brownie mcghee & sonny terry

Biography

Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry formed one of the most enduring and influential partnerships in blues history, spanning from the early 1940s until around 1980. Sonny Terry (Saunders Terrell, 1911–1986) was born in Greensboro, Georgia, and became blind early in life, turning to music out of necessity. He initially played with Piedmont blues guitarist Blind Boy Fuller until Fuller's death in 1941. Brownie McGhee (Walter Brown McGhee, 1915–1996) was born in Tennessee and became an accomplished folk and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist. The two first met in 1939 through their mutual connection with Blind Boy Fuller and performed together at a 1940 concert in Washington, D.C. with Paul Robeson. Their formal partnership began in 1941–1942 when they started recording and touring together, quickly becoming an overnight success. The duo became among the first folk blues artists to reach a national and international audience, bridging the gap between folk and pop music during the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. From 1958 until 1980, they spent 11 months of each year touring and recording dozens of albums for numerous labels including Folkways Records, Fantasy Records, and many others. Their energetic performances—featuring Terry's virtuosic harmonica playing with characteristic whooping and hollering, combined with McGhee's skilled guitar work and vocals—made them beloved fixtures at colleges, coffeehouses, folk festivals, concert halls, and nightclubs worldwide. They were instrumental in making blues acceptable to British and international audiences, first touring Britain in May 1958 with Chris Barber's Jazz Band. The duo also appeared on Broadway and television, acted in theatrical productions including 'Finian's Rainbow' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' and performed at left-wing rallies and benefits alongside folk legends like Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, and Pete Seeger. Their legacy as interpreters of Black blues—both individually and as a team—remains unmatched in the genre's history.

Fun Facts

• On Christmas Eve 1938, the then-unknown Sonny Terry received rapturous applause from a capacity white audience at Carnegie Hall performing 'Mountain Blues' and 'The New John Henry,' accompanied only by his wailing harmonica and feet tapping out the rhythm—an extraordinary debut that impressed even Big Bill Broonzy, who was also on the bill.
• Sonny Terry's vocal contributions initially consisted of high falsetto hollers he called 'whopping' that punctuated his harmonica riffs. During the 1940s, he began singing in his natural voice, prompting Brownie McGhee to humorously recall: 'I got tired of giving him half the money when I was doing all the singing.'
• The duo was temporarily separated in 1947 when Sonny Terry joined the cast of the socially-conscious musical 'Finian's Rainbow' for two years, during which Brownie McGhee formed a rhythm-and-blues combo. They were reunited in 1955 for Tennessee Williams's 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' and while performing in San Francisco in 1957, they recorded three albums for Fantasy Records.
• Terry and McGhee toured internationally with U.S. Department of State sponsorship, traveling as far as India to promote American blues and cultural exchange, and were among the original Almanac Singers who performed at left-wing rallies and benefits alongside folk legends.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Blind Boy Fuller - Sonny Terry's primary musical mentor and Piedmont blues guitarist with whom Terry established his early career before Fuller's death (Piedmont blues recordings and performances) [1930s–1941]
• John Hammond - Talent scout and Columbia Records president who discovered Sonny Terry and invited him to perform at Carnegie Hall, launching his national career (Carnegie Hall gospel, jazz and blues concert) [1938]

Key Collaborators

• Woody Guthrie - Folk singer and songwriter who performed with Terry and McGhee at left-wing rallies, benefits, and as part of the Almanac Singers (Folkways Records recordings and live performances) [1940s–1950s]
• Leadbelly (Huddie Leadbetter) - Blues legend who performed with the duo at concerts and influenced their musical direction (Live concert performances) [1940s]
• Pete Seeger - Folk musician and Almanac Singers member who collaborated with Terry and McGhee at rallies and benefits (Folkways Records and live performances) [1940s–1950s]
• Big Bill Broonzy - Blues musician who performed alongside Sonny Terry at Carnegie Hall and collaborated with both artists throughout their careers (Live performances and recordings) [1938 onwards]
• Blind Gary Davis - Blues musician with whom Sonny Terry performed and recorded during his long career (Blues recordings) [1940s–1960s]
• Mississippi John Hurt - Blues musician with whom Sonny Terry performed and recorded (Blues recordings) [1950s–1960s]
• Moe Asch - Founder of Folkways Records who produced classic recordings for the duo, helping establish their national reputation (Folkways Records (now Smithsonian/Folkways) recordings) [1950s–1960s]

Artists Influenced

• British blues musicians and audiences - Terry and McGhee, along with Josh White and Big Bill Broonzy, were instrumental in making blues acceptable to British ears and influenced the development of British blues (Live tours and recordings) [1958 onwards]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia