Sonny Boy Williamson
b. Aleck/Alex Ford, 5 December 1899, Glendora, Mississippi, USA. d. 25 May 1965, Helena, Arkansas, USA. Being a man never to compromise a good story by affording undue attention to veracity, and mischievous to boot, Sonny Boy's own various accounts of his life were never to be trusted and led to much confusion. Often referred to as Sonny Boy Williamson whose name, and associated glory, he appropriated sometime in the late '30s or early '40s. Why he felt the need to do so is odd in light of the fact that he owed John Lee Williamson nothing in style or ability, and along with that worthy and Little WalterJacobs was one of the most innovatory and influential exponents of the blues harmonica. He was the illegitimate child of Millie Ford, but he took to using his stepfather's name and by common association became Rice Miller. He mastered his chosen instrument (he could also play guitar and drums) early in his life and seems to have taken to the road as soon as he was able, relying on his skill for a livelihood. His wanderings throughout the south brought him into contact with many blues artists. 
The list includes Robert Johnson, Robert ‘Junior’ Lockwood, Elmore James and Howlin' Wolf, whose half sister, Mary, he married sometime in the '30s. During this period Sonny Boy used many names, working as Little Boy Blue, Willie Williamson, Willie Williams and Willie Miller (after his brother) and known to his friends as Foots because of his habit of razoring his shoes, no matter how new they might be, to make them comfortable. He was cashing in on the popularity of John Lee Williamson (safely out of the way in Chicago) when he got a job broadcasting over KFFA radio out of Helena on the KING BISCUIT SHOW in 1941. The show was heard all over the south and made Sonny Boy famous. He continued to travel but now sought radio stations to advertise his activities. In the early '50s he recorded for Lillian McMurray's Trumpet label in Jackson, Mississippi along with friends Willie Love and Elmore James. His work on this label includes many outstanding performances with Mighty Long Time being perhaps the greatest of all. On the strength of his increased popularity he extended his area of work and began to appear in the bars of Detroit, where he worked with Baby Boy Warren, and in Chicago (John Lee Williamson was dead by this time). 
He began his career with Chess Records of Chicago in 1955 with his hit Don't Start Me Talkin' and became a mainstay of the label almost until his death. In 1963, he took Europe by storm as a result of his appearances with the AFBF. His impressive appearance; tall and stooped in his famous grey/blue suit (quartered like a jester's doublet) and sporting a bowler hat and umbrella, along with his hooded eyes and goatee beard, hypnotized audiences as he weaved back and forth snapping his fingers and clicking his tongue in a display of perfect rhythmic control. His skill on the harmonica was augmented by many tricks of showmanship such as playing two instruments at once (one with his large and plastic nose) or holding the harp end on in his mouth and manoeuvring it with his tongue. If Europe took to him, Sonny Boy seems to have enjoyed Europe. He stayed over when the tour ended and played his way around the burgeoning blues clubs, travelling as far as Poland!. 
He recorded for the Storyville label in Denmark and with Chris Barber in Britain. He returned to Europe, often stating his intention to to take up permanent residence. He never lived to see the days when Chess tried to convert their roster of blues singers into pop stars, by uniting them with the most unlikely material and musical support, but in earlier days he had been quite happy to follow a similar route, by recording with such groups as the Yardbirds and the Animals; and a jazz combo led by Brian Auger. Some of these efforts stand up better than others but Sonny Boy did not care—as long as he got paid. Despite all this moving around he still maintained a home in the USA, with his second wife Mattie Lee Gordon. He was back in Helena, appearing on the KING BISCUIT SHOW when he died in his sleep in 1965. Apart from his skill as a harmonica player and singer Sonny Boy was also a ‘character’ and anecdotes about him are legion, both among the blues fraternity and his fans in Europe. If he was difficult, contentious, and unreliable he was also a charming man who played upon his reputation as an evil, dangerous, hard-living blues troubadour. His music reveals that he was also capable of being both sensitive and humorous. He will always remain something of a conundrum but as an artist his stature is recognised and his fame deserved.