Blind Connie Williams

Blind Connie Williams (born c. 1915) was an American blues guitarist who played as a street performer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He recorded a set of blues and religious songs in 1961 on the Testament label, which have subsequently been re-released.^[1]

Williams was born sometime in 1915 in southern Florida to parents who were migrant farmers. As a child, Williams was educated at the St. Petersburg School for the Blind, in which time he became proficient at the guitar, accordion, and vocal harmony. In the 1930s, Williams started his career as a street performer, settling in on the streets of Philadelphia in 1935, and occasionally traveling to New York City where he played in Harlem. While in Harlem, Williams' guitar playing, and vocals were heavily influenced by Reverend Gary Davis. The two would regularly perform together. Williams' repertory ranged from blues, folk and gospel pieces.^[2] He played religious songs because he enjoyed playing them, but more so since "the police rarely would bother him if he confined himself to this sort of material".^[3] More specifically, Williams preferred to play 8 or 16-bar blues over the widespread 12-bar form. Williams was also an early developer of Vestapol tuning, playing his progressions with an Open E note. For the next two decades, Williams would continue his street performing career solo and with other local musicians, remaining well-traveled during that span. ^[4] One individual named Frank Hovington recalled "Williams singing with a gospel quartet, as he was a frequent visitor to his mother's African Methodist Episcopal church in Fredricka, Maryland".^[5]

In 1961, Pete Weilding discovered Williams during one of his performances, playing the accordion. Williams revealed to Weilding that he was playing the instrument due to its effective audibility and less physical effort. Before working with Weilding, Williams reacquainted himself with the guitar.^[6] Weilding recorded 23 blues and folk tracks with Williams on May 5, 1961 for the Testament label. Williams performed all the vocals, guitar instrumentals, and accordion accompaniments. The recordings were not released until 1974. Williams' recordings have been re-released on compact disc along with seven previously unreleased tracks as Philadelphia Street Performer Blind Connie Williams: Traditional Blues, Spirituals, and Folksongs in 1995.^[7]

It is not known when Williams died, he was noted as still being alive in the year 1974; however, he seldom performed as Williams was frail from old age.^[8]

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