Naked Blues Featured Artist – Willie Cobbs

Willie Cobbs has just produced a new album and it’s a goodun! Hence..he is our Naked Blues Featured Artist this week. The album is entitled ‘Butler Boy Blues’.

He was born on 15th July 1932 in Smale, Monroe County, Arkansas. He sings the blues, is a great harmonica player and writes music too. His best known for his song ‘You Don’t Love Me‘, which was his first recorded composition back in 1960. Cover versions have been recorded by various artists, including The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead, Ritchie Kotzen, Magic Sam, John Mayall and Junior Wells.

He moved to Chicago in 1951, where he occasionally performed in local clubs with Little Walter, Eddie Boyd and others. He served in the American armed forces and then returned to Chicago, recording a number of singles on such labels as Ruler, a subsidiary of J.O.B. Records.

Willie later released singles for various labels. He ran nightclubs in Arkansas and Mississippi through the 1970s and 1980s. He went on to release the albums Hey Little Girl for the Wilco label in 1986 and Down to Earth for the Rooster Blues label. His previous album was released in 2000 entitled ‘Jukin’.

He has performed at the King Biscuit Blues Festival and the Chicago Blues Festival. He also appeared in the 1991 film Mississippi Masala, performing the songs “Angel from Heaven” and “Sad Feelin”.

~ Carmel Merlin