Sonny Boy Williamson II

Born Aleck Rice Miller (though his birth details are famously disputed (he claimed many different dates and names throughout his life), the man known as Sonny Boy Williamson II was one of the most brilliant and eccentric figures in blues history. He appropriated the name of the original Sonny Boy Williamson (John Lee Williamson) and made it his own through sheer force of talent and personality. With Robert Lockwood Jr., he launched the legendary King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas, beginning in 1941) an early and hugely influential live blues radio program. His Chess Records sides from the 1950s and early 1960s, including 'Don't Start Me Talkin',' 'Help Me,' 'Bring It on Home,' and 'Nine Below Zero,' are masterpieces of economy and wit. He toured Europe in the 1960s, recording with the Yardbirds and the Animals, and became a legendary figure in the British blues scene before his death in Helena in 1965.