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Brownie McGhee

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Vocalist

The Resume

    (November 30, 1915-February 16, 1996)
    Born in Knoxville, Tennessee
    Birth name was Walter Brown McGhee
    Albums include ‘The Folkways Years,’ ‘Brownie McGhee’s Blues,’ ‘Sonny & Brownie,’ ‘Facts of Life,’ and ‘Blues Is Truth’
    Appeared in ‘Angel Heart’ and ‘The Jerk’
    Guest appearances include Family Ties and Matlock
    1997 Blues Hall of Fame inductee

Why he might be annoying:

    At age four, he was stricken with polio, which decommissioned his right leg for several years.
    He recalled his father expressly forbidding him to strum his guitar but rather to pick with his bare fingers. (Using a slide… also taboo.)
    Inspired by itinerant blues artists, he dropped out of high school to perform all over the home state.
    His professional relationship with Sonny Terry was questionable, at best.
    Following his mentor’s death in 1941, he was persuaded to appear as Blind Boy Fuller II — which he viewed as impersonation.

Why he might not be annoying:

    A different relation taught him to play each of the instruments in his repertoire.
    Between stints as a traveling musician, he worked on the family farm.
    He took advantage of a March of Dimes program where he would have the surgery that enabled him to walk without a crutch (though he would evermore have a pronounced limp).
    For several years he ran a music school, where he taught young musicians the intricacies of the fingerpicked style.
    His minor role in ‘Angel Heart’ – a supernatural thriller – promptly earned Roger Ebert’s applause (‘Dexter Gordon isn’t the only old musician who can act’).
    Born the same year as Billie Holiday and Muddy Waters, he (‘The Last Great Blues Hero’) was the last remaining link to the classic blues era.

Credit: Cool It All Right?


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying