Big Bill Broonzy Guitar Tab Books, Instruction DVDs, Solos, Arrangements, Video Lessons

    Bill Broonzy, the famous vocalist guitarist whose music is the very essence of the blues and early jazz, was born on June 26, 1898 in Scott, Mississippi and raised in Arkansas. His parents were born into slavery and as a boy Big Bill made his living as a farm laborer. In 1916 he worked as a coal miner for about a year and in 1917 he was part of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe. Exposed to the music of lots of early blues guitarists, Broonzy created a very moving blues sound on the guitar which he made use of to accompany his voice in addition to other artists and singers.

    In 1920 Big Bill Broonzy moved to Chicago where he worked as a laborer. He ended up being a member of the local black community and as a result connected with numerous famous blues singers and guitar instrumentalists including Tampa Red, Memphis Minnie, Lonnie Johnson, Memphis Slim, and Leroy Carr. He also took guitar lessons from Papa Charlie Jackson. His skills on the guitar were evident and in 1926 he was hired by Paramount to record as a guitar accompanist for numerous blues vocalists.

    By the late 1930s Broonzy had already established himself as a top blues vocalist-guitarist in his own right and was recording routinely. From 1938 - 1939 he was a showcased artist in John Hammond's "From Spirituals to Swing" performances. For the entire duration of World War II Big Bill dropped out of the public eye and worked as a janitor at Iowa State College. Fortunately he was still able to maintain a musical performing career in Chicago and because of this his whereabouts were known to blues and jazz lovers throughout the world.

    From 1951 - 1952, due to popular demand, Big Bill Broonzy was contracted for live performance tours of Europe and the United Kingdom. These tours were so well received that Broonzy's fantastic skill as a guitar player was finally recognized on a global basis. Additional live show tours followed in 1955 and 1957. A lung operation in late 1957 brought Big Bill's singing profession to an end and he died of cancer the following year on January 14 at the age of 60.

    The significance of Big Bill Broonzy's contribution as a blues singer is undeniable, however it is not normally understood by jazz fans that his guitar playing had a noticeable influence on numerous up and coming younger jazz guitarists. He was without a doubt among the finest and most influential of the early blues guitar stylists and many of his guitar solos are still performed by guitar players all over the world today!