Williams as a youth began wandering across the United States busking and playing stores, bars, alleys and work camps. In the early 1920s he worked in the Rabbit Foot Minstrels revue and recorded with the Birmingham Jug Band in 1930 for the Okeh label.
In 1934, he was in St. Louis, where he met record producer Lester Melrose who signed him to Bluebird Records in 1935. He stayed with Bluebird for ten years, recording such blues hits as "Baby, Please Don't Go" as Joe Williams' Washboard Blues Singers (1935) and "Crawlin' King Snake" (1941), both songs later covered by many other performers. He also recorded with other blues singers, including Sonny Boy Williamson I, Robert Nighthawk and Peetie Wheatstraw.
Williams remained a noted blues artist in the 1950s and 1960s, with his guitar style and vocals becoming popular with folk-blues fans. He recorded for the Trumpet, Delmark, Prestige and Vocalion labels, among others. He became a regular on the concert and coffeehouse circuits, touring Europe and Japan in the late 1960s and early 1970s and performing at major U.S. music festivals.
He died December 17, 1982 in Macon, Mississippi. Williams was buried in a private cemetery outside Crawford near the Lowndes County line. His headstone was primarily paid for by friends and partially funded by a collection taken up among musicians at Clifford Antone's nightclub in Austin, Texas, organized by California music writer Dan Forte, and erected through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund on October 9, 1994. Harmonica virtuoso and one time touring companion of Williams, Charlie Musselwhite, delivered the eulogy at the unveiling. Williams' headstone epitaph, composed by Forte, proclaims him "King of the 9 String Guitar."
Remaining funds raised for Williams' memorial were donated by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund to the Delta Blues Museum in order to purchase the last nine-string guitar from Williams' sister Mary May. The guitar purchased by the Museum is actually a 12-string guitar that Williams used in his later days. The last nine-string (a 1950s Kay cutaway converted to Williams' nine-string specifications) is missing at this time. Williams' previous nine-string (converted from a 1944 Gibson L-7) is in the possession of Williams' road agent and fellow traveler, Blewett Thomas.
One of Williams' nine-string guitars can be found under the counter of the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago, which is owned by Bob Koester, the founder of Delmark Records. Williams can be seen playing the nine-string guitar in American Folk-Blues Festival: The British Tours, 1963-1966, a 2007 DVD release.
Blues historian Barry Lee Pearson (Sounds Good to Me: The Bluesman's Story, Virginia Piedmont Blues) attempted to document the gritty intensity of the Williams persona in this description:
"When I saw him playing at Mike Bloomfield's "blues night" at the Fickle Pickle, Williams was playing an electric nine-string guitar through a small ramshackle amp with a pie plate nailed to it and a beer can dangling against that. When he played, everything rattled but Big Joe himself. The total effect of this incredible apparatus produced the most buzzing, sizzling, African-sounding music I have ever heard".
Marc Miller described a 1965 performance in Greenwich Village:
"Sandwiched in between the two sets, perhaps as an afterthought, was the bluesman Big Joe Williams (not to be confused with the jazz and rhythm and blues singer Joe Williams who sang with Count Basie). He looked terrible. He had a big bulbous aneuristic protrusion bulging out of his forehead. He was equipped with a beat up old acoustic guitar which I think had nine strings and sundry homemade attachments and a wire hanger contraption around his neck fashioned to hold a kazoo while keeping his hands free to play the guitar. Needless to say, he was a big letdown after the folk rockers. My date and I exchanged pained looks in empathy for what was being done this Delta blues man who was ruefully out of place. After three or four songs the unseen announcer came on the p. a. system and said, "Lets have a big hand for Big Joe Williams, ladies and gentlemen; thank you, Big Joe". But Big Joe wasn't finished. He hadn't given up on the audience, and he ignored the announcer. He continued his set and after each song the announcer came over the p. a. and tried to politely but firmly get Big Joe off the stage. Big Joe was having none of it, and he continued his set with his nine-string acoustic and his kazoo. Long about the sixth or seventh song he got into his groove and started to wail with raggedy slide guitar riffs, powerful voice, as well as intense percussion on the guitar and its various accoutrements. By the end of the set he had that audience of jaded '60s rockers on their feet cheering and applauding vociferously. Our initial pity for him was replaced by wondrous respect. He knew he had it in him to move that audience, and he knew that thousands of watts and hundreds of decibels do not change one iota the basic power of a song".
