Robert Pete Williams

The Profile

American country blues singer and guitarist known for raw, prison-era recordings made at the Louisiana State Penitentiary and for albums such as Those Prison Blues and Free Again.

Recorded in the Angola penitentiary in 1958 by Harry Oster and Richard Allen; Those Prison Blues was printed in 1963. In 1960 Williams recorded the album Free Again for Prestige/Bluesville. Captain Beefheart covered "I've Grown So Ugly" from this LP on Safe as Milk (1967).

DeBaser hosts one detailed review (Mr Wolf) of Robert Pete Williams' Free Again, praising its raw, primitive country blues and prison-born poetics. The reviewer highlights Williams' cavernous voice, distinctive guitar phrasing, and tracks like "Almost Dead Blues" and "A Thousand Miles from Nowhere." The review places Williams' origins in Angola recordings (1958) and notes subsequent releases and influence.