Sonny Boy Williamson II Biography of the Blues Harmonica Great

Back to the Biographies

Aleck Ford, a.k.a. Alex “Rice” Miller, “Sonny Boy Williamson II”
(unknown – May 25, 1965)

Sonny Boy Williamson II’s larger-than-life story is matched only by his own tall tales. He often claimed an 1899 birth year, but most researchers place it closer to 1912 and list his birth name as Alex/Aleck Ford (later Aleck “Rice” Miller).

He adopted the stage name “Sonny Boy Williamson,” already used by an earlier Chicago harmonica star, John Lee Williamson. Despite the confusion—and his refusal to concede the borrowing—his fame soon stood on its own. He sharecropped in Mississippi and gigged around the Delta; exactly whom he played with in those early years is hazy.

In 1941 he helped launch KFFA-AM’s King Biscuit Time in Helena, Arkansas, a daily blues program that’s still on the air. The show made him a regional celebrity and opened doors for touring and sponsorships.

After early sides for Trumpet Records, he recorded for Checker/Chess in Chicago, cutting enduring tracks like “Don’t Start Me Talkin’,” “Help Me,” and “Bring It On Home.” His amplified, sly harp style shaped the next wave of blues and rock players.

Riding the U.K. blues boom, he toured England in 1963–64, performing and recording with the Yardbirds and appearing with the Animals. The Yardbirds set with him—recorded December 8, 1963 at the Crawdaddy—was later issued as an album. The famous knife anecdote with Eric Clapton circulates in memoirs, but details vary.

Many major harmonica stylists took cues from him: Howlin’ Wolf learned directly from Rice Miller in the Delta; James Cotton was a protégé; and even Little Walter absorbed elements of his approach.

Williamson died in Helena, Arkansas, in late May 1965 (sources differ by a day) and is buried near Tutwiler, Mississippi—aptly close to where W.C. Handy first described hearing the blues.