Little Bit a Blues is an American folk and blues trio comprising Warner Williams, Jay Summerour and Eric Selby, until Williams' death in 2021. They played at numerous folk and blues festivals and at concerts at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and were known for playing in the Piedmont blues style, a regional variant of the blues that developed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia.
History edit
Williams and Summerour played music together under the name of Little Bit A Blues from the early 1990s.[1] During their tenure together, they recorded several albums, including for the Smithsonian Folkways label. Eric Selby later joined up with Williams and Summerour, completing the trio.
Their recording, The Best of Little Bit a Blues: Live at B.B. King's Bluesville, on Soul Stew Records reached number one on the Blues411 chart, was nominated for a WAMMIE for Blues/Traditional R&B Recording of the Year as well as received a JIMI Award for Best Live Recording of the Year.[citation needed]
Williams was a recipient of a 2011 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[2]
Williams was from Takoma Park, Maryland, Summerour from Rockville, Maryland, and Selby from Washington Grove, Maryland. Williams died in September 2021, aged 91.[3]
Discography edit
- Blues Highway (Smithsonian Folkways, 2004)
- Classic African-American Ballads (Smithsonian Folkways, 2006)
- The Best of Little Bit a Blues: Live at B.B. King's Bluesville (Soul Stew Records, 2013)
References edit
- ^ Leggett, Steve. "Warner Williams: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2011". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ "Local Blues Icon Warner Williams Has Died", The MOCO Show, September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021
External links edit
- Little Bit a Blues discography at Discogs Entry for Warner Williams
- Little Bit a Blues discography at Discogs Entry for Jay Summerour
- Little Bit a Blues discography at Discogs Entry for Eric Selby
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