Casey Bill Weldon – We Gonna Move

Casey Bill Weldon was one of the foremost lap steel guitar players of the Prewar
blues years, as well as an excellent singer and tunesmith. He is not to be confused
with Will Weldon (c. 1904–1934), a guitarist/singer who was a sometime member
of the Memphis Jug Band and had a relationship (or may even have been married
to) Memphis Minnie.
Practically all of the biographical data known about Casey Bill
Weldon comes from a groundbreaking article by Jim O’Neal in Living Blues magazine
no. 228 (Dec. 2013). In all probability, his real name was Nathan Hammond and he
was born on Feb. 2, 1901, prob. in Chanute, Kansas, southwest of Kansas City.
He adopted the name William Weldon at some point prior to his first appearances
as a musician at various recording sessions in 1935, including accompaniments
to Peetie Wheatstraw, Teddy Darby, Leroy Henderson and Memphis Minnie, as
well his first recordings as Kansas City Bill Weldon or Casey Bill (some subtitled
“Hawaiian Guitar Wizard”) for Vocalion and Bluebird. In the same year and in 1936,
he was also featured with the Hokum Boys, the Washboard Rhythm Kings and
Arnett Nelson & His Hot Four.