Sonny Boy Williamson II

Williamson is the trickster king of the blues, a harp player whose phrasing is so conversational it feels like he's talking right to you. The whole mystery around his name, his age, and whether he 'borrowed' another man's identity only adds to the legend. What gets me is the menace and wit packed into 'Don't Start Me Talkin'' and 'Help Me' that whole vocabulary of cool that the British rockers couldn't get enough of when he toured Europe. The Yardbirds and Animals worshipped him for good reason. He's the kind of foundational artist whose DNA is buried in half the music I love.

Sonny Boy Williamson II (born Aleck "Rice" Miller, circa 1912 - May 25, 1965) was an American blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter from Mississippi. One of the most influential blues harpists in history, he recorded enduring classics such as "Don't Start Me Talkin'" and "Help Me" and toured Europe in the 1960s, where he performed with British rock musicians. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980.

Name (English)

Sonny Boy Williamson II

Name (Japanese)

サニー・ボーイ・ウィリアムソンII

Reading

さにー・ぼーい・うぃりあむそんII

Born

December 5, 1912 – May 25, 1965

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Sagittarius / Rat

Origin

Mississippi, United States

Occupation

Singer / Composer / Songwriter / Bandleader / Recording artist

Awards & achievements

• 1980 Blues Hall of Fame
• 1986 Blues Music Award
• 1988 Blues Music Award

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttp://www.sonnyboy.com/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B5%E3%83%8B%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A3%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2%E3%83%A0%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3II

Tags

• From Mississippi
• Singer
• Composer
• Songwriter

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.