Robert Pete Williams

Robert Pete Williams was one of the most original and idiosyncratic guitarists in the blues tradition, a Louisiana musician whose freely structured, improvisatory style defied conventional blues forms. He was serving a life sentence for murder at Angola State Prison when he was recorded by folklorists Harry Oster and Richard Allen in 1958. His recordings were so extraordinary that a parole campaign was organized, and he was released in 1959. His subsequent recordings for Folk-Lyric, Prestige/Bluesville, Ahura Mazda, and other labels revealed a deeply personal artist who created long, discursive guitar pieces that were closer to free jazz than conventional twelve-bar blues. His playing had no direct antecedent and has had few successful imitators.