Brownie Mcghee

Place: Knoxville

Born: 1915

Death: 1996

Biography:

Brownie McGhee was an American folk-blues singer and guitarist, best known as half of the duo Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he moved to New York City in 1940, where he met harmonica player Sonny Terry. The two began performing together and recorded their first album in 1941. They became popular on the folk circuit in the 1950s and 1960s, and performed and recorded together until Terry's death in 1986. McGhee continued to perform and record as a solo artist until his death in 1996. He was known for his distinctive, high-pitched voice and his fingerpicking guitar style. He was also a songwriter, and wrote many of the songs performed by the duo. McGhee was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1997.