B.C. Williamson

Johnny Ezekiel Robert Barnabus Cain Williamson (born 13 May 1927) known by his stage name B.C. Williamson is a fictional Blues musician created by Joe Ackerman and Matt Rosen in the winter of 2009.
Created first merely on a whim, Williamson became a more and more important aspect of Ackerman and Rosen's life, as they went on to record tracks, release a greatest hits, design album artwork, and even collaborate with other musicians.
Early life (or B.C.'s creation)
Whilst not initially forthcoming over B.C.'s origins, Ackerman and Rosen finally admitted how B.C. came about:
"B.C. Williamson was born on a cold winter night in Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho, London (obviously not really, it's a metaphor - remember, B.C. isn't real). We were explaining the history of the blues to an uninterested friend (who will remain nameless), and we got bored of describing their time-old stories (you know, the one about BB King's guitar "Lucille", and Robert Johnson selling his soul), so we decided to come up with our own bluesman, a sort of "super-bluesman", if you will. B.C. incorporated everything about the blues: he was born under a bad sign in 1927 as the 7th child of the 7th son, on a crossroads one Friday 13th, on a bed of dead cats and smashed mirrors (under a ladder). He had several names (Johnny Ezekiel Robert Barnabus Cain "King" Williamson) and played classic, customized guitars (such as "Sharon", his 12-knobbed ES-335).
"From then on, the idea of an imaginary blues musician blossomed- we designed covers, created a Myspace page, a Facebook fan site, a Last.fm account, and, of course this website. But then we realised (rather belatedly) that musicians need music, and so we set about the task of writing and releasing B.C.'s greatest hits- Hits and Misses - The Very Best of B.C. Williamson. After a few days, we somehow had written about 16 songs, and, together with a couple of covers of blues standards and some alternate versions (1 live track, several outtakes, and, in 2 cases, german versions) we had a proper greatest hits. We have now taken this a step farther- B.C. has just finished recording a collaboration with an American rapper, and a 3 track single is soon to be released."
With those comments being made only a few months after the creation of B.C., that 3 track single has now become a 4 track single, including, bizarrely, a German version of "his" track "I (Went Down This Monrin' &) Got Myself a Gun" and an outtake. One must remember, though, that B.C.'s creators are merely children teenagers- they had to significantly edit their voices in order to make them sound like an 83 year old blues musician.
However, this was not the version of B.C.'s childhood that was given originally (ie. before the creators admitted "he" was not real):
"Born under a bad sign in 1927 as the 7th child of the 7th son, on a crossroads one Friday 13th, on a bed of dead cats and smashed mirrors (under a ladder) Johnny Ezekiel Robert Barnabus Cain "King" Williamson is one of Blues’ biggest contributors. His albums are classics, and he explored every possible variation of the blues - “Giraffe” (1953) had 12 bar, “Shotgun” (quickly renamed “Loaded Weapon”) (1955) had 24 bar, “Fatal Discharge” (1960) had 6 bar, and “Come Back” (his 1975 comeback album) had all 3. If there was a number BC knew, he recorded an album in it (and BC recorded many albums)."
Career
B.C. was said to have explored every variation of Blues: his 18 albums to date have tried out hardcore blues, psych-blues, gospel, soul, British Blues, jazz-fusion, and even an odd, yet-to-be-released take on rap.
Again, B.C.'s creators give "him" the career of a classic bluesman:
"Born in the Mississippi Delta, the young Barnabus Cain (or "Blues Child") learnt to play the guitar from his favourite blues records (he learnt from masters like Bukka White, Robert Johnson and Son House), first playing a one-stringed "diddley bow", before graduating to a three-string cigar box guitar, and then moving to a cheap acoustic. He moved to Tennessee after meeting his first collaborator Tick-Tock Turner, a young drummer from the area. They formed the B.C. Williamson Blues Band and began a residency at Blues Bar 12 in Beale Street, Memphis. The band rose to popularity, with B.C.'s prominent songwriting praised especially. But disaster struck when B.C. was falsely convicted of stealing a Fender Telecaster, new on the market at the time. His one-year spell in jail prepared him for the life of a bluesman. He got out of jail and reformed the band, who eventually received a record deal, and recorded the popular "Giraffe"
This history was clearly influenced by the early lives of B.B. King, Muddy Waters and other bluesmen.
Backing Bands
Another odd part of B.C.'s "life" was his ever-changing attitude to his backing groups. The only member of "his" group "he" ever stuck with was the drummer, Tick-Tock Turner. A short list of some of B.C.'s bandmates is easily found on "his" official website:
Tick-Tock Turner
Franklin D. Roosterfelt
Sammy "DD" Dee
Joey Jojo Jones Jnr. 2nd.
Coral "Reef" Jones
Jafoole Z. Atlas
Ivory "Knick-Knack-Paddy" Wahkk
"Boom Boom" Banson
Smelly Rhymes
Joseph "Nickname" Ackhaman
Blind Orange Peel
Rusty "Cool" Katts
JJ Smith
Jojo Joseph Joneson Jnr.
Anne "D" Ware-Hole
Rat-a-tat Rix
A complete list can be found here
This humorous list emphasizes the creators' love of the absurd, with every name either being a pun or a take on a Jazz star or bluesman. Notice the names of the organists are all highly similar, with the letter J being prevalent.
Discography
A complete list of B.C.'s falsified discography can be found here
See Also
* Blues
* Mississippi

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