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These were the last sessions he recorded in a studio for 13 years, but in November

1940 he was spotted playing at the Pig ‘n’ Whistle by folk song collector John A.
Lomax and his wife. At their invitation he went to their hotel the following day, and
recorded about 45 minutes of songs, including stories of his early life and travels

around the country. Amongst the recordings, no doubt specifically to please Lomax,
were a number of folk songs. These recordings eventually appeared as ‘The Complete
1940 Library of Congress Recordings’.

Unfortunately, after gaining her nursing certificate, Kate had problems gaining
employment, and since Willie’s entertainment career did not really appeal to her,
she moved to Augusta to investigate employment possibilities there. By the end of

1941, with America at war, she obtained a
position as a Civil Service nurse at Fort
Gordon, near Augusta, and remained there

for the next 30 years. Their long distance
marriage continued, Willie visiting her once
or twice a year, in spite of the fact that he was
soon living with another woman, Helen

Edwards, who used the name McTell until her
death in 1958.

By the 1940s Willie was tending to confine

his appearances to the Pig ‘n’ Whistle, and
local private party bookings. His music was
also moving more towards spiritual songs,

and he obtained a licence to preach, although
never becoming a minister. He also briefly
Blind Willie & Helen McTell 1950s
toured Georgia with a group of blind spiritual

singers, and had a local radio show.

By 1949, the success of Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, and others of that era
provided a resurgence of interest in down home blues, and the record companies

went looking for artistes to record. Regal Records found Willie in Atlanta, and he
recorded 17 splendid songs for them, accompanied again by Curley Weaver. A few
weeks later Ahmet Ertegun, of Atlantic Records, found Willie playing on the street,

and recognised him from his 1920s records.

The results of these sessions were disappointing - just three singles on Regal (one

under the name Blind Willy Mc Tell, one as Blind Willie, and one as The Pig ‘n’ Whistle
Band) - the one Atlantic single appeared as Barrelhouse Sammy ( The Country Boy).
None of this did much to spread the name of Blind Willie McTell.

Amazingly, in 1951 Willie did a telephone interview with a British jazz writer, which
was printed in the Melody Maker on May 26, but was mostly of him reminiscing
about other blues artistes he knew. In the meantime, without any further recording