Sonny Boy Williamson RCA Victor 22-0001 Wonderful Time 1949 Blues 78 RPM Shellac
£
40
$
53
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Description
John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson (Sonny Boy Williamson I) was a foundational architect of American roots music, widely regarded as the father of modern blues harmonica playing. This RCA Victor (22-0001) original release stands as a historic milestone in the label’s catalog, pairing two late-career performances:
"Wonderful Time": A vibrant, driving track powered by Williamson’s rhythmic harmonica accents and energetic vocal delivery
."Blues About My Baby": A deeply expressive, emotional performance built around direct call-and-response phrasing.2. Recording and Historical Era
Year Recorded: 1947 (Released February 1949). "Wonderful Time" was put to wax on September 19, 1947, while "Blues About My Baby" was recorded on November 12, 1947.
Released at the beginning of 1949, this specific disc marks a significant structural change in the music industry's history. In January 1949, RCA Victor completely restructured its cataloging, abandoning the old "20-" series and launching the 22-0000 numerical series specifically to isolate and market "Rhythm and Blues" to urban audiences. This record carries the historic weight of being number 0001—the very first release under this modern classification. It represents the corporate recognition of post-war Black urban music as a distinct economic power during a time when demographic shifts from the Great Migration were reshaping northern industrial cities.
Because this shellac disc bears the exact model allocation number 22-0001, it holds a permanent place in discography history as the absolute launch record for RCA Victor’s post-war rhythm and blues division.
Like other late-period tracks, these recordings were released after Williamson's tragic death in June 1948. The backup sessions feature legendary support, including Blind John Davis on piano, Ted Summitt on guitar, and Jump Jackson keeping time on drums.
Condition Report (VJM 78rpm Grading System)
Overall Visual Grade: Excellent (E).
.Media Surfaces: The vintage shellac surfaces carry a strong native mirror gloss under direct lighting. There are a few light superficial paper storage sleeve lines, but no deep feelable scratches, structural cracks, or edge chipping can be found.
Audio Playback: Clear, bright, and highly satisfactory audio tracking. Surface noise remains consistently low and well below the music signal, allowing the vocals and harmonica leads to dominate the mix.
Labels: Highly presentable. The distinctive deep black RCA Victor labels with gold font lines are completely clean and legible, showing minimal spindle track marks around the center hole.
Packaging Method: Fragile post-war shellac demands specialized defensive shielding. The disc will be placed in a protective sleeve, securely sandwiched between oversized thick card stiffeners, and wrapped in multiple layers of heavy-gauge bubble wrap.
Handling: The entire flat pack is safely suspended within a rigid, heavy-duty doubleskin box to completely eliminate interior transit movement and fill any remaining internal void.
Carefully packed and promptly dispatched.
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