The Legend of Robert Pete Williams

Who is Robert Pete Williams and what is his significance? Robert Pete was born in 1914 and spent his early adulthood working at a lumberyard while playing music in passing. In 1954, Robert was involved in a barroom brawl which he ended up killing another man. Robert Pete claimed it was in self-defense. The court felt otherwise, and Robert was sent to Angola for life.
Come 1958, Harry Oster, then a graduate student at LSU English Dept, was up at Angola "collecting" Negro work songs. One of Harry's informants told him about Robert Pete, so Harry checked Robert Pete out and realized he had something significant on his hands. Harry brought Robert Pete a new guitar, and focused on recording Robert Pete's playing (the recording sessions would later lead to two albums worth of material).
Harry Oster also started on the process of getting Robert Pete pardoned. Harry sent letters to the Louisiana governor, the parole board, newspapers, magazines (Time carried an article about Robert Pete's music and trial in an October 1958 edition). Shortly there after, the Louisiana parole board commuted Robert Pete Williams sentence to 12 years. With 4 years served, Robert Pete was released from Angola, but still was restricted to a "servitude parole" (He had to work on a state farm out near Denham Springs, east of Baton Rouge, and couldn't leave Louisiana). That lasted till 1964. Afterwards, Robert Pete Williams was free to tour and perform (his coming out party being the 1964 Newport Folk Festival).
The significance of Robert Pete's playing was that it was different. Harry Oster described Robert Pete's playing "as close to pure folk tradition as anyone of his generation." Jimmy Beyer described Robert Pete's music as not staying in the traditional 12 bars. Elijah Wald wrote about Robert Pete's playing, "He played music derived from the field holler tradition and, by extension, is closely tied to African roots. His songs were usually improvised, unrhymed and in no particular metric pattern, and his guitar tended to function as a rough second voice." Milo Miles compared Robert Pete Williams playing to Big Joe Williams, John Lee Hooker, and Ali Farka Toure (and Fat Possum compares Robert Pete to Junior Kimbrough).
That is why our world became less whole when Robert Pete Williams passed away on the next to last day of 1980.

Fast forward to Winter 2006, I received an e-mail from a Don Ely, from Michigan, saying he found the gravemarker for Robert Pete Williams, with help from the liner notes from " When A Man Takes The Blues ", Robert Pete Williams vol. 2 (Arhoolie cd 395) at the back of Southern Memorial Gardens. So with the help of Don's directions I made my up to the outskirts of Scotlandville (North Baton Rouge, you could say). Blount Rd is the lst traffic light on both US 61 and La 19, north of I-110; turn right and proceed east past some houses and you'll see an oil tank yard on your left, and BR Airport on your distant right, with the cemetery entrance in front.

A (little more vague than I would like) map of Southern Memorial Grounds

Here's a slimed down version of Don Ely's directions (within SMG): look for a sign that reads " Masonic " towards the rear of the cemetery and facing east. It overlooks the pond, and the airport would then be to the southeast. There is a tree in the Masonic Garden (SG - actually two trees and the "Masonic" sign and the grave, as you'll see below, is between them), and your quarry is east of the tree, somewhere in the middle.

Wide angle shot to help visualize Don Ely's directions. Looking east; Don's tree is on the left, the Masonic sign is on the right, you can barely see the pond in the back, and the red circle is where Robert Pete Williams grave is located at.

We're closer to the gravesite here. Scanning the horizon (no I didn't bring those flowers. They were there when I arrived)

The tombstone for Robert Pete Williams (March 2006). That marker for Robert Pete Williams came long after the funeral (how long, I don't know at this time), due to a donation to the family (that last bit came from Dick Waterman)

Thanks again to Don Ely for providing me the information that lead me to finding Robert Pete Williams' grave.

Sources for background on Robert Pete Williams "biography"
Baton Rouge Blues by Jimmy Beyer (pub. 1980)
Living Country Blues by Harry Oster (pub. 1969/1975)
Arhoolie Records Link
Fat Possum Records Link
Keith Purtell

Page created on April 18, 2006/ last updated on April 20, 2006
Questions and comments can be directed to Sandor Gulyas
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