Born between Aberdeen and Houston, Mississippi, White was a first cousin of B.B. King's mother (White's mother and King's grandmother were sisters). White himself is remembered as a player of National steel guitars. He also played, but was less adept at, the piano.
"Bukka" is a phonetic spelling of Booker White's given name, first used by his second (1937) record label (Vocalion). White started his career playing the fiddle at square dances.
He claims to have met Charley Patton early on, although some doubt has been cast upon this; Regardless, Patton was a large influence on White. White typically played slide guitar, in an open tuning. He was one of the few, along with Skip James, to use a crossnote tuning in E minor, which he may have learned, as James did, from Henry Stuckey.
He first recorded for the Victor Records label in 1930 as Washington White. His recordings for Victor, like those of many other bluesmen, fluctuated between country blues and gospel numbers. His gospel songs were done in the style of Blind Willie Johnson, with a female singer accentuating the last phrase of each line.
Nine years later, while serving time for assault, he recorded for folklorist John Lomax. The few songs he recorded around this time became his most well-known: "Shake 'Em on Down," and "Po' Boy."
Bob Dylan covered his song "Fixin' to Die Blues", which aided a "rediscovery" of White in 1963 by guitarist John Fahey and ED Denson, which propelled him onto the folk revival scene of the 1960s. White had recorded the song simply because his other songs had not particularly impressed the Victor record producer. It was a studio composition of which White had thought little until it re-emerged thirty years later.
White was at one time managed by experienced blues manager Arne Brogger. Fahey and Denson found White easily enough: Fahey wrote a letter to "Bukka White (Old Blues Singer), c/o General Delivery, Aberdeen, Mississippi." Fahey had assumed, given White's song, "Aberdeen, Mississippi", that White still lived there, or nearby. The postcard was forwarded to Memphis, Tennessee, where White worked in a tank factory. Fahey and Denson soon traveled to meet White, and White and Fahey remained friends through the remainder of White's life. He recorded a new album for Denson and Fahey's Takoma Records, whilst Denson became his manager.
White was, later in life, also friends with fellow musician Furry Lewis. The two recorded, mostly in Lewis' Memphis apartment, an album together, Furry Lewis, Bukka White & Friends: Party! At Home.
One of his most famous songs, "Parchman Farm Blues", about the Mississippi State Penitentiary (also known as Parchman Farm) in Sunflower County, Mississippi, was released on Harry Smith's fourth volume of the Anthology of American Folk Music, Vol. 4. The song was covered by The Traits/aka Roy Head and the Traits with Johnny Winter in the late 1960s. His 1937 version of the oft-recorded song, "Shake 'Em On Down," is considered definitive, and became a hit while White was serving time in Parchman.
White died in February 1977 from cancer, at the age of 67, in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1990 he was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (along with Blind Blake and Lonnie Johnson). On November 21, 2011, The Recording Academy announced that "Fixin' to Die Blues" was to be added to its 2012 list of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients.
The Led Zeppelin song Hats Off to (Roy) Harper, on the band's 1970 album Led Zeppelin III was based in large part on White's "Shake 'Em on Down." Custard Pie, a song on Led Zeppelin's 1975 album Physical Graffiti, also references "Shake 'Em on Down."
The 1963 recordings of White's song "Shake 'em on Down" and spoken-word piece "Remembrance of Charlie Patton" were both sampled by electronic artist Recoil (mostly a one-man effort by Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode) for the track "Electro Blues For Bukka White" on the 1992 album Bloodline. The song was reworked and re-released on the 2000 EP, "Jezebel".
On January 26, 2010, Eric Bibb released Booker's Guitar (TEL 31756 02) through Telarc International Corporation after becoming inspired by the hidden stories Bibb felt through holding White's famous guitar.
White's song "Parchman Farm Blues" was recorded by Jeff Buckley, which was released posthumously on the bonus disc of Buckley's album, Grace: Legacy Edition.
Single Man Blues
Bukka White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He wanna sleep all the time
When a man gets trouble in mind
He wanna sleep all the time
He knows, he can't sleep all the time
He's trouble won't worry mind, won't worry his mind
I'm feelin' worried in mind
I'm feelin' worried in mind
And I'm tryin-a keep from cryin'
I am standin' into sunshine
To keep from weakin' down, keep from weakin' down
I want somewhere to go
But I hate to go to town
I want somewhere to go
To satisfy my mind
I would go to town
But I hate to stand around, hate to stand around
I wonder what's the matter with my right mind?
My mind keep me sleepin' all the time
I wonder what's the matter with my right mind?
My mind keep me sleepin' all the time
But when I had plenty of money
My friend would come around, would come around
If I had my right mind
I would write my women a few lines
If I had my right mind
I would write my women a few lines
I will do most anything
To keep from weakin' down, keep from weakin' down
In Bukka White's Sleepy Man Blues, the lyrics refer to a man who is troubled in his mind and wants to sleep all the time. He can't seem to shake off the burden that worries his mind, but he tries to keep from crying and weakening down by standing in the sunshine. The man wants to go somewhere to satisfy his mind, but he doesn't want to go to town and stand around. He wonders what's wrong with his right mind that keeps him sleeping all the time. When he had plenty of money, his friends would come around, but now he feels alone. He wishes to write some lines to his women, but he can't because his mind is too troubled.
The song tells a tale of a man going through emotional struggles and feeling sleep-deprived due to his worries that keep him from living his life the way he wants. He longs for some sort of solace, but he can't seem to find it. The lyrics are full of melancholy, and the listener can feel the man's pain and the weight that he carries in his mind.
Line by Line Meaning
When a man gets trouble in his mind
When a man has problems or worries on his mind
He wanna sleep all the time
He wants to sleep excessively to avoid facing his problems
He knows, he can't sleep all the time
However, he is aware that sleeping won't solve his problems
He's trouble won't worry mind, won't worry his mind
He hopes that his problems won't keep him up at night
I'm feelin' worried in mind
I am experiencing mental distress
And I'm tryin-a keep from cryin'
And I am trying to hold back tears
I am standin' into sunshine
I am trying to find solace and comfort outside
To keep from weakin' down, keep from weakin' down
In order to avoid breaking down emotionally
I want somewhere to go
I feel restless and need a change of scenery
But I hate to go to town
However, I dislike the idea of going into town
To satisfy my mind
To find peace of mind
I would go to town
I would be willing to go into town
But I hate to stand around, hate to stand around
But I dislike waiting around with nothing to do
I wonder what's the matter with my right mind?
I am questioning my mental state
My mind keep me sleepin' all the time
My worries are causing me to sleep excessively
But when I had plenty of money
However, when I had financial security
My friend would come around, would come around
My friends were more present in my life
If I had my right mind
If I was thinking clearly and rationally
I would write my women a few lines
I would invest time and effort into my romantic relationships
I will do most anything
I am willing to take action
To keep from weakin' down, keep from weakin' down
In order to avoid breaking down emotionally
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: B. WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DMarsh
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