St. Louis Blues

Blind Connie Williams

Blind Connie Williams (born c. 1915) was an American blues guitarist who was a street performer beginning in the early 1930s. Williams was something of a journeyman throughout his busking career, but he lived in Philadelphia for most of his life. Much of his repertoire consisted of sanctified gospel songs and pre-war country blues standards. In 1961, Williams had a recording session with the record producer Pete Welding, the results of which were later released on a compilation album. Little is known about Williams's personal life. According to Welding's notes, Williams was born in Florida sometime in 1915. His parents were migrant workers. As a teenager, he attended the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, where he developed a sophisticate… more »