Geeshie Wiley

Geeshie Wiley ( here and there Geechie Wiley called ) was an obscure African-American blues singer and guitarist. She has recorded three 78 rpm records in the early 1930s, two of them with their equally obscure partner Elvie Thomas.

About two is out of their recordings hardly delivers anything. The nickname " Geechie " or " Geechee ," which is common especially in the coastal states South Carolina and Georgia, however, suggests that they were in one of these states at home. In the 1920s, Wiley should have occurred at a medicine show in Jackson, Mississippi. Rumors also say that she was eventually married to Casey Bill Weldon, after he was divorced from Memphis Minnie.

Wiley took the songs " Last Kind Word Blues " and " Skinny Leg Blues" in March 1930 in Grafton, Wisconsin for Paramount; while she accompanied Elvie Thomas on second guitar. ( Thomas also participated in this session, two songs, namely " Motherless Child Blues " and "Over to My House ", well it is possible but unconfirmed, that Geeshie Wiley this second guitar and harmony vocals contributed. ) In 1931 traveled Wiley and Thomas once again to Grafton and took on the occasion two more songs together: "Pick Poor Robin Clean" and " Eagles on a Half ".

About Geeshie Wiley's later life, their careers ( and their real name ) is still no information found., The falling out of the ordinary special quality of their songs (especially " Last Kind Words" with its changing in a strange way between major and minor mood ) effects, however, that they are re-released again on records compilations until recently (eg on the soundtrack to the 1994 Terry Zwigoffs film " Crumb " about the comic illustrator Robert Crumb ). Don Kent said of her "She seems to embody the moment, has a black secular music fused itself to the blues. ".

David Johansen and the Harry Smiths have covered in 2002 on the album " Shaker" " Last Kind Words".

Discography

• Geeshie Wiley: Last Kind Words / Skinny Leg Blues ( Paramount Records 12951 - March 1930 )
• Geeshie Wiley & Elvie Thomas: Pick Poor Robin Clean / Eagles on a Half ( Paramount Records 13074 - March 1931 )

Possible involvement:

• Elvie Thomas: Motherless Child Blues / Over to My House ( Paramount Records 12977 - March 1930 )