Highway 61- Willie Foster

Birthdate - September 19, 1921
Birthplace - Outside Leland, Mississippi
Death - May 20, 2001
Last Residence - Greenville, Mississipi

Willie James Foster, known around his home of Greenville, Mississippi as the "Godfather of The Blues", says, I am the blues from the bottom of my foot to the hair on my head. I was born in the blues, raised in the blues and lived the blues.

Willie Foster was born Sept. 19, 1921 on a cotton sack four miles east of Leland while his mother was picking cotton. After that experience she was never able to have any more children. His family share cropped and made about $100 a year. He bought juice harps at age 5 or 6 and made a diddley bow on the side of the house. Bought his first harmonica for 25 cents he saved from carrying water to the fields for two weeks at age seven. With no sisters or brothers he helped his family farm and shared cropped from age 7 to 17 often with sacks tied on his feet for shoes. He only got to attend school until fourth grade and later years only when it rained and he couldn’t go to the field.

At age 17 Willie migrated north to Detroit where he worked in the auto industry. During WWII, he joined the army and was sent to Europe. There he played his harmonica for Joe Louis and Betty Grable at a show in London for the soldiers.

Willie had heard Muddy Waters in jukes in Mississippi but met him in Chicago. Willie and his three piece band from St.Louis often toured with Muddy's band.

He came back to Mississippi in 1963 to take care of his dad who was involved in a severe car accident. He worked around the Delta and started playing jukes around Holly Ridge, Indianola, and Greenville.

Midge Marsden , a New Zealander, heard Willie in 1991 while visiting the Mississippi Delta and invited him to play there for three months. Willie's career started to take off after his return home. Since then he has played over seas several times and all over the United States with his band "The Rhytmn and Blues Upsetters."
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I55 Productions artist: Willie Foster - Live At Airport Grocery - Review

This is a review of the release by Willie Foster called Live at Airport Grocery. Eight of the nine tracks on the recording are original Foster tunes starting off with a cool instrumental, Just Messin' Round, a swinging Chicago style blues shuffle lead by harp and jamming guitar riffs. Love Everybody is is a solid blues track driven by a solid bass track and Fosters vocals. Honey Ain't Sweet, a soulful ballad has some interesting harp playing. Hoochie Coochie Man give the band a chance to stretch out a little bit and Fosters vocals fit this song quite well. Janie On My Mind is a slow blues and possibly the best track on the release. Instrumentation is really solid and the vocal track is loose. Promise Me Love is an uptempo blues again harp driven and you can tell that Foster gets jazzed up during up in the mood with his hollerin'. My Dear old Dad and Willie's Boogie wrap up the set with straight up blues tracks. These have a semblance of JL Hooker and show the raw characteristics in Foster.

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I55 Productions artist Willie Foster - My Inspiration - New Release Review

I just received and had the opportunity to review a new release by Willie Foster called My Inspiration. This is a CD about a real bluesman's music... Willie James Foster. From the handwritten name on the old van door to no legs, still playing them blues..even on the very night he died. He never made too much money or did the killer big money gigs. He was the blue collar or workingman's bluesman. - Brad Webb
This is a pretty cool little package. Not over polished Chicago blues sung rom the heart. Foster pens and plays 11 tracks on this cd playing harp and covering vocals. He is backed by Micky Rogers (Guitar), Skeeter Provis (Guitar), Donnie Brown (Bass), Mike Dill (Drums), Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms (Piano), Brad Webb (Guitar) and Russell Wheeler (B-3). The first track shoots out of the can with Let Em Talk, along the lines of "Messin' With The Kid" laying down a nice harp solo. Why Babe lopes along again with cool harp licks and cool guitar riffs. Found Me A Lover shows Foster's patience as a blues artist singing with great comfort and playing harp as a backing instrument. Born In The Delta is a great slower blues song and one great to highlight each musicians chops. Great tune! Leland Shuffle is a great instrumental track highlighting Mickey Rogers on guitar. Lonely Man again shows not only continued great vocals but particularly strong instrumentals from both Nighthawk on harp and Brad Webb on slide guitar. Foster plays each song with conviction and feeling. If you like Chicago blues style check out this recording. This guy means business.
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Highway 61 - Willie Foster

Willie Foster was born Sept. 19, 1921 on a cotton sack four miles east of Leland while his mother was picking cotton. After that experience she was never able to have any more children. His family share cropped and made about $100 a year. He bought juice harps at age 5 or 6 and made a diddley bow on the side of the house. Bought his first harmonica for 25 cents he saved from carrying water to the fields for two weeks at age seven. With no sisters or brothers he helped his family farm and shared cropped from age 7 to 17 often with sacks tied on his feet for shoes. He only got to attend school until fourth grade and later years only when it rained and he couldn’t go to the field.
From the movie (MG Video Productions): "Honeyboy" a Free Range Pictures production©
This video was uploaded for only ONE reason: to inspire artist Theo Reijders for making a painting of Willie Foster.
And Theo did a hell of a job!! Very special work in colours and atmosphere. A really outstanding result!!
His painting was sold during the auction at the Dutch Benefit for the Highway 61 Blues Project to a very, very proud new owner!
I planned to delete the video afterwards.... surprised by so many wonderful and heartwarming reactions..... it is still here!! And it will stay that way.
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