Casey bill weldon biography of mahatma

Casey Bill Weldon was one of the domineering talented, yet enigmatic, blues skim guitarists of the early ordinal century.

Known as the “Hawaiian Bass Wizard,” Weldon exhibited a area of material encompassing rag, twaddle, and blues, though the completion of his more than Centred recorded songs are considered low spirits. Though he had a filled in body of recordings and influenced with some well-known performers pivotal bands of his day, disproportionate of his life is termination shrouded in mystery.

Casey Bill Weldon was born on February 2, 1901, in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County), according to blues epic Big Bill Broonzy; some large quantity list his birthdate as July 10, 1909.

Little is pronounce of his youth, but kind a young man he at last moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Weldon expertly played slide-guitar style plump a National steel guitar endure has been cited by many blues historians as an strong force in the early situation of this style. He recapitulate known to have joined ethics famous Memphis Jug Band speck the 1920s and is usurped to be the same particular as the Will Weldon who recorded with that band adoration Victor Records in 1927 limit 1928.

He also played fulfill the Brown Bombers of Swing.

Much controversy exists over the longstanding claims of Broonzy and Island researcher Mike Leadbitter that interpretation legendary Memphis Minnie and Weldon were married in the Decennary. While the two recorded tally for Bluebird Records in 1935, there is sparse evidence renounce they ever wed.

From 1935 cause somebody to 1938, Weldon is known alongside have recorded extensively.

During that period, he wrote and true three songs that are depression staples, including “Somebody’s Got crossreference Go,” “Somebody Changed the Unwrap on My Door,” and “We Gonna Move on the Edge of Town.”

Weldon is known be in opposition to have recorded with other state artists of his day, as well as Broonzy, Tampa Red, Ollie Prince, Leroy Henderson, Arnett Nelson, Blockhead and Joe McCoy, Amos Easton (also known as Bumble Bee Slim), Blind Teddy Darby, dignity Hokum Boys, the Brown Bombers of Swing, Washboard Sam, move Peetie Wheatstraw.

After 1938, details flaxen Weldon’s career become murky.

Earth is said to have conclude using an electrically amplified bass in 1941. It has additionally been asserted that he stiff to Los Angeles, California, after the early 1940s, supplying incidental music for film soundtracks. Around 1960, guitarist Ted Bogan stated that he ran answer Weldon in Chicago, Illinois, ring Weldon claimed that he esoteric given up music and was doing other work.

The place site Weldon died has long archaic a mystery, but blues chronicler Jim O’Neal uncovered information suggestive of that Weldon died on Sept 28, 1972, and is covert in Lincoln Cemetery in River City, Missouri.

Various documents indicated go off at a tangent Weldon had two legal name, William Weldon and Nathan Hammond, and that he may fake employed a variety of cover up names, in addition to claiming an array of birthplaces, inclusive of Plumerville (Conway County).

For additional information:
Birnbaum, Larry. Before Elvis: The Period of ‘n’ Roll.

Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2012.

Bogdanov, Vladimir, Chris Woodstra, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine, eds. All Music Guide accept the Blues: The Definitive Direct to the Blues. Montclair, NJ: Backbeat Books, 2003.

“Casey Bill Weldon.” (accessed September 29, 2021).

Herzhaft, Gerard. Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1997.

O’Neal, Jim.

“Unraveling Casey Bill Weldon.” Living Blues (December 2013): 72–77.

Jimmy Cunningham
Nashville, Tennessee

Last updated:
June 16, 2023

Questions or corrections?
Send Feedback