Blind Willie Walker

Blind Willie Walker (April 1896 – March 4, 1933) was an early American blues guitarist and singer, who played the Piedmont blues style. He was described by blues musicians such as Reverend Gary Davis and Pink Anderson as an outstanding guitarist. Josh White called him the best guitarist he had ever heard, even better than Blind Blake: "Blake was quick, but Walker was like Art Tatum." In his performances, he was often accompanied by guitarist Sam Brooks. He worked as an itinerant musician, and spent time with Gary Davis in 1911/13, elsewhere (by Ian Zack, 2015) stated to comprise (in addition to the two guitarists) two lead violins, a bass violin and a mandolin. From 1923 he was led occasionally by Josh White, and later by Sam Brooks, who was Walker's cousin. although according to Ian Zack, having first told his student Stefan Grossman that this was the case, on another occasion he disavowed it.

On the original of this song, Walker is playing in C-shapes but capoed up on the 5th fret (thus the song comes out in F). There can be no doubt that his fleet rapidly picked runs were executed using his thumb and index finger in rapid succession, as for example parallelled in the playing of Gary Davis (admittedly at not quite such a breakneck speed), although the speed and clarity of his playing was sufficient for at least one commentator to believe he was flatpicking (see liner notes to the 1968 Yazoo compilation East Coast Blues), a technique otherwise unknown in the blues at such a speed; in addition this would fail to account for his evident use of finger/s and thumb to play the remainder of the notes of the piece.

A recent rendition of "South Carolina Rag" arranged for two guitars, with some approximation to Walker's harmonic concepts/choice of chording and bravura playing, can be seen on YouTube by the contemporary performers Andy Cohen and Eric Noden.

Discography "Dupree Blues" / "South Carolina Rag" (CO-14578-D)

Also recorded, but never issued, were the songs "Rider Blues" and "Da Da Da". A second take of "South Carolina Rag" has appeared on several compilation albums, including Ragtime Blues Guitar 1928-30 (1982, Matchbox Records).