Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1… Read Full Bio ↴Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a Piedmont and ragtime blues singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont blues, although, unlike his contemporaries, he came to use twelve-string guitars exclusively. McTell was also an adept slide guitarist, unusual among ragtime bluesmen. His vocal style, a smooth and often laid-back tenor, differed greatly from many of the harsher voice types employed by Delta bluesmen, such as Charley Patton. McTell embodied a variety of musical styles, including blues, ragtime, religious music and hokum.

Born in the town of Thomson, Georgia, McTell learned how to play guitar in his early teens. He soon became a street performer around several Georgia cities including Atlanta and Augusta, and first recorded in 1927 for Victor Records. Although he never produced a major hit record, McTell's recording career was prolific, recording for different labels under different names throughout the 1920s and 30s. In 1940, he was recorded by folklorist John A. Lomax and Ruby Terrill Lomax for the Library of Congress's folk song archive. He would remain active throughout the 1940s and 50s, playing on the streets of Atlanta, often with his longtime associate, Curley Weaver. Twice more he recorded professionally. McTell's last recordings originated during an impromptu session recorded by an Atlanta record store owner in 1956. McTell would die three years later after suffering for years from diabetes and alcoholism. Despite his mainly failed releases, McTell was one of the few archaic blues musicians that would actively play and record during the 1940s and 50s. However, McTell never lived to be "rediscovered" during the imminent American folk music revival, as many other bluesmen would.

McTell's influence extended over a wide variety of artists, including The Allman Brothers Band, who famously covered McTell's "Statesboro Blues", and Bob Dylan, who paid tribute to McTell in his 1983 song "Blind Willie McTell"; the refrain of which is, "And I know no one can sing the blues, like Blind Willie McTell". Other artists influenced by McTell include Taj Mahal, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Ralph McTell, Chris Smither and The White Stripes.

Born William Samuel McTier in Thomson, Georgia, blind in one eye, McTell had lost his remaining vision by late childhood. He attended schools for the blind in the states of Georgia, New York and Michigan and showed proficiency in music from an early age, first playing harmonica and accordion, learning to read and write music in Braille, and turning to the six-string guitar in his early teens. His family background was rich in music, both of his parents and an uncle played guitar; he is also a relation of bluesman and gospel pioneer Thomas A. Dorsey. His father left the family when McTell was still young, and, when his mother died in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became a wandering musician, or "songster". He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records in Atlanta.

McTell married Ruth Kate Williams, now better known as Kate McTell, in 1934. She accompanied him on stage and on several recordings before becoming a nurse in 1939. Most of their marriage from 1942 until his death was spent apart, with her living in Fort Gordon near Augusta and him working around Atlanta.

In the years before World War II, McTell traveled and performed widely, recording for a number of labels under many different names, including Blind Willie McTell (Victor and Decca), Blind Sammie (Columbia), Georgia Bill (Okeh), Hot Shot Willie (Victor), Blind Willie (Vocalion and Bluebird), Barrelhouse Sammie (Atlantic), and Pig & Whistle Red (Regal). The "Pig 'n Whistle" appellation was a reference to a chain of Atlanta barbecue restaurants, one of which was located on the south side of East Ponce de Leon between Boulevard and Moreland Avenue, which later became a Krispy Kreme. McTell would frequently played for tips in the parking lot of this location. He was also known to play behind the nearby building that later became Ray Lee's Blue Lantern Lounge. Like his fellow songster Lead Belly, who began his career as a street artist, McTell favored the somewhat unwieldy and unusual twelve-string guitar, whose greater volume made it suitable for outdoor playing.

In 1940 John A. Lomax and his wife, Ruby Terrill Lomax, Classics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, interviewed and recorded McTell for the Library of Congress's Folk Song Archive in a two-hour session held in their hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia. These recordings document McTell's distinctive musical style, which bridges the gap between the raw country blues of the early part of the 20th century and the more conventionally melodious, Ragtime-influenced East-Coast Piedmont blues sound. Mr. and Mrs. Lomax also elicited from the singer a number of traditional songs (such as "The Boll Weevil" and "John Henry") as well as spirituals (such as "Amazing Grace"), which were not part of his usual commercial repertoire. In the interview, John A. Lomax is heard asking if McTell knows any "complaining" songs (an earlier term for protest songs), to which the singer replies somewhat uncomfortably and evasively that he does not. The Library of Congress paid McTell $10, the equivalent of $154.56 in 2011, for this two-hour session. The material from this 1940 session was issued in 1960 in LP and later in CD form, under the somewhat misleading title of "The Complete Library of Congress Recordings", notwithstanding the fact that it was in fact truncated, in that it omitted some of John A. Lomax's interactions with the singer and cut out entirely the contributions of Ruby Terrill Lomax.

