he was sitting in our living room playing, and blues was in my heart from the time I was 12 years old"
Although it was the day before his throat-cancer surgery, on that day he sang with a smile. He requested Pete Seegar(folk singer and the author of this video) who was visiting the tourist camp he was staying, to record him. Maybe he thought he would lose his voice after.... And he most likely did. The last performance of the Big B,
Not a tourist camp, Circle Pines Center has been a center for cooperative education since 1938.
Interesting information :)
@@ewinskytech the fact you took the time to scroll down to read comments and then actually commenting kinda contradicts your comment. Just saying
Really appreciate the little snippets of information you tube viewers give such as this performance and Big Bill's surgery. I have been a fan for forty years and didn't know this about Bill. Keep it coming, cheers from Australia.
Nick Mellick totally agree
Show me don’t tell me👍
After a hard days work this music brings me rest and peace in my mind. Blues is the most genuine and honest music.
Folk to, try it. Maybe Jean Richie?
The day after this film was shot Bill had surgery for the throat cancer that took his life the following year. This is why Bill's voice is so soft.
broonzied, where is the rest of this footage man?
This is a era of music that is rapidly disappearing,I just dream of these guys sitting on the porch playing cooking crawdads drinking whiskey & beer. Ohh how wish I could have been there. Thank you.
Man these were professional musicians ... OK Robert Johnson & co had to be like hobos, but later but Bill, Minnie, Tampa, those ones, they were not rich but were full time. If you want your romantic ideal :) yes they existed too ... Peg Leg Howell, Little Hat Jones, Nappy Brown, King Solomon Hill, the fantastic great players who recorded a few sides and vanished again.
Wow! This audio is CLEAN for a late '50s field recording. Nice job, Pete Seeger, R.I.P.
Yes, Sir!
Is that a type of vodka? Any good or worth trying?
Trebble is just awful, but it might just be my computer.
Thank the Lord that the Seegers recorded this great musician.
The Rainbow series Pete put together is great too. You can easily find it here.
Amém 🙏! ❤
For me, the greatest blues singer, with Lightning Hopkins!
It's amazing that he was in his mid fifties in this video, he looks much younger.
Sadly he actually died just a year after this recording, from throat cancer.
Kind of Ironic to thumbs up your comment.. I didn’t know that’s how he went, nor when... and damn, that’s ironic too, what took him... being the singer he was just a year prior. what a natural bluesman he was and will always be to me. Thanks for the information.
This is amazing, considering he was 64 years old when the film was shot (he doesn't look a day over 40), and suffering from cancer, with only one year left to live, yet he sounds so perfectly wonderful. Simply amazing.
I started listening to Big Bill Broonzy while I was on my first roadtrip after a while. My girlfriend was sitting next to me while we travelled across the country for the first time together. His music touched my heart and it makes me so happy that music can do this, no matter how old the song. Thank you Bill
How humble and unassuming he is. Sitting on a porch, flies buzzing 'round his head while he lays down some incredible blues. No bling, bling just passion, artistry and talent. One of the fathers of modern music. Today's artists should tip their caps to artists like Big Bill Broonzy. Long may he live and long live the blues.
Magic fingers.
This brought me to real tears. Because of racism we never got to see or hear many legendary men and women. SO DAMN SAD!!!!!
i really hope that the 4 dislikes are because not all 3 songs are complete in the video. i dont see no other reason why someone could dislike this pure and true expression of music
Absolute blues god amongst men.
This guy - Big Bill Broonzy is amongst my greatest of personal heroes.
he is an absolute Magician of the blues.
Amen brotha , till we die tomorrow my brotha...
His right hand was insane. What a beautiful human
This guy does not muck about with the guitar. Particularly in the second song, you can see that he makes it do whatever he wants. He has the idea and the guitar complies. Good man.
Sam Smith Clapton must have been influenced by musicians like Big Bill. The guitar on Hey Hey is the exact same as Eric does it.
Zach, I think there is mention of Eric's influences in an interview with Guitar Player or Rolling Stone. I am not really sure which one though.
+Zachary Auster-Mehr I just finished Claptons autobiograghy and he talks about Broonzy and the big influence that he had on his playing. Keith Richards does the same in his autobioraghy too. In fact almost every English guitar player from that time who was into American blues looked up to and studied Broonzys music.
WOW!!!
+Bernard John That's because it's the exact same song. Clapton covered it.
