Kate McTell

Kate McTell
Birth name Ruthy Kate Williams
Also known as Ruby Glaze
Born (1911-08-22)August 22, 1911
Savannah, Georgia, United States
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Died October 3, 1991(1991-10-03) (aged 80)
Augusta, Georgia, United States
Genres Blues, gospel
Occupation(s) Musician, nurse
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1932–1940
Labels Decca, Vocalion
Associated acts Blind Willie McTell

Kate McTell (born Ruthy Kate Williams; August 22, 1911 – October 3, 1991)[1][2][3] was an American blues musician and nurse from Jefferson County, Georgia. She is known primarily as the former wife of fellow blues musician, Blind Willie McTell, whom she accompanied vocally on several recordings. She sometimes appeared as Ruby Glaze, although there is some uncertainty as to whether McTell and Glaze were the same person, despite the fact that McTell herself claimed to be Glaze.

Marriage to Blind Willie McTell

Ruthy (later changed to Ruth) Kate Williams was born in Savannah, Georgia. She was singing for a high school ceremony in Augusta, Georgia in 1933 when she was noticed by McTell, who regularly performed in the area.[1][4] In an interview conducted by musicologist David Evans and his family, McTell claimed that she and Willie met during a Christmas concert at her school in 1931.[5] She went on to explain that Willie invited her to record with him, that they did so in Atlanta over the course of a week, and that she then returned to Augusta to continue schooling at Paine College. According to Gray, that week of recording would have been in February 1932.[5] The McTells were married on January 11, 1934. For the next six years she often accompanied Willie on stage, singing or dancing, in places that included Chicago and Atlanta, and in the company of artists such as Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith.[1] The two were invited to record for Decca Records by executive Mayo Williams in 1935 but these sessions had extremely limited releases. In late June 1936, they recorded 12 blues songs with Piano Red for Vocalion Records.

In 1939, she obtained a nursing certificate from Grady Hospital in Atlanta, and from 1942 until 1971 she was an army nurse at Fort Gordon hospital, near Augusta.[1] As Willie lived in Atlanta for his career, the two rarely saw each other and drifted apart.[1][6] Much of what is known now about her husband comes from the interview she gave with the Evans family, which was published in Blues Unlimited magazine in 1977.[7]

After his death

Ten years after her husband's death in 1959, she remarried to Johnny E. Seabrooks, who was in the military, and they had two children Ernest and April. [1] She retired from the hospital in 1971. After Seabrooks' death in 1976, she lived a fairly private life, except for a couple of interviews she gave in 1977, 1979, and 1981 about McTell.[6] She in Augusta, Georgia, on October 3, 1991.[1]

As Ruby Glaze

There is some uncertainty as to whether Ruby Glaze, a singer with whom Willie McTell recorded in 1932, is the same person as Kate McTell.[8] McTell herself, in an interview conducted in the 1970s, claimed that she was Glaze.[9] The uncertainty stems from confusion over when she first met Willie and whether or not this was after he had recorded with Glaze. Bastin gives the year of their meeting as 1931,[10] at McTell's graduation from Paine College in Augusta, Georgia. He goes on to explain that immediately afterward she went on to Washington High in the city of Atlanta, which is where and when Willie recorded with Glaze. Bastin also notes the similarities between Glaze's spoken parts in "Searching the Desert for the Blues" and the ones in the McTells' recording of "Ticket Agent Blues" from 1935. As mentioned above, McTell told musicologist David Evans and his family that she had met Willie in late 1931 and that they recorded soon afterwards over the course of a week. Gray gives the timing of this recording as during February 1932.[5] Some sources claim outright that McTell and Glaze are one and the same person,[11][12][13] while others claim that they are not.[4]

Discography

Kate McTell appears on a small number of albums, generally accompanying her husband on vocals.[14]

Other information

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Ramblin' Rhodes: Blind Willie had a soulmate". The Augusta Chronicle. 2000-05-12. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  2. ↑ Taft, Michael. 2005. Talkin' to Myself: Blues Lyrics, 1921-1942. New York: Routledge. p. 213. ISBN 0415973775.
  3. ↑ "Informacje o wykonawcy". Archived from the original on 2005-05-24.
  4. 1 2 "Blind Wille McTell". Archived from the original on 2007-08-19.
  5. 1 2 3 Gray. 2007. page 230.
  6. 1 2 "Birthdays August 22". Archived from the original on 2011-09-29.
  7. ↑ "Home | Offshore Web Hosting: FreeBSD VPS Self Managed Hosting : Hub.Org". Bluesnet.hub.org. Retrieved 2014-07-12.
  8. ↑ Bastin. 1986. page 132.
  9. ↑ Gray. 2007. page 229.
  10. ↑ Bastin. 1986. page 133.
  11. ↑ Conner, Patrick. "Blind Willie McTell". East Coast Piedmont Blues. University of North Carolina. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  12. ↑ Jazz times, Volume 28, Issues 2-5. 1998. Jazztimes. retrieved 2011-09-23.
  13. ↑ "The Old-Time Herald Volume 6, Number 2 Reviews". Oldtimeherald.org. Retrieved 2014-07-12.
  14. ↑ "Kate McTell". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11.
  15. ↑ "Hans Theessink". Theessink.com. Retrieved 2014-07-12.

References

Further reading

Printed publications

External links

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