Postwar, McTell recorded for Atlantic Records and Regal Records in 1949, but these recordings met with less commercial success than his previous works. He continued to perform around Atlanta, but his career was cut short by ill health, predominantly diabetes and alcoholism. In 1956, an Atlanta record store manager, Edward Rhodes, discovered McTell playing in the street for quarters and enticed him with a bottle of corn liquor into his store, where he captured a few final performances on a tape recorder. These were released posthumously on Prestige/Bluesville Records as Last Session. Beginning in 1957, McTell occupied himself as a preacher at Atlanta's Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

McTell died in Milledgeville, Georgia, of a stroke in 1959. He was buried at Jones Grove Church, near Thomson, Georgia, his birthplace. A fan paid to have a gravestone erected on his resting place. The name given on his gravestone is Eddie McTier. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1981, and into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1990.

One of McTell's most famous songs, "Statesboro Blues," was frequently covered by The Allman Brothers Band and is considered one of their earliest signature songs. A short list of some of the artists who also perform it includes Taj Mahal, David Bromberg, The Devil Makes Three and Ralph McTell, who changed his name on account of liking the song. Ry Cooder covered McTell's "Married Man's a Fool" on his 1973 album, Paradise and Lunch.
Jack White of The White Stripes considers McTell an influence, as their 2000 album De Stijl was dedicated to him and featured a cover of his song "Southern Can Is Mine". The White Stripes also covered McTell's "Lord, Send Me an Angel", releasing it as a single in 2000.
In 2013 Jack White's Third Man Records teamed up with Document Records to reissue The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order of Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and The Mississippi Sheiks.

Bob Dylan has paid tribute to McTell on at least four occasions: Firstly, in his 1965 song "Highway 61 Revisited", the second verse begins with "Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose", referring to one of Blind Willie McTell's many recording names; later in his song "Blind Willie McTell", recorded in 1983 but released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3; then with covers of McTell's "Broke Down Engine" and "Delia" on his 1993 album, World Gone Wrong; also, in his song "Po' Boy", on 2001's "Love & Theft", which contains the lyric, "had to go to Florida dodging them Georgia laws", which comes from McTell's "Kill It Kid".
Also, Bath-based band "Kill It Kid" is named after that song.

A blues bar in Atlanta is named after McTell and regularly features blues musicians and bands. The Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival is held annually in Thomson, Georgia.

Broke Down Engine
Blind Willie McTell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Feel like a broke down engine, mama
Ain't got no drivin' wheel, lord have mercy
Feel like a broke down engine, mama
Ain't got no drivin' wheel
You all been down and lonely
You know just how Willie McTell feels

But it's, Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord

Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord

I've been shooting craps and gambling
Good God, and I done got broke
I've been shooting craps and gambling
Sweet mama, and I done got broke
I done pawned my 33 special, good gal
And my clothes been sold

I even went down in my praying ground
Dropped down on bended knees
I went down to my praying ground
And dropped on bended knees
I ain't crying for no religion
Lordy, give me back my good girl please

But it's Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord
Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord, Lord, Lordy Lord

If you give me my baby
Lord, I won't worry you no more
If you give me my baby
Lord, I won't worry you no more
You ain't got to put her in my house
Lordy, only lead her to my door

Lordy, Lord

Don't you hear me, baby
Knocking on your door?
Don't you hear your daddy, mama
Knocking on your door?
Can't I get out singing, living 'n' tapping
Flatting, slip right across your floor

Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord, Lordy Lord
Lordy, Lordy Lord

Overall Meaning

In Blind Willie McTell's song Broke Down Engine, the singer vividly describes the feeling of being broken down and worn out, comparing it to a engine without a driving wheel. He laments on the fact that he has been down and lonely and must constantly face the difficulties of life, just like any machine that often needs to be repaired to function properly. Despite the hardships he faces, he recognizes that he is not alone in his struggles, and that anyone who has ever felt down and out surely understands and can relate to his pain. However, he remains hopeful, believing that if his lost love were to return to him, he would be able to move forward in life and regain his strength.

