Talk:Brownie McGhee

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Untitled[edit]

I saw Brownie McGhee back in the 80's @ Dunedin town hall (New Zealand)

Just him 2 gutairs and an amp that was put thru the sound system

one of the best concerts I've ever been to about 5000 people young and old had one heck of a good time!

Birth place[edit]

The following indicate his birthplace to be Knoxville. [1] and [2]. I don't pretend they are authoritative, but they're the best I have. I've also spent some time in Kingsport, so I can imagine that it would provide him with plenty of material for the blues  :) Wikibofh 04:06, 18 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Stub?[edit]

Should this article have the stub tag added? I'm new to Wikipedia so I don't know what constitutes a stub as far as biographical info goes...

  • Yes, I'd say it's a stub. As a matter of fact, I'll even do it.  :) Wikibofh 16:49, 12 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Sonny & Brownie were great in concert[edit]

I had the great pleasure to see Sonny & Brownie three times in the late '70s when they would come through Washington DC. Sonny had to be helped on stage and assisted in getting settled. Brownie walked with a pronounced limp, and they were both rather gray and grizzled old guys by then. The first time I saw them coming onto stage, I remember thinking, these poor old men! They still have to go out and struggle to make a living - how will they get through this show??? And then they started playing, and WHOA - just blew the place away! The energy and sheer power of just the two of them was astonishing! They rocked the place for two solid sets, telling stories and cutting up nonstop. There was no doubt they LOVED what they were doing. I still chuckle at how naive my first impression was. Their concerts are among my best memories of the DC music scene - they were a national treasure, and their recordings still are.

Left-handed photo[edit]

This article shows 2 photos of Brownie, one showing him playing left-handed and one right-handed. I don't recall him being a leftie. 123.243.32.76 01:39, 11 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, he was right-handed. It seems that the photo shoing him left-handed has been flipped. His watch is on the wrong arm too. Strangely though, it seems that the stickers in that photo seem not to be flipped (I can see one starting with the letter "F" not flipped.) --David Broadfoot 13:26, 22 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Back when you had to wind them, most lefties wore their watch on the right wrist, sometimes upside-down. These days, it does not even matter. But no, he was not left-handed. Another clue is the shirt that appears to close right-over-left. That sticker with the legible "F"? I don't see it anywhere.--Geometricks (talk) 17:45, 19 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The picture is definitely flipped, and needs to be corrected. McGhee was definitely right-handed. His stance also doesn't look right in the picture - I recall him always with his left foot on the floor and his right foot "hitched up" a little. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.133.48.164 (talk) 08:26, 11 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How long he toured with Sonny Terry[edit]

The article says "his real success did not come until his 1942 relocation to New York City, where he was teamed up with Sonny Terry. The pairing was an overnight success, recording and touring extensively until the early 1970s." However, I saw them play together at the University of New South Wales (in Sydney Australia) in 1974 or 1975. I saw them together again at Macquarie University in 1980 or 1981. Also, these two articles seem to provide more credible information than the wikipedia article, so I have modified the wikipedia entry accordingly.

P.S. The concerts were mind-blowing! --David Broadfoot 13:51, 22 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Fair use rationale for Image:Browniemcghee.jpg[edit]

Image:Browniemcghee.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 04:58, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Photo of Brownie[edit]

I saw Brownie McGhee with Sonny Terry at RAF Cosford near Wolverhampton in the late 60's at a concert that Fairport Convention were heading. I remember them both are being (to me at least, as a teenager!) quite elderly, one blind and the other in a wheelchair. I am therefore wondering whether the photograph of Brownie is dated wrong? In 1981 he would have been 66 and the photo looks like a younger, fit man? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.157.148.61 (talk) 07:55, 2 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

More about the image[edit]

The image used in the info box:
Brownie McGhee at the Nambassa 3 day Music & Alternatives festival, New Zealand 1981. Photographer Michael Bennetts..jpg
Shows McGhee as playing his guitar left handed. All other images that I've looked at show him as right handed. I can not figure out how to edit the image, so I am removing it as being misleading. Einar aka Carptrash (talk) 20:28, 26 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

obscure album[edit]

I have a album with Brownie Mcghee/Sonny Terry/Coyal Mcmahan called onboard from 1952 on folksway records but can find nothing about it on internet album It is called On Board the folksmasters on folksway records . An body know anything about this ? Is it real or just obscure? 142.179.43.191 (talk) 03:27, 15 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

My guess is that it is called "Get On Board" and it can be found here:

https://www.discogs.com/release/3093581-Sonny-Terry-Brownie-McGhee-Coyal-McMahan-Get-On-Board-Negro-Folksongs-By-The-Folkmasters Carptrash (talk) 05:04, 15 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]