Weepin' Willie

A one-time national unknown who'd gathered enough steam on the Boston scene to attract the help of Mighty Sam McClain and Susan Tedeschi, 77-year-old Weepin' Willie Robinson has powerful friends because his singing has cast powerful influence. Both Tedeschi and McClain, damned good singers themselves, readily credit Weepin' Willie as both an influence and a great friend. And so when they achieved their performance and recording success fairly recently, McClain and Tedeschi teamed to make their old buddy's dream come true. "Sam McClain heard me say one time: 'I want to record one CD before I die,'" Robinson said. McClain contacted Chad Kassem and APO Records and then he called Tedeschi who had announced previously that she would help Willie anytime, anywhere. So they converged in Kansas at Blue Heaven Studios. At last, and thankfully on time, Willie had his record. It is perhaps the most-accessible foot-tappin' Blues APO has turned out.

Weepin' Willie has been living the blues almost his whole life. Born in Atlanta in 1926, Willie was orphaned as an early teen, and after a stint as a migrant laborer he landed in Boston. Willie scored his first dream, that of becoming a singer, after B.B. King himself told Willie to go for it. Willie sang onstage for the first time with King's big band backing him. He was so nervous that he flopped. Lucky for all Blues fans, he got back up and kept going. Still, making it as a singer was awfully tough. "Sometime it get hard. It can get really hard, especially when you get those guys who don't want to pay you no money,' Robinson said. "A guy come in say, 'I'll give you $25.' Then, I had to take it because you wanted to be heard." But now, with a record to tout and magazine features, reviews and awards to his credit, Willie is finding consistent, higher-paying gigs. "It's a dream come true," he said.