[Harp-L] Re: Sonny Boy 2

[SONNYTONE@xxxxxxx]

Not from that era  but my living with Sonny Terry for two years gave me great 
insight to what  blacks had to do to be part of the "in" crowd with whites in 
those such racially  motivated days. My fiancee who is 63 grew up in 
Arkansas, home of SB's King  Biscuit Time radio show, and said she was not Allowed to 
listen to the Randy's  Radio at time or the other blues show that aired around 
the country at night. So  she snuck her little transistor radio under pillow 
and listened to Jimmy Reed  mostly at night and all the blues. I don't think 
SB2 did the Smile for me boy  thing, and he really wasn't high energy in his 
inbetween songs, he just played  the hell out of them. Some evidence being when 
he recorded I think with the  Yardbirds overseas you hear in a few of his 
songs how he didn't want to go back  to the states, Europe absolutely loved him, 
regardless of color. Woody Guthrie  was a great influence in getting black men 
their due. True story Sonny told me.  Around the 40's they played a big ball 
for all whites and they loved them, yet  when it came time to eat, the owner 
said they could not eat with the white folks  and was going to stick them in 
some secluded place with second hand food. Sonny  and Brownie were pissed and 
didn't even feel like eating, but Woody said go on  outside and wait for me. 
Sonny said he could hear Woody screaming,  These men just entertained you all 
night and now they can't eat with you,  then proceeded to turn over tables and 
take off. That is probably why so many  Delta bluesmen migrated up north to 
Chicago or elsewhere if they could, down  south was just too redneck. As white 
people all we have done since landing was  go on predudice, destroy the Indians 
that showed us how to tend the land, go  further to witch hunts and burning at 
the stake, and linchings of so many  innocent black people just on a white 
person's word saying, it was him. Sonny  felt that in Missouri as late as early 
60's when they told hims and Brownie, We  don't sell no black gas here. He told 
me to avoid Missouri if we were driving  but I had to get through to get where 
we were going. So I am going on  speculation, if someone was there that would 
be great, but SB2 wasn't taking any  crap from anyone. Big as he was, look at 
this hands, I believe he stood his  ground. It was an honor to be part of 
history with Sonny for those 2 years from  76 - 78, he was fair, honest, and 
ornery as can be. We'd argue, but it was done  and we moved on. I was just a 21 
year old kid who thought he knew everything. He  said he didn't get to be 65 and 
blind and make it by being any fool. He could  about 10% out of one eye so 
could make out shadows, that's how he shot the guy  in the white pants who owed 
him money and told him to get lost. Everyone hit the  floor saying, The blind 
man's got a gun! Sonny said he would have shot the  guys wife running with him 
if he could have seen her. Shot the guy in the  butt. There is a video called 
Sonny Terry, Whooping the Blues, 1958 - 1974,  where he is playing with J.C. 
Burris, his nephew, who played the bones and  handjive, Woody Guthrie and 
Brownie are also on it. One amazing piece is  Sonny doing what they called the 
Buck Dance, a rythmic tap dance with slaps of  his heels, BLIND, while playing 
the high end of the harp, Shortnening Bread  stuff.  Then JC does his. Truly 
amazing and a great video. There is another  with Sonny and Brownie in the 
series. Sorry to be so long, but if I don't pass  this first hand information down, 
when I am gone it will not have been heard. My  vocals are rough, so for me I 
can play his songs, but struggle with singing.  Still working on it. Thank 
you. Sonny Jr. 



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