“When I first heard Big Bill Broonzy. I saw a clip of him on TV playing in a nightclub lot by the light of a single bulb. The tune he was playing was a song called “Hey Hey” and it knocked me out. When I first heard Big Bill and later Robert Johnson, I became convinced that all rock n roll…had sprung from this root.” – Eric Clapton

“I saw Big Bill Broonzy when I was about eight and he encapsulated everything I wanted to be: to sing, to play the guitar and to be black.”– Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones

Big Bill Broonzy was among the finest and most influential of the early blues singers. In November 1927 Big Bill’s first record, House Rent Stomp, was released.  Over the next 30 years Big Bill recorded over 260 blues songs. In his postwar career as a folk blues singer, he introduced the music to white audiences. His impact as a guitarist was profound. Eric Clapton, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Davey Graham, Martin Carthy, Keith Richards, Ray Davies, Jeff Beck, and many others, all professed to their sense of wonder on seeing or hearing Big Bill play. Bert Jansch bought a Big Bill EP and, “spent a year trying to play that stuff.”

This collection presents 22 of Big Bill’s guitar arrangements. Titles include:

Key of C Big Bill Blues, Too Too Train Blues, Long Tall Mama, Shuffle Rag, Guitar Shuffle, Slow Blues, Skoodle Do Do, At the Break of Day, Friendless Blues, St. Louis Blues, Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home Key of A Big Bill’s Guitar Blues, Starvation Blues, Five Feet Seven Key of G Bull Cow Blues, Shelby County Blues, Louise Louise Key of E Hey Hey, I’ll Be Back Home Again, The Banker’s Blues, Mississippi River Blues, Worry You Off My Mind/Part One

Big Bill Broonzy by Chris Smith

Big Bill Broonzy’s Playing Style & Techniques   

Explanation of the Tab System                    

Key of C

Big Bill Blues                              

Too Too Train Blues                           

Long Tall Mama                             

Shuffle Rag                                 

Guitar Shuffle                               

Skoodle Do Do                              

Slow Blues                                  

At The Break of Day                          

Friendless Blues                            

St Louis Blues                               

Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home       

Key of A

Big Bill’s Guitar Blues                          

Starvation Blues                             

Five Feet Seven                              

Key of G

Bull Cow Blues                             

Shelby County Blues                        

Louise, Louise                               

Key of E

Hey Hey                                    

Mississippi River Blues                       

I’ll Be Back Home Again                      

The Banker’s Blues                           

Worry You Off My Mind - Part One