I think I first heard Robert Pete Williams’ music in 1980 in the Listening Room at the York University library. They had a great collection of blues music there and a bunch of turntables. You could sign out records (some of you may remember those) and headphones. I used to take my homework up there as if I was going to do the homework while listening to selections from their collection, but I always forgot about the homework part when I started listening to the music. It was magical. I heard all these performers I had never heard of before playing these wonderful idiosyncratic blues. It was magic.
I wonder if they still have a listening room? I don’t think my library does.
I don’t know. It was a fantastic thing. I thought all those great obscure recordings were treasures.