Warner Williams and Jay Summerour

In a world of chaotic musical fads, where true expressions of the heart and soul often fall by the wayside in the endless pursuit of “innovation,” it is always refreshing to discover music, which is pure, direct, and soulful. The Piedmont blues style of Warner Williams and Jay Summerour is instantly recognizable as classic country blues, the root source of many familiar forms of popular music. On their recording “Little Bit of Blues,” you'll hear the real thing, played with great warmth and a sense of fun.

Warner Williams and Jay Summerour perform at folk festivals, blues festivals, and Smithsonian concerts under the name “Little Bit of Blues.” Jay deftly weaves his expressive harmonica phrasing around Warner's masterful guitar runs and relaxed vocals, with the two musicians blending as if they have played music together forever. “I've been playing all my life” is how Warner Williams describes his involvement with the guitar.

Born in Takoma Park, Maryland in 1930, Warner grew up in a musical family. His mother played the accordion, and his father played guitar, piano, and fiddle. His seven brothers and three sisters all sang and played string instruments; his siblings performed as the “Williams Family,” playing blues and country music in the Washington, D.C. area when the six-year-old Warner first picked up the guitar. Warner “learned by watching” his family members play, and cut his musical teeth on such diverse influences as blues great Lightnin' Hopkins and cowboy star Gene Autry. As he expanded his horizons, Warner became adept at playing and singing a wide-ranging repertoire including hillbilly, country, blues, and jazz styles, playing both acoustic and hollow-body electric guitar. Over the years, Warner performed in churches, nightclubs, and street corners, becoming a fixture in the Washington, D.C. blues scene. In more recent years, he has taken his music to a national audience via Smithsonian Institution tours and public radio broadcasts, playing alongside his musical partner of the past seven years, Jay Summerour.

Jay was born in 1950 and was raised in Rockville, Maryland and Oakland, California. He started playing the trumpet at age seven, but picked up the harmonica as a ten-year-old, inspired by his grandfather, an accomplished blues harmonica player. “From when I was a child,” Jay recalls, “I wanted to be one of those old blues players who could just sit down and entertain people.” His idols, Sonny Terry and James Cotton, were sufficiently impressed by the youngster that they were willing to take the time to help Jay learn his craft. Jay's musical development took some twists and turns along the way, as Jay took the opportunity to dive into the wide world of mainstream music, traveling with such acts as the Starland Vocal Band and the Cambridge Harmonica Orchestra. The lessons, which taught Jay about the music business, promotion, booking, and management, have in time proved quite valuable. Jay has returned to performing traditional blues, his first love, via his association with Warner Williams, and, as is obvious to anyone within earshot, this partnership was meant to be. Jay declares that “we just play because we love playing,” and the truth of that statement is evident in each and every song on this recording.

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8/15/03: Warner Williams and Jay Summerour

Warner Williams and Jay Summerour, a Piedmont blues duo, perform traditional blues selected from their latest recording, Little Bit of Blues.

Warner Williams and Jay Summerour

Warner Williams and Jay Summerour, a Piedmont blues duo, perform traditional blues selected from their latest recording, Little Bit of Blues.

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Warner Williams and Jay Summerour

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