The Hawaiian Guitar Wizard's BEST 24 songs!
Casey Bill Weldon played a National steel guitar flat on his lap Hawaiian style.
He was one of the foremost lap steel guitar players of the Prewar blues years, as well as an excellent singer and tunesmith. He is not to be confused with Will Weldon, a guitarist/singer who was a sometime member of the Memphis Jug Band and had a relationship (or may even have been married to Memphis Minnie).
Practically all of the biographical data known about Casey Bill Weldon comes from a groundbreaking article by Jim O'Neal in Living Blues magazine no. 228 (Dec. 2013). In all probability, his real name was Nathan Hammond and he was born on Feb. 2, 1901, prob. In Chanute, Kansas, southwest of Kansas City. He adopted the name William Weldon at some point prior to his first appearances as a musician at various recording sessions in 1935, including accompaniments to Peetie Wheatstraw, Teddy Darby and Leroy Henderson, as well his first recordings as Kansas City Bill Weldon or Casey Bill (some subtitled 'Hawaiian Guitar Wizard' for Vocalion and Bluebird. In the same year and in 1936, he was also featured with the Hokum Boys, the Washboard Rhythm Kings and Arnett Nelson & His Hot Four.
The Hawaiian Guitar Wizard's BEST 24 songs!
Casey Bill Weldon played a National steel guitar flat on his lap Hawaiian style.
He was one of the foremost lap steel guitar players of the Prewar blues years, as well as an excellent singer and tunesmith. He is not to be confused with Will Weldon, a guitarist/singer who was a sometime member of the Memphis Jug Band and had a relationship (or may even have been married to Memphis Minnie).
Practically all of the biographical data known about Casey Bill Weldon comes from a groundbreaking article by Jim O'Neal in Living Blues magazine no. 228 (Dec. 2013). In all probability, his real name was Nathan Hammond and he was born on Feb. 2, 1901, prob. In Chanute, Kansas, southwest of Kansas City. He adopted the name William Weldon at some point prior to his first appearances as a musician at various recording sessions in 1935, including accompaniments to Peetie Wheatstraw, Teddy Darby and Leroy Henderson, as well his first recordings as Kansas City Bill Weldon or Casey Bill (some subtitled 'Hawaiian Guitar Wizard' for Vocalion and Bluebird. In the same year and in 1936, he was also featured with the Hokum Boys, the Washboard Rhythm Kings and Arnett Nelson & His Hot Four.
