Blues Boy Willie

William Daniel McFall (November 28, 1946 – March 2, 2024), known professionally as Blues Boy Willie, was an American electric and soul blues singer, musician, and songwriter.

McFall released ten albums and a string of singles in a long career, including work which appeared in the US Billboard R&B albums chart. Steve Leggett of AllMusic stated that Blues Boy Willie "makes things work by the sheer force of his engaging personality."

Life and career William Daniel McFall was born in Memphis, Texas, on November 28, 1946. He graduated from Memphis High School, and then studied music at Clarendon College in Clarendon, Texas. He learned to play the double bass there, and then toured the college circuit playing the guitar. Blues Boy Willie later relocated to Los Angeles, California. He spent the next ten years touring and performing along Coastal California as part of a blues trio.

Continually trying to make a living from music, by playing his now local Texas patch of the chitlin' circuit for years, Blues Boy Willie was thrown a lifeline in 1989, when his childhood friend, Gary B.B. Coleman, invited him to join the roster at Ichiban Records. The album was produced by Coleman, who also provided guitar work. His sophomore effort, Be Who? (1990), contained Blues Boy Willie's most played track, "Be Who?", containing comedy laden dialogue between Willie, his then wife 'Miss Lee', and his producer/friend Coleman, with the crux of it being Willie's suggestion that some of his children are not his. The popularity of the track helped propel the album to spend 21 weeks on the US Billboard R&B albums chart, peaking at No. 57.

His next release came in 1991 with Be Who? 2. The songs, mostly written by Blues Boy Willie and Coleman, included another instalment of the "Be Who?" saga, with Willie still protesting that another is "dipping in my sugar bowl". It was followed the next year by I Got The Blues, with largely formulaic fare, and a record sleeve that oddly depicted Blues Boy Willie holding a guitar which he did not play throughout the album. Ichiban issued Don't Look Down in 1993. He wrote five tracks such as "Funny Stuff", and other songs which also had his version of Brook Benton's, "So Close". The album was produced by Jimmy O'Neill. His finale on Ichiban was Juke Joint Blues, again produced by O'Neill, which incorporated another comedic cut, "Marry Myself". Willie opined that he might marry himself as he "can do the same thing a little girl can do... well, almost the same thing."

Back Again was Blues Boy Willie's first studio album in seven years, it was released on his record producer Johnny Rawls own label, Deep South Sound. Willie played the harmonica on the final track "Blues Boy". In 2008, Blues Boy Willie was featured as part of Bob Phillips' television anthology series, Texas Country Reporter. His once prolific recording schedule had slowed down and his next two offerings, Can't Deny The Blues (2013) and Back Porch Blues (2020), were both digital-only releases.

In January 2019, in his long-time home base of Amarillo, Texas, the Texas Blues Rangers organized a fundraiser to assist Blues Boy Willie to effect vital repairs to his house. Around 40 musicians from the Texas Panhandle helped raise funds, with Willie playing the harmonica on stage for the first time in years.

Blues Boy Willie died from complications of a stroke at Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo, Texas, on March 2, 2024. He was 77.

Discography Albums Year Title Record label(s) 1989 Strange Things Happening Ichiban Records 1990 Be Who? Ichiban Records 1991 Be Who? 2 Ichiban Records 1992 I Got the Blues Ichiban Records 1993 Don't Look Down Ichiban Records 1995 Juke Joint Blues Ichiban Records 2002 American Roots: Blues ≠ Ichiban Records 2002 Back Again Deep South Sound 2013 Can't Deny the Blues § Jekke Music 2020 Back Porch Blues § BBW ≠ - Compilation album § - Digital only release

Singles Year Title Record label(s) 1989 "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" Ichiban Records 1990 "Why Are You Cheatin' on Me" Ichiban Records 1990 "Be-Who" Ichiban Records 1991 "Be Who - Two"Ichiban Records 1992 "Be Who - 3"Ichiban Records 1993 "Better Not Look Down" Ichiban Records