B.C. Williamson - The Official Website

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated" says B.C. Williamson, who remains alive after a car crash in Central Memphis this morning. After BC's 1952 Rolls Royce was forced off a large bridge by a nearby driver, the car turned over, falling off the bridge into a house underneath, killing an unidentified passenger. The driver, BC's current tour manager, was sent into hospital in an unstable condition, but B.C. was reported to have survived the crash unscathed. "I been in this kinda situation too many times," he stated. "But I'm doing fine, and mourning the dead. The last time I got caught up in a wreck like that was in the early sixties. Our tour bus turned over, but it landed on my guitar, saving all our lives." MORE INFORMATION TO COME SOON

Press release from Rackermann Records:

B.C. Williamson has passed away, as reported by local police  authorities in the Memphis area this morning. The cause of death was unknown, and  more details will be made clear in the forthcoming hours. Next of kin have been contacted. Faithful drummer Tick-Tock Turner, on holiday in the Caribbean, has apparently taken a private plane to see Williamson. Stay tuned for more details.

B.C.'s manager Nathaniel S. Roseman has unfortunately passed away. He had been ill for several years, and passed away in the early hours of last morning. His family and estate request privacy during this sad time. His son Nathaniel S. Roseman Jr. will take over as B.C.'s manager.

Natty Roseman was born into a reasonably wealthy family of 3 (with three brothers). Despite being colored, he led a privileged childhood, and attended New York State College, before going to Berkeley University in California. He majored in business studies (with a minor in jazz music studies). He then traveled to Memphis, and managed several bands at the infamous "Blues Horizon" club, before discovering B.C. He contacted his friends in the music business, and secured B.C. a record contract. The rest is history.

Natty was in the middle of a large re-mastering project on the B.C. Williamson library when he passed away. The music had not yet been released onto CD, and it was Roseman's vision that allowed this project to happen. The CDs will be released over the course of 2009. He was also interviewed for a documentary on the life of B.C. Williamson, entitled 'Standing Tall And Straight: The B.C. Williamson Story.' The director of the project, as yet unnamed, will dedicate it to Roseman's memory.

"He made me a famous blues singer, I made him rich."
- B.C. Williamson of Nathaniel S. Roseman

Today is a good day. About a half-year back, I got in contact with BC, asking if he wanted to get all of his material back in a digital format. Times have been hard, and we never re-mastered the catalogue onto CD. No-one asked him, strangely. But with a new signing to Rackermann Records, we have received the go-ahead, as well as book and film rights. So, the last few months have been a lot of hard work, painstakingly re-mastering all the old albums (with some exceptions), ready for re-release this year. We're celebrating this with a 56th year anniversary of BC's first single - I (Went Down This Mornin' &) Got Myself A Gun - which is going onto iTunes very soon. Buy it - it will only cost you a very small amount of money - and tell your friends. Together we can start the BC revival.

- Natty Roseman, BC's manager