Williams' guitar playing was in the Delta blues style, and yet was unique. He played driving rhythm and virtuosic lead lines simultaneously and sang over it all. He played with picks both on his thumb and index finger, plus his guitar was heavily modified. Williams added a rudimentary electric pick-up, whose wires coiled all over the top of his guitar. He also added three extra strings, creating unison pairs for the first, second and fourth strings. His guitar was usually tuned to Open G, like such: (D2 G2 D3D3 G3 B3B3 D4D4), with a capo placed on the second fret to set the tuning to the key of A. During the 1920s and 1930s, Williams had gradually added these extra strings in order to keep other guitar players from being able to play his guitar. In his later years, he would also occasionally use a 12-string guitar with all strings tuned in unison to Open G. Williams sometimes tuned a six-string guitar to an interesting modification of Open G. In this modified tuning, the bass D string (D2) was replaced with a .08 gauge string and tuned to G4. The resulting tuning was (G4 G2 D3 G3 B3 D4), with the G4 string being used as a melody string. This tuning was used exclusively for slide playing.
Baby Please Don't Go
Big Joe Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, please don't go
Baby, please don't go
Down to New Orleans
You know I love you so
Baby, please don't go
Baby, your mind done gone
Well, your mind done gone
Left the county farm
You had the shackles on
Baby, please don't go
For be a dog
For be a dog
For be a dog
To git you way down here
I make you walk the log
Baby, please don't go
Baby, please don't go
Baby, please don't go
Baby, please don't go
Down to New Orleans
You know I love you so
Baby, please don't go
For be a dog
For be a dog
For be a dog
Git you way down here
Make you walk the log
Baby, please don't go
Now how I feel right now
My baby leavin'
On that midnight train
And I'm cryin'
Baby, please don't go
Baby, please don't go
Baby, please don't go
Down to New Orleans
You know I love you so
Baby, please don't go
For be a dog
For be a dog
For be a dog
To git you way down here
I make you walk the log
Baby, please don't go, yeah
Awright
This song, "Baby Please Don't Go," is a plea from the singer to his lover not to leave him, specifically not to head to New Orleans. The repetition of the phrase "Baby, please don't go," reinforces the singer's desperation and his fear that his lover will leave him for good. The singer uses the metaphor of his lover's mind "done gone" to further emphasize her perceived departure from their relationship. He compares himself to a dog, offering to submit himself to humiliation and servitude just to keep her from leaving. He also describes the overwhelming sadness he feels at the thought of her leaving on the "midnight train," underscoring the depth of his love for her.
The repetition of phrases throughout the song is a hallmark of the blues genre, serving to reinforce the emotional message and to create a sense of momentum that drives the song forward. The use of metaphors, particularly the comparison of the singer to a dog, is also characteristic of the blues, which often used animal imagery to describe human emotions and experiences. In this song, the singer is willing to do anything to keep his lover from leaving, even if it means debasing himself and becoming like a dog.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, please don't go
The singer begs his lover to stay with him instead of leaving for New Orleans.
Baby, your mind done gone
The singer accuses his lover of losing her mind and leaving the county farm where they were living.
Left the county farm
The singer confirms that his lover has indeed left the county farm where they were staying together.
You had the shackles on
The singer implies that his lover was imprisoned or enslaved in some way before they met.
For be a dog
The singer is willing to do anything, even become a dog, to keep his lover from leaving him.
To git you way down here
The singer is trying to convince his lover that she should stay with him and not go to New Orleans.
I make you walk the log
The singer threatens to punish his lover by making her walk on a dangerous log as a way of keeping her from leaving him.
Now how I feel right now
The singer expresses his sadness and desperation at the thought of his lover leaving him.
My baby leavin'
The singer refers to his lover as his baby and acknowledges that she is leaving him.
On that midnight train
The singer imagines his lover leaving him on a train that departs at midnight.
And I'm cryin'
The singer admits that he is crying over the loss of his lover.
Awright
An exclamation used to end the song.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Joseph Lee Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mandrakeblackstone5838
He was the Frist to ever record this song ........
what's great about songs like this is there is no known original writer and its open and free for every blues musician to put their spin on it like back in the old days when songs were just passed down from one musician to the next , or some just played a cool progression with a good beat and everyone just jumped in and played along adding their own flavor , and making the lyrics up as they went along .
Back before the Record player was invented no one cared about taking credit for a song they created , hell a lot of people didn't even write the music down just played it and showed others who liked it how it was done to be passed down to another musician to play .
The music industry ruined what the spirit of the blues truly is about , now its just all about taking credit and making money .
The True spirit of the blues is about playing a song that makes others feel as you do its about musicians learning a cool chordal progression or some sweet sounding notes , getting together and just play something and enjoying the moment , its about passing what you know on to the next musician so they can express themselves through the chords and notes they have learnt , Its about pouring your heart out and allowing your spirit to become one with your instrument and letting the music come alive .
@derjungemensch5902
I have a message that I’m sharing where I can, some may not want to hear this, but I ask that we stay polite and seek truth together. 😊
.....
Love is an action. Feed the hungry, house the homeless, father the orphan, and protect the defenseless and vulnerable.
