Me and Willy

Artist Information

Biography

Cleveland recording artist Willy Earle is a singer and songwriter cut from the same cloth as the early delta blues players. He has performed at hundreds of venues and appeared on radio and web casts.

Some of Willy’s original recordings include Going to Louisiana, Mississippi Mama, and Blue Highway. Willy performs his compositions on a resonator guitar with a harmonica, borrowing heavily from the tradition of Son House, Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson.

Pat Winfield met up with Willy in a club where Willy was playing. After a few minutes the two realized they had dated some 25 years earlier while in college. They once again became an item and Pat joined ‘Lonesome’ Willy in 2000 with rhythm guitar, vocals, washtub bass and her own style of bluegrass, folk and popular classics. This fun, eclectic duo became know as ‘Me and Willy’. The two are frequently joined by ad hoc members adding harmonies, congas, bass and more.

Gritty bluesy style w/ catchy but creative lyrics & lots of feel. Driving Louisiana blues to soulful jazzy w/saxophone to bouncy rhythm and clever harmonies. CD sold in Japan, Belgium, France, US, et al. Lighthearted-meaningful-in between. Willy’s influences:Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed. Pat:Jimmie Rodgers meets Maybelle Carter.

Instrumentation

Willy plays dobro, harmonica, fiddle, mandolin, keyboard, and sax. He sings lead and harmony.
Pat plays guitar, washtub bass and sings lead and harmony.

Discography

‘Going to Louisiana’ was released in 2006. Many tracks have had streaming and college radio airplay on WRUW.org and other Cleveland, OH area college and public stations.

Audio

• Mississippi Mama
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• Cat House Mama
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• Love You More Than Johnny Cash Loves Trains
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Lyrics

• Mississippi Mama
• Cat House Mama
• Love You More Than Johnny Cash Loves Trains

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Cool Cleveland Sounds: Going to Louisiana [+ Show ]
  

  Going to Louisiana Me and Willy MW Music Got a jones for that gritty sound from the Mississippi D...Going to Louisiana
  Me and Willy
  MW Music
  Got a jones for that gritty sound from the Mississippi Delta, splashed with a bit of upbeat folk and bluegrass? Then it turns out this week's Cool Cleveland Sounds is just the thing for you.
  Cleveland-area singer/songwriter "Lonesome" Willy Earle does a fair amount of gigging about Northeast Ohio. Sometimes he does so with the Willy Earle Band, jogging through a variety of dirty old ditties by the Stones, Animals, Big Brother, etc. Other times you'll find Earle by his, erm... well, by his lonesome, actually. When he's solo, he takes on a bit of everything from Son House and Jimmy Rodgers, to Robert Johnson and Keb Mo'.
  It's when Earle joins singer/songwriter Pat Winfield to perform under the moniker Me and Willy that the sparks really fly. That's when those ol' devil blues get a healthy dose of Down From the Mountain and Carter Family thrown in for good measure. Winfield adds a lot of that rootsy, Americana flair with her rhythm guitars and washtub bass siding up to Earle's own gritty guitarisms.
  If you were into the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack, you'll undoubtedly be into this disc. The 12 tracks found on Going to Louisiana are just flat-out fun, from the dobro-harmonica laced "Rockin' Blues" and stomp box sound of "Get Down Mama," to a muddy water n' crawdad jam called "Mudslide." Everything sounds relaxed, well-versed and free-flowing; Earle and Winfield make their often-hard-to-capture sound seem effortless and easy.
  And hey, any duo with back-up singers called the Red Hot Mamas in their corner has to be doing something right. Do right by your own ears and check these two out. You'll love 'em.

