McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee, near Memphis. His parents, who were farmers, died when McDowell was a youth. He started playing guitar at the age of 14 and played at dances around Rossville. Wanting a change from ploughing fields, he moved to Memphis in 1926 where he worked in a number of jobs and played music for tips. He settled in Como, Mississippi, about 40 miles south of Memphis, in 1940 or 1941, and worked steadily as a farmer, continuing to perform music at dances, and picnics. Initially he played slide guitar using a pocket knife and then a slide made from a beef rib bone, later switching to a glass slide for its clearer sound. He played with the slide on his ring finger.
While commonly lumped together with "Delta Blues singers," McDowell actually may be considered the first of the bluesmen from the North Mississippi region - parallel to, but somewhat east of the Delta region - to achieve widespread recognition for his work. A version of the state’s signature musical form somewhat closer in structure to its African roots (often eschewing the chord change for the hypnotic effect of the droning, single chord vamp), the North Mississippi style (or at least its aesthetic) may be heard to have been carried on in the music of such figures as Junior Kimbrough and R. L. Burnside; as well as the jam band The North Mississippi Allstars, while serving as the original impetus behind creation of the Fat Possum record label out of Oxford, Mississippi.[citation needed]
The 1950s brought a rising interest in blues music and folk music in the United States, and McDowell was brought to wider public attention, beginning when he was discovered and recorded in 1959 by Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins. [1] McDowell's recordings were popular, and he performed often at festivals and clubs. McDowell continued to perform blues in the North Mississippi blues style much as he had for decades, but he sometimes performed on electric guitar rather than acoustic. While he famously declared "I do not play no rock and roll," McDowell was not averse to associating with many younger rock musicians: He coached Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar technique, and was reportedly flattered by The Rolling Stones' rather straightforward, authentic version of his "You Gotta Move" on their 1971 Sticky Fingers album.
McDowell's 1969 album I Do Not Play No Rock 'N' Roll was his first featuring electric guitar. It features parts of an interview in which he discusses the origins of the blues and the nature of love. This interview was sampled and mixed into a song (also titled "I Do Not Play No Rock 'N' Roll" by Dangerman in 1999.
McDowell died of cancer in 1972 and is buried at Hammond Hill Baptist Church, between Como and Senatobia. On August 6, 1993 a memorial was placed on his grave site by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund. The ceremony was presided over by Dick Waterman, and the memorial with McDowell's portrait upon it was paid for by Bonnie Raitt. The memorial stone was a replacement for an inaccurate and damaged marker (McDowell's name was misspelled) - the original stone was subsequently donated by McDowell's family to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
"Mississippi" Fred McDowell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Good mornin', little schoolgirl
Can I go?
Can I go home wit' you?
Tell yo' mama an yo' papa
Lord, I'm a li'l schoolboy, too
Come on, be my baby
I'll buy you a diamond
I'll buy you a diamond ring
If you don't like that, baby
I ain't gon' buy ya a doggone thing
I don't know, hardly
I don't know, hardly
What in this world
What in this world to do
I don't mean to hurt yo' feelings
Or even get mad with you
I 'member way back, babe
I 'member way back, babe
When I was young age
When I was young, age-a nine
Lord, I thinkin' about my schoolday
It sho' did worry on my mind.
The song "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" by Mississippi Fred McDowell is a blues classic that features lyrics that are clearly sexual in nature. McDowell sings from the perspective of a boy who is interested in a much younger girl, referred to as the "little schoolgirl". He asks her if he can go home with her, and tries to entice her by offering to buy her a diamond ring. The lyrics suggest that he wants to pursue a romantic relationship with her, despite their age difference. McDowell acknowledges that he doesn't know what to do, given their situation, but he insists that he doesn't want to hurt her feelings.
While the lyrics to "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" may be somewhat controversial, the song has remained popular over the years, with many rock bands covering it. The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, and Ten Years After are just a few examples of bands that have recorded versions of the song. Interestingly, the song was first recorded in 1937 by a Delta bluesman named Sonny Boy Williamson, who was also known for his harmonica playing.
Despite its sometimes questionable subject matter, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" is an important part of the blues canon. It is a prime example of the genre's focus on topics such as love, lust, and romance, and showcases the raw, emotional power that blues musicians were able to convey through their music.
Line by Line Meaning
Good mornin', little schoolgirl
I am greeting you, a young girl who attends school.
Good mornin', little schoolgirl
Again, I am greeting you, a young girl who attends school.
Can I go?
Is it possible for me to accompany you?
Can I go home wit' you?
Can I come back to your home with you?
Tell yo' mama an yo' papa
Please inform your mother and father of my presence.
Lord, I'm a li'l schoolboy, too
I too am a young student like you.
Come on, be my baby
Be in a romantic relationship with me.
Come on, be my baby
Again, asking for a romantic relationship.
I'll buy you a diamond
I will purchase a diamond for you.
I'll buy you a diamond ring
Specifically, I will purchase a diamond ring for you.
If you don't like that, baby
If that gift is not to your liking,
I ain't gon' buy ya a doggone thing
then I will not buy you anything at all.
I don't know, hardly
I do not know much,
What in this world
What exactly in this world
What in this world to do
should I be doing?
I don't mean to hurt yo' feelings
I do not intend to cause you any emotional pain.
Or even get mad with you
Nor do I want to become angry with you.
I 'member way back, babe
I recall a time long ago,
I 'member way back, babe
reiterating that I am recalling the past.
When I was young age
when I was young,
When I was young, age-a nine
to be specific, when I was nine years old.
Lord, I thinkin' about my schoolday
I am reflecting on my time as a student.
It sho' did worry on my mind.
It certainly caused me a lot of worry and stress.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: FRED MCDOWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patvickers8189
Hey! Don't forget that one of you Brits jad a project much like Alan Lomax! They traveled the south and hunted down and recorded blues men also!
But I've still got a couple on ya!
I've walked the streets of Como barefooted!
And I had an illegal immigrant friend by the name of South.
Yup! He was South Hampton! 😂 Better yet, he worked at the Union Jax Pub in Memphis Tennessee! I miss him and I miss the pub!
@davisworth5114
I was blessed to be able to meet and play with Fred in 1971 in Seattle. I prefer his acoustic recordings. Fred was a very upbeat, kind, good-natured person and a real gentleman. As a concert promoter for the Seattle Folklore Society I was blessed to meet so many of the original bluesmen. The Stones recorded his version of "you Got to Move".
@dennisdistant
Did you meet and got to hear and see Son House play too?
@davisworth5114
@Dennis No, but he played in Seattle before I was involved, Skip James also played in Seattle via the Folklore Society, also Lightnin' Hopkins, Doc Watson, Bukka White, Rev. Gary Davis, and many more. Like I say, I feel truly blessed to meet and learn from the greats, thanks.
@Aphrodite_ErosLuvChild214-80
Them Mississippi men are gentlemen.. my hubby still opens doors, walks an umbrella around to my side if the car , holds door sort of thing ... I love being treated like a lady ... he's so sweet to me .
@eduardoleon2936
How is he?
@stevetrivago
Awesomeness
@giannibianco1950
Don't let this music die !
@fackinmidgietook6953
pick it up and help
@TheLsigala
Please don't!
@MirnaTorreszuniga-ze1ek
The BEST Will never die ,It could be forget for some time but It Will reborn,cause It IS really goog became from the deepest of eeuu people's soul(sorry x my bad english)