Sonny Boy Williamson II (Aleck Rice Miller)

[Admin]

Biographical information from Bill Donaghue

www.celticguitarmusic.com/Harmsb2.htm

Alex or Aleck Miller (né Ford, possibly December 5, 1912[2] – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp stylist who recorded successfully in the 1950s and 1960s. Miller used a variety of names, including Rice Miller and Little Boy Blue, before settling on Sonny Boy Williamson, which was also the name of a popular Chicago blues singer and harmonica player. Later, to distinguish the two, Miller became widely known as Sonny Boy Williamson II. - Wikipedia

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SBWjukeB.pdf (52.28 KB)

[alanbalfour]

This was sent to me in March. 

I'm co-producing a documentary film and a screen play and co-researching a biography on "Sonny Boy Williamson" (Alex "Rice" Miller 1913-65) with Mojo Visions LLC, based in Seattle, WA. I'm working on it with various business and research partners, including guitar pick-up manufacturer EMG, noted author Adam Mitchell, award winning investigative journalist Bill Donoghue (also blues historian 'fessor Mojo) and others. We've interviewed over 150 subjects (list available upon request), many of whom have since passed and acquired over 1,000 items directly related to Miller's life and his essentially important musical legacy. Adam felt that someone here may be able to steer us to potential sources or resources for our research and productions. We are very close to completion of the screen play, which we intend to present in the next month, but our work and acquisition of materials for the documentary and biography are ongoing. The biography is also ready to publish, once we decide the time is right for it. I may have already spoken to you some time ago, but rest assured that we have not been spinning our wheels. I started my involvement in this research in late 2011 and Mr. Donoghue started doing his research in the mid-90's, interviewing Miller's then two surviving siblings. Researching a story as uniquely important as this one, shrouded in so much mystery and so poorly documented over the course of the subject's life, deserves very thorough attention. Thanks for reading this and please respond with any comments, referrals or questions to my contact info below.

Best wishes, Jim Basnight

BCD Entertainment 20736 NE Puget St. Indianola, WA 98342 [phone] [e-mail] jimbasnightmusic.com sonnyboy.com Facebook and Twitter

FWIW In 1997 Bill Donoghue actually published a 95 page booklet the front and back which I've attached.

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