• Lawyer's Photography, Music Skills on Display [+ Show ]
  

  [Excerpt]Lawyer's photography, music skills on display [Final Edition] The Plain Dealer - Clevelan...[Excerpt]Lawyer's photography, music skills on display
  [Final Edition]
  The Plain Dealer - Cleveland, Ohio
  Author: Dan Tranberg, Special to The Plain Dealer
  Date: Feb 3, 2006
  Start Page: 28
  Section: Friday
  Text Word Count: 437
  
  DAN TRANBERG A LIFE IN FULL: Patricia Winfield, shown here at the Arabica Cafe on East 185th Street in Cleveland, mixes a career as a lawyer with music and photography. Two of those interests come together tonight at Arabica, when Winfield's blues band Me and Willy performs and Winfield's photos will be on view.
  Her blues duo, Me and Willy, performs at 8 tonight at the Arabica Cafe, 818 East 185th St., Cleveland. The event also serves as an opening reception for a display of her photographs, many of which were shot on travels abroad. Go to www.patriciawinfield.com or www.meandwilly.com.
  

• Rootstime Me and Willy CD Review [+ Show ]
  

  Willy Earle (William A. Earle) en Pat Winfield vormen een onvergelijkbaar American-rootsbluesduo. Al...Willy Earle (William A. Earle) en Pat Winfield vormen een onvergelijkbaar American-rootsbluesduo. Als je alleen al ziet met wat een liefde ze hun instrumenten bespelen, en hoe goed ze dat doen, dan sla je steil achterover. De uit Cleveland, Ohio komende Willy Earle (vocals,dobro, harmonica) is een singer-songwriter in de traditie van Son House, Charlie Patton, Jimmie Rodgers en Robert Johnson, jazeker de vroege Delta blues spelers, en weet vooral op dobro te schitteren op deze bluesplaat. Pat Winfield voegde zich in 2000 toe aan 'Lonesome' Willy, en met haar eigen stijl van bluegrass en folk weet ze Willy op twaalf tracks te begeleiden op akoestische gitaar en wat vocaal te ondersteunen. Nu is virtuositeit niet alles, want vooral in dit genre moet je ook in staat zijn de luisteraar in het hart te raken. Met de indringende zang van Willy Earle lukt dat bijzonder goed. Hij heeft een machtige, rustige, klinkende stem waarmee hij u keer op keer weet te raken. Er wordt op deze geweldige cd voornamelijk akoestisch gespeeld, met als uitsmijter het geweldig gospel-getinte "Spread The Word", maar ook de opener, het origineel door Earle gepende "Going to Louisiana" behoord tot de uitschieters van deze plaat. De andere composities passen er naadloos tussen. Wat deze plaat verder bijzonder maakt zijn de arrangementen. Luister bijvoorbeeld eens naar het adembenemende "Like Muddy Waters", waarin Willy Earle voluit laat horen wat hij in zijn mars heeft, met subtiele verwijzingen naar andere mondharmonica groten. Willy Earle speelt overigens op momenten echt verbijsterend goed dobro, maar dan wel zo, dat het heel gewoon en natuurlijk klinkt. Af en toe worden er ook wat vrienden bijgehaald, zoals Justin Gorki (accordeon), Ricky Stanton en Bruce Locke (upright bass) en ook dat levert verrassende sfeervolle Delta blues op, die bij sommige nummers meer een sombere weerklank geeft. De hele cd is eigenlijk één grote ontdekkingstocht als je dacht dat Delta blues een simpele muzieksoort was. Dat niet alleen, de kern van de Delta blues, het stukje dat echt bij je binnendringt, blijft ook inderdaad steeds de kern. Klasse!
  Willy Earle (William A. Earle) and Pat Winfield form an incomparable American-rootsbluesduo. If you only already see with what a love they play their instruments, and how good they that do, then hit you rigidly back. From Cleveland, Ohio Willy Earle (vocals, dobro, harmonica) is a singer-songwriter in the tradition of Son House, Charlie Patton, Jimmie Rodgers and Robert Johnson, yes of course the early Delta blues players, and knowledge especially on dobro. In 2000 Pat Winfield joined 'Lonesome Willy’, and with her own style of bluegrass and folk know to accompany they Willy on twelve tracks on acoustic guitar and what vocal to support. Now everything is not virtuositeit, for especially in this genre, you must be the listener also in state in the heart to hit. With the penetrating song of Willy Earle succeeds that particularly good. He has a powerful, calm, sounding voice with which he you turn on turn know to hit. There on this, tremendous cd is played mainly acoustic, with as a final song the tremendous gospel-tinted "Spread The Word", but even more the opener, the original through Earle penned "Going to Louisiana" part be of the uitschieters of this album. The other compositions fit there seamless between. What this album further particularly makes be the arrangement. Listen for instance once to the breathtaking "Like Muddy Waters", in which Willy Earle in full want to hear what he in its march has, with subtle references to other mond harmonica big ones. Willy Earle plays otherwise on moments really bewildering good dobro, but then well so, that the quite usual and naturally sounds. Finished and closed there also what friends bijgehaald become, as Justin Gorki (accordion), Ricky Stanton and Bruce Locke (upright bass) and also that furnishes surprising sfeervolle Delta blues on, that gives resounded by some numbers more a gloomy. The whole cd is actual one large discovery institution as you thought that Delta blues a simple music kind was. That not only, the core of the Delta blues, the briskly that really with you penetrate into, remains also indeed town the core. Class!

