One String Willie profile picture

One String Willie

Gotta hit the string right to make the music swing

About Me

One String Willie makes his music on the diddley-bow, beating out a rhythm on the single wire string, while changing its pitch with a whiskey bottle slide. This is slide guitar at its most elemental level, and Willie is working to explore the limits of this primal instrument by moving beyond traditional playing styles. His sound is raw, but if listening to it doesn't kill you outright, you may grow to enjoy it.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 7/11/2007
Band Website: onestringwillie.com
Band Members: 1. Replica of Eddie "One String" Jones' paint bucket diddley bow, 2. Replica of Willie Joe Duncan's legendary Unitar, 3. Cigar box diddley bow with broomstick neck, 4. The "Red Alligator" diddley bow made by WillardJ.
Influences: Musical Influences: Eddie "One String" Jones, Fred McDowell, Son House, Muddy Waters, Blind Willie Johnson, Peter Williams, Shane Speal .................. One String Willie listens to his gal Miz Charlotte, Hound Dog Taylor, Willie Joe Duncan, Bukka White, Howlin' Wolf, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mance Lipscomb, Charlie Patton, Willie Brown, Gary Davis, Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, Jesse Fuller, Tommy Johnson, Ishman Bracey, Beale Street Sheiks, Memphis Jug Band, Gus Cannon, Furry Lewis, Sleepy John Estes, J.B Hutto, Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed, Gatemouth Brown, Elvin Bishop, Luther Tucker, Lightnin' Slim, Napoleon Strickland, Moses Williams, Hank Williams, Louis Dotson, Lonnie Pitchford, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Glen Faulkner, One String Sam Wilson, James Cotton, Little Walter Jacobs, Big Walter Horton, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Paul Butterfield, Junior Wells, Slim Harpo, Larry Williams, Little Richard Penniman, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Carter Family........................................ Willie's other influences include his parents, Chuck Swenson, Julia Child, Marcella Hazan
Sounds Like: A man on a street corner using a whiskey bottle and a stick to bang on an instrument made of a board and a length of broom-wire stretched between two nails and tensioned by a scrap of wood and a jelly jar with a paint can loudspeaker.You know--just like that.
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Huntsville Promotional Video

Max Shores has posted a promotional video for the 4th Annual Cigar Box Guitar Extravaganza in Huntsville, Alabama 21 June 2008.  The premiere screening of Max's documentary "Songs Inside the Box"...
Posted by One String Willie on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:42:00 PST

HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE, THE HONEYDRIPPER

If you've seen the movie, you've no doubt noticed the guitarplayed by Sonny (Guy Clark). It's a hackwired looking instrument thatcould have been made by Bo Diddley in the early '50s. Its angled bodylo...
Posted by One String Willie on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:19:00 PST