0:00 Worried Man Blues (aka Stump Blues)
2:43 Hey, Hey
4:10 How You Want It Done
The first song is “Stump Blues,” featured on The Big Bill Broonzy Story, recorded in ‘57. Dialogue tracks of the conversations between Big Bill and Bill Randle have a fantastic description of the song and it’s history
@@alvykauffmann2356 Thanks
this man was so influential to my favorites. Johnny Winter who died two days ago was my all time fav and I can hear Big Bills sound in Johnny. I just luv Bills melody lines, they got so much feel to them. thanx for the upload-peace,bro
Met Johnny at a local record store last year. I bet I was the only 16 year old there. Sadly I passed up on the opportunity to see his show later that night. RIP
You've met the greatest blues guitar player to ever pick up an electric guitar.
His smile is everything.
The way he plays the guitar has such a comforting sound, something even deeper than blues just pure emotion. Thanks for sharing
My old friend Big Bill - one of the best guitarists ever
I've probably watched this 500 times since it was uploaded
ONE OF THE GREATEST BLUESMAN EVER,GUITARIST ,MUSICIANS WILL ALWAYS RESPECT,AND LEARN FROM THIS GREAT MUSIC.🎸😎🔊BOB.RIP BBB.
LOOK AT THAT THUMB GO !!! What an inspiration this man has been to my self and soooo many others!!!
Yes, and they never did get to do him like they done poor Shine!
A chat with Ronny Wood sent me here. Cheers.
Wow.. 😲😲😲
🙏 ~ Amen Big Bill • I would have loved to have sat there, listening to whatever you had to sing about
I hate to use that cliche but Big Bill Broonzy is an underrated Artist !
Whatching and listening Broonzy is a feast for my soul!
He's pretty solid aye.
Un homme merveilleux des chansons magnifique vive le blues ❤
I’ve heard like an hour and a half long interview with songs. I think he must’ve been a really good man other than an incredible musician. Looks like a performance filmed in some place in heaven. Blessed footage of this massive bluesman. Reading the comments it’s also super interesting. Please, never delete this. It’s one of my favorite videos on YT. Knowing that this was filmed by Pete Seeger it’s unbelievable. I was looking for gold and I found diamonds. I often come back here.
One of the best singers and blues guitarist of all time fantastic you don’t see these singers anymore sadly missed 😢❤❤
5 six pens on. Almost crying, old folks starting to howling , I'm a big boy
A Giant Amongst The Original Delta Blues Talents. Magnificent.
He strikes me as a kind of genius I want to pair with Mississippi John Hurt. He has the ability to fill the world with his guitar and voice and an entirely original style that has a lot of heritage to it.
I'm so glad this video is online. He's one of the cleanest blues players in voice and technical ability.
Why is it whenever I find a great, inspiring video on RUclips, I always make the mistake of reading the comments section. Seems that many people have not yet learned to simply enjoy life, they have to constantly make comparisons. They cannot praise one, without knocking another. They cannot experience something positive, without a big dose of something negative. And here I thought music was supposed to have something to do with feeling good.
Thank god this was captured on film.
Worried man blues... been trying to play this one for ages now, he makes it look so simple
Where you at now? I actually play something about note for note the main thing in e, I didn't realize it's like the same, I worked it out from rising river blues by George carter an to my revelation its like the exact same thing basically, trying to work out the rest of what he's doin, looks simple but under the hood there's some technique goin on
@nathaniel.7172 seeing this 2 years on, I've progressed loads, it's all in the thumb of your string playing hand, you gotta have rhythm but more importantly feeling
When I tried to do it on my guitar, it sounded like I was choking a cat. The Masters always make it look easy.😂
There is only one word for this " Awsome" others can only aspire to be this great!
This is so f..king good words can't describe
So glad that Pete got a great view of the fretboard ... and left it there on Hey, Hey ... what a treasure
I discover this genius musician, when I was student in Florence, Italy, in the early '60. My appreciation of his performance today is like it was 52/3 years ago!
Gérard, si tu vois ce message, donne nous un signe de vie (surtout pour la mamie)
Big bill was amazing, one of my favourite guitarist..a man way ahead of his time.
Real music.
Why didn't I discover this amazing artist already?
I keep coming back to this. Beautiful, relaxed performance. A glimpse at how Big Bill played for himself and family and friends. Love it. I wish I could play or sing 1/4 that well.
true national treasure.
Amazing quality, sounds and looks great. we are lucky to have it.
Brilliant
Beautiful post. Watching this it is hard to believe he would be dead in 400 days, so he must have already been sick.
Guitar master
R.I.P.
This is immortal. God bless Big Bill for sitting out on his porch that day and bearing the flies to preserve his techniques for all-- and thank the people who had the foresight to record and preserve it. This footage belongs in a museum theater of the blues. I wish there were more Big Bill Broonzy live videos.
