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Willie played a broad range of music at the sessions, including religious and
sentimental songs. The guitar
interplay between Willie and

Curley Weaver is quite superb
throughout, as a fine
counterpoint to each other’s

styles.

In January 1934 Willie married
Ruthy Kate Williams (known as

Kate), who he met whilst
playing at a school closing
ceremony. Kate was also on the

entertainment bill, and Willie
was impressed with her singing.
It turned out that their
respective Mothers had known

each other.

Kate then started a nursing

course in Atlanta, paid for her
by her husband, which she
completed in 1939. From time

to time she performed with him,
but her religious upbringing

Willie McTell and Kate made her wary of the blues, and
the venues in which it was

played. However, that did not
stop her travelling quite widely with him on the medicine show circuit, where he
performed a variety of music.

In 1935 a talent scout for Decca visited Atlanta, and signed both Willie and Curley
Weaver.

Willie, Kate and Curley travelled to Chicago for two weeks for the recording sessions,
and all three were featured on some of the 16 songs that were recorded, six of which
were spirituals with Willie playing bottleneck guitar. They also worked a couple of

hillbilly tunes, but the rest were blues. For the first time since 1929 the sides
appeared as Blind Willie McTell, but superb as the recordings were they made little
impact commercially.

However, this did not stop the talent scouts seeking him out for further recordings,
and Vocalion called him again in 1936, this time including the almost blind albino
Piano Red in the sessions. According to Kate the pair had difficulty working together,
and none of the recordings were issued.