Required Listening
Robert Pete Williams
Born: Zachary, La
March 14, 1914 - December 31, 1980
Genre Style: Delta Blues
Robert Pete Williams was born into a sharecropping family in Zachary, Louisiana, back in 1914, growing up working the fields with no formal schooling. He picked up music relatively late, picking up a home-made cigar box guitar around the age of 20 and teaching himself a deeply personal way of playing. His life took a sharp turn in 1956 when he shot a man at a nightclub in what he claimed was self-defense. Convicted of murder, he was sentenced to life at the notoriously harsh Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, where his raw talent might have stayed hidden forever.Instead, ethnomusicologists Harry Oster and Richard Allen discovered him at Angola in 1958, captivated by the haunting, stream-of-consciousness songs he sang about prison life. Oster was so moved that he lobbied the governor for Williams' release, helping him secure parole by late 1959. This breakthrough completely changed his trajectory, leading to a legendary performance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival that introduced his heavy, improvisational style to the world. He spent the next two decades touring across the United States and Europe, leaving behind a lasting legacy before his death in 1980. His signature song, "I've Grown So Ugly," eventually caught the ears of musicians like Captain Beefheart and The Black Keys, securing his spot in both the Louisiana Blues and official Blues Halls of Fame.๐ Check the sidebar