Setlist

Willy can play originals all night long or mix in covers of the blues greats and other classics. Pat adds variety with bluegrass or additional classics. Set times vary depending on crowd and venue. The following are songs which may be played: Going to Louisiana (original)
Jambalaya
Hold on Mr. Engineer (original)
Johnny Cash Loves Trains (original)
Window Up Above
Frankie and Johnny
All the Love I had is Gone
Blue Yodel #3
TB Blues
Deep Ellum Blues
Mississippi Mama (original)
Me and Bobby McGee
Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby
Cat House Mama (original)
Hound Dog Mama (original)
Angel from Montgomery
Pay Me My Money Down
You Got Me Runnin’
Dust My Broom
Mojo Working
Ode to Billy Joe
Freight Train- by Elizabeth Cotton
Waitin’ on a Train by Jimmie Rodgers
Blue Yodel No. 5 –D (Jimmie Rodgers)”When a woman gets the blues, . . ”
Ramblin Railroad Man (original)
Train Whistle Blues (original)
Folsom Prison
In the Jailhouse Now
Long Black Veil
Stone walls and steel bars (Three time loser)
Footprints in the Snow
Creek is Running (original)
Man of Constant Sorrow
Down to the River to Pray
Mule Skinner
In the Pines
My Babe
Rockin’ Blues (original)
Going to Nashville (original)
Going to Kansas City/Sweet Home Chicago
Red Hot Mama (original)
Black Cat Mama (original)
Little Red Rooster
Kind Hearted Woman
Crossroads
Matchbox
T for Texas
21-20 (boogie)
Guilty
Hey Good Lookin’
You’re Cheatin’ Heart
Honky Tonk Blues
If You’ve Got the Money Honey
You Ain’t Woman Enough
Kawliga
D-I-V-O-R-C-E
Picture
I’d Leave Me Too
Manly Man (I’m a Man)
Love Me Like a Man(Bonnie Raitt
Hoodoo Daddy
Spell on You
John Henry
Rock of Love (original)
Ain’t Nobody’s Business (Billy Holiday)
Cowboy Song
Diamonds and Rust
Louise
Big Bad John (by Jimmie Dean)
Brand New Key
Lay around the Shanty
Harper Valley PTA (Pat)
Going Down that Road Feeling Bad – G
Look What they done to my song (Pat)
Nickel Song (Melanie)
Give me one Reason
Piece of My Heart
Son of a Preacher Man
Night the Lights went out in Georgia
Walkin After Midnight - A
Why Don’t you do right

Basic Requirements

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