Lightnin' Hopkins is well preserved on RUclips, another blues master I have been thankful to see over and over.
Some things never changes - as soul findings - no things so ever - just listening...
I love the music of Big Bill. I play my blues records to my 3 year old son, and he loves them too, especially Big Bill, Leadbelly and Memphis Slim!
Incredible.
If you love a groove that is just pure balls to the wall, there aint much better than Big Bill. This style of playing is just propelled by the right thumb. Jorma Kaukonen is fond of saying, "your left hand is what you know; your right hand is who you are." And after being propelled by that incredible groove, Big Bill proves that he can do it with a flatpick too. I love how he is really digging in with that flatpick with this right hand. He has moved his right hand back towards the bridge which gives it that great tone.
I love your songs and I play in my guitars( Clapton style) greeting from caracas venezuela.
The tone, the touch, the raw talent...
91 people might have the blues so bad this song hurts to bad.
Lovely man, EC thought so too. All credit to the person that filmed this.
Alvin Lee said when he first heard Big Bill he knew he wanted to play the guitar...and put down the clarinet!
Love how he's probably played this song hundred and hundreds of time, but he still starts grinning while he's playing it
Guys like Big Bill taught Hank WIlliams the licks and song writing. Simple but everlasting.
Thank god we have this for all eternity.
Very handsome guy too... Big Bill Broonzy was, and he could sing in a sweet voice 👌
oh man, still loving this!!!!!! if you're feet aren't a tappin'.. and your heart ain't a saggin'.. welp then, this is the wrong place for you to be. True Guitar.
Bring back z true blues.now that is true blue music.like no other.
Awesome guitar playing by a master musician.
The blues is so underrated and not appreciated these days. The is and will always be a pivotal mark on todays music and most don't even know it.
Love his little smile after playing that lovely riff 5:29
That flat picking had me rocking.
just great - always great
Another classic from Broonsy ; I love this medley.
Just got Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin's album common ground, their tribute to Big Bill Broonzy. Still nothing like the original man himself. This is timeless blues. Cheers to Big Bill, an American Classic.....
2019.. I'm here Who else is
A page on Instagram called "dust to digital" brought me here today!
What an original comment! Congratulations.
iamscyence 30minORless Just returned....Forgot that I knew how to pick a lot of Broonzy. Ha!
My favorite player of all time would have loved to have met him.
Olá! Estou aqui lendo a biografia de Eric Clapton e ele fala de inspiração deste artista na vida dele junto com Robert Jonhson. Eu sou Samuel, moro aqui em Sao Paulo, Brasil e hone é 12 de fevereiro de 2024, segunda-feira, agora 20:57 horas. Obrigado pelo video.
You can play like this if you want, You just need to try, to have patience and practice a lot! greetings from Brazil, strings brother.
the most underrated blues man, a true legend
Along with Lonnie Johnson i would say. I hear Lonnie's last job was as a dishwasher...
Arnau C. Definitely lonnie johnson too, it's so sad, i never heard that about him
The best
Much love ❤️ and appreciation🎧 for blues 💙 legend, Big Bill Broonzy. 🎸
The Towering Greats like Broonzy are the reason I'm shy about playing and singing The Blues. ... This is TRULY A High Art at this level and you've GOT TO have the credibility to be real. .... Not enough of us realize the Total Mastery and Genius Of The Artist being expressed here. ...a MIND BLOWING HISTORICAL RECORDING.
This video is priceless. It's as if you showed up at his house unannounced and asked "Bill, can you come out on the porch steps and play a couple songs? And he dropped whatever he was doing and obliged. Gotta love the pen in the shirt pocket too.
big bill was genial!
Bill with long fingers to die for - This is brilliant.
So many kids yakety yak with their axe and they got that right. I'll listen to Big Bill anytime. You kids keep yackin and that!!
Guitar heaven.
So talented! Wish I could have heard him play in person:(
"I love the Delta blues" Great musician. He led people to believe that he was from the Mississippi/Yazoo Delta and was almost as old as Charlie Patton -- two things people wanted to hear in the 1950s -- but he was really born in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas area in 1903 and learned to play guitar in the North.
The tune that Bill is playing at the end of the video, 'How You Want It Done?' was one he first recorded in 1930 (27 yrs earlier) & it's so great that we have this candid footage of him trying to remember one of his old tunes & stumbling a bit in the process . . . gold!
I think he stumbled because he doesn't do a lot of flat-picked tunes.