Not from that era but my living with Sonny Terry for two years gave me great insight to what blacks had to do to be part of the "in" crowd with whites in those such racially motivated days. My fiancee who is 63 grew up in Arkansas, home of SB's King Biscuit Time radio show, and said she was not Allowed to listen to the Randy's Radio at time or the other blues show that aired around the country at night. So she snuck her little transistor radio under pillow and listened to Jimmy Reed mostly at night and all the blues. I don't think SB2 did the Smile for me boy thing, and he really wasn't high energy in his inbetween songs, he just played the hell out of them. Some evidence being when he recorded I think with the Yardbirds overseas you hear in a few of his songs how he didn't want to go back to the states, Europe absolutely loved him, regardless of color. Woody Guthrie was a great influence in getting black men their due. True story Sonny told me. Around the 40's they played a big ball for all whites and they loved them, yet when it came time to eat, the owner said they could not eat with the white folks and was going to stick them in some secluded place with second hand food. Sonny and Brownie were pissed and didn't even feel like eating, but Woody said go on outside and wait for me. Sonny said he could hear Woody screaming, These men just entertained you all night and now they can't eat with you, then proceeded to turn over tables and take off. That is probably why so many Delta bluesmen migrated up north to Chicago or elsewhere if they could, down south was just too redneck. As white people all we have done since landing was go on predudice, destroy the Indians that showed us how to tend the land, go further to witch hunts and burning at the stake, and linchings of so many innocent black people just on a white person's word saying, it was him. Sonny felt that in Missouri as late as early 60's when they told hims and Brownie, We don't sell no black gas here. He told me to avoid Missouri if we were driving but I had to get through to get where we were going. So I am going on speculation, if someone was there that would be great, but SB2 wasn't taking any crap from anyone. Big as he was, look at this hands, I believe he stood his ground. It was an honor to be part of history with Sonny for those 2 years from 76 - 78, he was fair, honest, and ornery as can be. We'd argue, but it was done and we moved on. I was just a 21 year old kid who thought he knew everything. He said he didn't get to be 65 and blind and make it by being any fool. He could about 10% out of one eye so could make out shadows, that's how he shot the guy in the white pants who owed him money and told him to get lost. Everyone hit the floor saying, The blind man's got a gun! Sonny said he would have shot the guys wife running with him if he could have seen her. Shot the guy in the butt. There is a video called Sonny Terry, Whooping the Blues, 1958 - 1974, where he is playing with J.C. Burris, his nephew, who played the bones and handjive, Woody Guthrie and Brownie are also on it. One amazing piece is Sonny doing what they called the Buck Dance, a rythmic tap dance with slaps of his heels, BLIND, while playing the high end of the harp, Shortnening Bread stuff. Then JC does his. Truly amazing and a great video. There is another with Sonny and Brownie in the series. Sorry to be so long, but if I don't pass this first hand information down, when I am gone it will not have been heard. My vocals are rough, so for me I can play his songs, but struggle with singing. Still working on it. Thank you. Sonny Jr.
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