The song’s structure is very simple, with the verses being a simple AABB rhyme structure, accompanied by a repeating chant-like refrain of “Lordy Lordy Lordy Lordy Lord” emphasizing McTell's pain while simultaneously drawing parallels to religious call and response hymns. The song uses a handful of common blues themes, including gambling, loss of possessions, and pleading for love. A standout line speaks of his prayer for the return of his love, repeating “Lordy give me back my good girl please.” The repetition and use of religious language underscores the deeply emotional and spiritual nature of the Blues.

Line by Line Meaning

Feel like a broke down engine, mama
I feel so exhausted and broken, like a train that is unable to move, mama

Ain't got no drivin' wheel, lord have mercy
I have lost the most important part of me, the driving force to keep moving forward, oh Lord help me

You all been down and lonely
If you have ever felt hopeless and lost, then you know exactly how I feel

You know just how Willie McTell feels
You can empathize with my pain because you have been in my shoes

I've been shooting craps and gambling
I have been taking risky actions and it has led me to a bad situation

Good God, and I done got broke
Oh my God, I have lost all my money and now I am penniless

I done pawned my 33 special, good gal
I sold my valuable possession, my 33 special, oh dear

And my clothes been sold
I even had to sell my own clothes in order to survive

I went down to my praying ground
I went to a sacred place where I usually pray

And dropped on bended knees
I bowed down in humility and submission

I ain't crying for no religion
I am not asking for any religious favor in particular

Lordy, give me back my good girl please
Oh Lord, please bring my loved one back to me, that's all I am asking for

If you give me my baby
If you would only bring my love back to me

Lord, I won't worry you no more
I promise to stop bothering you and asking for your help if you do this one thing for me

You ain't got to put her in my house
You don't have to go to great lengths, just bring her to my doorstep

Lordy, only lead her to my door
Please guide her to my door, oh Lord

Don't you hear me, baby
Can't you hear me knocking on your door, my love?

Knocking on your door?
Asking to be let in to your life once again?

Can't I get out singing, living 'n' tapping
Can we not enjoy our time together, singing and dancing like old times?

Flatting, slip right across your floor
May I come in and move smoothly on your floor, my love?

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: WILLIE MCTELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Cecil B. Music

1y↑1

Feel like a broke down engine, mama
Ain't got no drivin' wheel, lord have mercy
Feel like a broke down engine, mama
Ain't got no drivin' wheel
You all been down and lonley
You know just how Willie McTell feels
But it's, Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord
Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord
I've been shooting craps and gambling
Good God, and I done got broke
I've been shooting craps and gambling
Sweet mama, and I done got broke
I done pawned my 33 special, good gal
And my clothes been sold
I even went down in my praying ground
Dropped down on bended knees
I went down to my praying ground
And dropped on bended knees
I ain't crying for no religion
Lordy, give me back my good girl please
But it's Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord
Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord, Lord, Lordy Lord
If you give me my baby
Lord, I won't worry you no more
If you give me my baby
Lord, I won't worry you no more
You ain't got to put her in my house
Lordy, only lead her to my door
Lordy, Lord
Don't you hear me, baby
Knocking on your door?
Don't you hear your daddy, mama
Knocking on your door?
Can't I get out singing, living 'n' tapping
Flatting, slip right across your floor
Lordy Lord, Lordy, Lordy Lord, Lordy Lord
Lordy, Lordy Lord

Bradley Battles

3y↑6

I think wille should be just as famous as lead belly and the like hes Epic talented!?
he was way before his time*!

( hed be a millionaire if he could have been in the UK in the 1960's!? Lol they were Desperate for good True blues almost none except the biggest made it over there cuz licencing etc)

Hes part of the original breed with music flowing from them like it was Breathing!?!?
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
🖤🖤🖤🖤
😍😍😍😍
Hes my new favorite

All comments from YouTube:

morristonian

3y↑13

Blind Willie has his own style and I love.

Prince GayBlack

1y↑6

Willie was so different from everyone else; staying on rhythm with is somethings intuitive and other tomrd it is beyond ridiculously, irritatingly impossible; he literally took the blues and created his own genre that, I suppose, we've yet to give a name to.

I lo❤e his sweet voice.