Read the Word for yourself, not only relying on others for guidance. Pray for guidance.Yahushua/Yeshua - His Hebrew name who is usually called (Jesus) taught to keep the whole Word. Including the Law/Torah. Matthew 5:17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not [g]the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [h]others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever [i]keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Read 1 John. John tells us that sin is lawlessness, and that we must keep the commandments. Trust in the atonement of Yahushua/Yeshua who is usually called Jesus, and keep God (YHWH)'s whole Word/commandments. Revelation 12:17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 14:12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. Go to parableofthevineyard youtube channel for information about the bible and good bible studies. I'm in no way paid or sent by him for advertising. I just have learned a lot from his content. He's just a man who is trying to learn as well. :) Yeshua died so we may be resurrected to eternal life....
@BURTBROWN
On a rainy Saturday afternoon, about 1966, in Starkville Ms. and friend of mine and I were waiting at the dilapidated bus station (an old gas station) to pick up a package. There was this older gentleman in a brownish trench coat sitting on an old bench out front with a beat up old guitar and an amplifier so old it looked like a 1940's wooden radio with a metal handle. As we sat in the car, my friend said "I think I know that guy." He kept looking at the fellow sitting by himself and telling me "That guy just looks familiar." Well, the guy didn't look familiar to me, so I just let it go. Suddenly, my friend gets out of the car and goes over and sits down on the bench with this fellow. They start chatting and I roll the window down and to hear what's going on. The fellow with the old guitar says he's heading up to New York City to play the Cafe A Go Go - a big club up there then. "Yeah sure" I said to myself, this guy with a broken down old Stella guitar, strings hanging off the head stock and extra tuning keys is going to play a big rock club. I got out and just ambled around, he said his name was Big Joe Williams - a COMPLETE blank to me - never heard of him. He said to my friend "I wrote a song Van Morrison and others did called Baby Please Don't Go." I was pretty sure right then he was just conning my friend cause that was a favorite song of mine and I knew I had it on an album by Paul Revere and the Raiders! And we're suppose to think that this guy is sitting - barely out of the rain, in Starkville - with a beat up old guitar and little amp and he wrote that hit song that dozens of famous groups had done?????? LOL!!! Soon then he started talking about his friend Bob Dylan, who had just had a very serious motorcycle accident. This fellow was very worried about him, he had details about how it happened and was going to see Dylan while he was up north. My friend was asking all the musical question - I was very shy at the time - and all these interesting stories about the famous musical people this guitar player knew came pouring out. I read every musical magazine there was and knew his stories to be accurate but could not believe this old fellow read those. He didn't even look like he could get a job in an old broken down beer joint...... Well the bus came, we got our package, he and my friend said so long and we got back in the car. My friend, a big blues fan - which I was not - was elated after hearing all those, admittedly, fascinating stories. But doubter me, I was going to prove he was just pulling my friend's leg. Back at the college, I jumped out of the car, ran upstairs and grabbed the Raiders LP and looked "BABY PLEASE DON'T GO writer BIG JOE WILLIAMS!!!! And WHY was he in little Starkville???? Well, I much later found out he lived in Crawford, Ms, an even smaller town, about 20 miles away....... Look him up on Wiki or over to the right in more videos of him.... And Big Joe, if you can hear me up there in the sky, I apologize for doubting what you were saying and I thank you for teaching that know it all kid a lesson he's never forgotten - You cannot judge someone by their looks!!!!!!
@JoMarquez
Wow man what an amazing story. God bless us all and may we all learn
@mandrakeblackstone5838
He was the Frist to ever record this song ........
what's great about songs like this is there is no known original writer and its open and free for every blues musician to put their spin on it like back in the old days when songs were just passed down from one musician to the next , or some just played a cool progression with a good beat and everyone just jumped in and played along adding their own flavor , and making the lyrics up as they went along .
Back before the Record player was invented no one cared about taking credit for a song they created , hell a lot of people didn't even write the music down just played it and showed others who liked it how it was done to be passed down to another musician to play .
The music industry ruined what the spirit of the blues truly is about , now its just all about taking credit and making money .
The True spirit of the blues is about playing a song that makes others feel as you do its about musicians learning a cool chordal progression or some sweet sounding notes , getting together and just play something and enjoying the moment , its about passing what you know on to the next musician so they can express themselves through the chords and notes they have learnt , Its about pouring your heart out and allowing your spirit to become one with your instrument and letting the music come alive .
@bearwilliams9226
The farther back you go into the history of the Delta Blues the more powerful the artists become!!! 👊🏿💕🔥
@TheRealCaptainFreedom
Shit be like Pokemon.
@WilliamGerhardt
These old blues guys played and sang from the very depths of their heart and soul
@paoklunetic
Thats how everything were started!!!! Thank you black people from the bottom of my heart!
@Infinitebrandon
Wow ,bra! I found the legend! These kids don't know nothing about this. Gotta know the blues before you can rock! Gonna take at least a few years. Ty Joe 🤙
@jacobhowie4530
The soul when he sings will never be found this day and age
@michaelelliott3209
Muddy channeled Big Joe with this song!