John Lee Curtis “Sonny Boy” Williamson (March 30, 1914 – June 1, 1948) By Michael Baker AV Librarian Jackson/Madison County Library (March 2014) Famous blues musician, John Lee Curtis “Sonny Boy” Williamson was born March 30, 1914, in Southwest Madison County, Tennessee. His parents were Rafe Williamson and Nancy Utley. After his father died when John Lee was just a baby, his mother remarried to Willie Utley. Tragically, Willie died in service during World War II. When John Lee was 11 years old, his mother, Nancy Utley, gave him his first harmonica as a Christmas gift. He taught himself how to play the instrument imitating the sounds he heard around his home in the country and listening to records. According to one friend, he could make that harp [harmonica] sound like a pack of hounds. He began his musical career singing in a gospel quartet named The Four Lamb Jubilee. He was also a popular local musician and as a teenager he joined with bluesmen, Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell to perform across West Tennessee. On November 13, 1937, John Lee Williamson married Lacey Belle Davidson in Madison County. Later, they made their way to Chicago. Also in 1937, Sonny Boy’s talents landed him a contract with the RCA Record Company’s Bluebird label. His first recording session produced the hits “Good Morning Little School Girl,” Sugar Mama’s Blues,” and Bluebird Blues,” all of which became blues classics. His songs and style of playing were a hit with his audiences, many of whom had moved north in search of better lives, but were hungry for a reminder of home. Over the next decade, he recorded numerous times, both as a bandleader and as a sideman for other Bluebird artists like Tampa Red, Robert Nighthawk, and Big Joe Williams. John Lee Williamson’s life was tragically cut short in the early morning hour of June 1, 1948. On his way home from a performance at the Plantation Club in Chicago, he fell victim to a robbery . When he died, he was 34 years old and had a national hit song, “Shake that Boogie,” on the Rhythm and Blues charts. John Lee Williamson was an innovator and a musical link between the post World War II styles of country blues and urban blues. He was the first great blues harmonica player and many of his songs are considered blues standards. They have been recorded by many musicians, including Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Rod Stewart, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, The Yardbirds, and The Grateful Dead. After his death, his body was brought back to Madison County to be buried in the Blair’s Chapel Cemetery, closely following the request he sang in one of his songs, “I want my body buried in Jackson, Tennessee.” On June 1, 1990, during a “Sonny Boy Williamson Day” celebration, a red granite headstone, paid for by the RCA Corporation and local contributors, was dedicated along with the unveiling of a Tennessee State Historical Marker on Highway 18. This Madison County native had finally been recognized as an important contributor to blues music. .