Willie Farmer The Man From The Hill Vinyl LP 2019

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Little Willie Farmer is living proof that Mississippi continuesto produce deep blues. The 62-year-old guitarist is neither asoul modernist nor revivalist, but simply a small town automechanic who's never shaken his love for old school legendslike Muddy, Wolf and Lightnin'.A lifelong resident of tiny Duck Hill, located in the hills eastof the Delta, Farmer grew up on the family farm. He first tookup the acoustic guitar in his early teens, and through pickingcotton soon saved up enough money to buy an electricinstrument.He played for audiences at home and at school events, andlearned about blues and R&B mostly through listening to apowerful station out of Nashville."John R of WLAC, that's how I listened to Lightnin' Hopkins,Howlin' Wolf. That's how I got my first album by Lightnin' [TheFire Records LP Mojo Hand]. I got the address off the radio andthey sent it.""I learned Lightin' pretty good, and then I went to B.B. I canplay all the up-to-date stuff now-B.B., Little Milton-but I likethe old stuff, that's the real blues. The blues they're singingtoday, that ain't blues to me, it just doesn't have the feel."Although Farmer is from a musical family, he didn't learnmuch directly from his elders. His maternal grandfather hadplayed the fiddle as a young man, but he rebuffed Willie's offerto buy him a new instrument when he discovered the high cost.Willie's father Alex, a harmonica player who helped youngWillie tune his guitar, had played as a young man with hisbrothers including Walter, who was recognized as one of thebest guitarists to come out of the area.In the early '50s Walter played together with Leo "Bud"Welch, who grew up in the region. Sadly, Walter was killed inChicago in 1964-"a woman liked Walter, and a man gotjealous and killed him"-and Willie never heard him play.