Willie Love Biography

Harpist Rice Miller, known to his legion of fans across the Delta as Sonny Boy Williamson, first encountered pianist Willie Love in Greenville, MS, in 1942. The talented pair played regularly on Nelson Street, the main drag of the Black section of Greenville, musically intertwining with remarkable empathy. And it was Williamson who brought Love into the fold at Trumpet Records (the label responsible for Love’s entire recorded legacy as a leader).Love was deeply influenced by Leroy Carr and equally conversant on boogies and down-in-the-alley blues. He played piano on several of Sonny Boy Williamson’s Trumpet sessions, but Love didn’t utilize his pal on any of his own 1951-1953 dates for the Jackson, MS, firm. Love’s debut, “Take It Easy, Baby,” was a rollicking boogie outing, and he followed it up with the equally sturdy “Everybody’s Fishing,” “Vanity Dresser Boogie,” and “Nelson Street Blues.” Love’s last session in April of 1953 found him backed by a White bassist and drummer — certainly a rarity for the era. Four months later, Love, who had long suffered from alcoholism, was dead.