Nicholas Edward Williams (USA)
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
Nicholas Edward Williams is a multi-instrumentalist, storyteller, and musicologist dedicated to preserving the songs and styles that shaped American music, from ragtime and Piedmont blues to early country, traditional folk, and old-time music. He is the producer and host of the roots music history podcast American Songcatcher, and his most recent album, Rags, Folk and Blues, Oh My! (2026), is a stripped-down, lo-fi collection of traditional material. He has opened for Taj Mahal, The Wood Brothers, Dom Flemons, and John Paul White, among others, and is the founder and executive director of ReString Appalachia, a nonprofit dedicated to providing quality instruments to people who lose them in natural disasters.
Featured Song:
“Shake Sugaree” was written by Elizabeth Cotten, the North Carolina guitarist best known for the song “Freight Train.” Cotten worked up the guitar part first and played it for her great-grand children, who collectively made up the lyrics. Williams is joined by Gordon Inman on clarinet and Cody Rayon guitar. “Have a little song / Won’t take long / Sing it right / Once or twice / Oh, lordy me / Didn’t I shake sugaree? / Everything I got is done and pawned / Pawn my chair / Pawn my bed / Ain’t got nowhere to lay my head.”
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