Big Bill Broonzy

Biography

Big Bill Broonzy was a foundational American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose influential career spanned from the 1920s to the 1950s. He began playing country blues and transitioned to a more sophisticated urban blues style in Chicago, becoming a best-selling artist for labels like #Vocalion# and #Bluebird#. In 1938, he gained wider fame filling in for the late *Robert Johnson* at the 'From Spirituals to Swing' concert at Carnegie Hall. In his later years, Broonzy embraced traditional folk-blues, becoming a leading figure in the American folk music revival and an international star, celebrated for songs like 'Key to the Highway' and 'Black, Brown and White'.