Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 23:15:08 -0800 From: Tom Ball Subject: both Sonny Boys and chromatics/amplification
Greetings to both Harp-L and Blues-L...
Just doing a bit of research and wondered if anybody can help:
1) Anybody *definitively* know whether either John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson (I,) or Alex "Rice" Miller ("Sonny Boy Williamson II") ever played chromatic? To the best of my knowledge neither ever did, with the exception of a version of the song "Dissatisfied," on which SBWII used a Koch 10-hole Richter-tuned chromatic in C (2nd position with the button pressed in, resulting in true Ab.)
Having said that, we know that SBWII is known to have at least *owned* a Hohner Super Chromonica; in a book entitled 'Blues: It's Birth and Growth' by Howard Elmer (Library of African-American Arts and Culture) there is a photo entitled "Sonny Boy Williamson's Box Of Harmonicas," and credited to Deutsch Press/ Archive Photos. The photo is of a briefcase containing both loose harps and harps in boxes, including a Super Chromonica, Echo Vampers and Echo Super Vampers. This makes sense in that the photo was taken in Germany where US versions of Hohner diatonics (SBII used Marine Bands and Old Standbys in the states) would've been unavailable, hence the Vampers and Super Vampers. But what of the Super Chromonica? Did he ever actually play it? Is this yet another SBWII mystery (as though there aren't enough already?)
2) SBI had been dead for over three years before the first recordings were made by anyone playing in the "new" amplified manner -- Little Walter on Muddy Waters' recording session of July 11, 1951 -- so we know the issue of amplification does not crop up in his case...
In the case of SBII, it appears that his first amplified session took place on September 1, 1957, and resulted in the songs "Cross My Heart," "Born Blind," "99," "Dissatisfied," "Unseen Eye" and the notorious "Little Village." Anybody know what kind of mic and amp Miller used in these (and/or in subsequent) sessions?
In the footage I've seen of SBII, although he uses a mic, he is not really playing in the 'amplified' manner -- i.e. for the most part he is playing in an 'acoustic' fashion and simply using the mic to make himself louder, as opposed to cupping the mic and overdriving an amp, a la either Walter...
Anybody out there who remembers seeing SBII live? And who might care to substantiate and/or comment?
