Willie “Big Eyes” Smith

The blues isn’t just music; it’s a lifestyle, a fact that few understand better than drummer Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Scrapping for work in the early ’60s, Smith — a veteran of Chicago’s bustling blues scene — hit rock bottom. Dejected and destitute, he gave up music altogether, even going so far as to lug his kit to a local pawnbroker — only to find the shop closed. But even in the deepest recesses of the blues, there is hope. After going to listen to his friend Muddy Waters one night (Smith served a stint as the guitarist’s drummer in the late ’50s), he was invited to sit in with the band. The next day, Waters offered the downtrodden drummer a full-time gig, a position Smith would hold for the next fifteen years. Later, as a member of the Legendary Blues Band, Smith found himself splitting concert bills with Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, the Band and the Rolling Stones. Some would call his career a case of good mojo, but Smith has proven he knows how to play — and how to survive — the blues.