Willie "Big Eyes" Smith
was born in Helena, AR in 1936. At the age of 17
he ventured to Chicago where he heard Muddy Waters for the first time.
Willie was hooked on the blues and the attraction to the music persuaded
him to stay in Chicago.
In 1954 Willie, playing harmonica, formed a trio with drummer Clifton
James. The trio built a following in Chicago and gigged around the area
for a few years. During this same time, Willie played
harp with several other artists including
Bo Diddley, Arthur "Big Boy" Spires and Johnny Shines. In 1957 Willie
joined Little Hudson's Red Devil Trio and switched to playing drums. After
gigs or between sets, Willie started sitting in on drums with Muddy
Waters' band. Muddy liked what he heard, and invited Willie to
play drums on a 1959 recording
session. Willie began to fill in for Muddy's drummer Francis Clay,
and continued to play recording sessions with Muddy. In 1961, Willie
replaced Clay
in Muddy's band and played with Muddy till mid-1964. During this period,
as he
solidified his Chicago sound, Willie recorded with James Cotton, Jo Jo
Williams
and Muddy Waters on a tribute to blues vocalist Big Bill Broonzy.
The '60s were lean times
for the blues and for a few years (mid-'64-'68) Willie packed up his
drum kit
and found himself doing odd jobs including working in a restaurant and
driving a
cab around Chicago. One night in 1968 Willie decided to go out and
listen to
Muddy. Rediscovering his desire to play, he asked to sit in with
the band. The
next day Muddy asked Willie to rejoin his band. Willie played in
Muddy's band
till 1980 and appears on all of Muddy's Grammy-winning albums.
After
performing with Muddy Waters, Smith established his own niche within the tradition
of the Delta Blues Sound by co-founding the Legendary Blues Band with Pinetop
Perkins, Louis Myers, Calvin Jones, and Jerry Portnoy. The group was nominated
for several Grammy Awards, recorded four critically acclaimed albums on the
Ichiban label, backed up Buddy Guy, Howlin' Wolf and Junior Wells,
toured with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. They played
behind Muddy for the soundtrack of the movie The Last Waltz and appeared in the
movie The Blues Brothers where they played street musicians backing John Lee
Hooker.
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith traditional shuffle style has been
regarded as the
heart and soul of the Chicago blues sound, with Willie laying the beat
behind many of the blues classics. But these days fans are just as likely
to find
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith holding on to a harmonica, his first instrument,
as a
drum stick. Turns out, this award-winning blues drummer is also an
accomplished harmonica master and dynamic vocalist.
Willie Smith reaches deep and delivers a virtual lesson on what the
blues really are all about...there's something extraordinary here.
~ John Taylor/Blues on Stage