Charley Patton (between April 1887 and 1891 – April 28, 1934), also known a… Read Full Bio ↴Charley Patton (between April 1887 and 1891 – April 28, 1934), also known as Charlie Patton, was an American Delta blues musician. He is considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", and is credited with creating an enduring body of American music and personally inspiring just about every Delta blues man (Palmer, 1995). Musicologist Robert Palmer considers him among the most important musicians that America produced in the twentieth century. Many sources, including musical releases and his gravestone, spell his name “Charley” even though the musician himself spelled his name "Charlie".

Patton was born in Hinds County, Mississippi, near the town of Edwards, and lived most of his life in Sunflower County in the Mississippi Delta. Some sources say he was born May 1, 1891, but there is some debate about this, and the years 1887 and 1894 have also been suggested.
Patton's parentage and race have been the subject of debate. Although born to Bill and Annie Patton, locally he was regarded as having been fathered by former slave Henderson Chatmon, many of whose other children also became popular Delta musicians both as solo acts and as members of groups such as the Mississippi Sheiks. Biographer John Fahey describes Patton as having "light skin and Caucasian features." Though Patton was considered African-American, because of his light complexion there have been rumors that he was Mexican, or possibly a full-blood Cherokee, a theory endorsed by Howlin' Wolf. In actuality, Patton was a mix of white, black, and Cherokee (one of his grandmothers was a full-blooded Cherokee). Patton himself sang in "Down the Dirt Road Blues" of having gone to "the Nation" and "the Territo'"—meaning the Cherokee Nation portion of the Indian Territory (which became part of the state of Oklahoma in 1907), where a number of Black Indians tried unsuccessfully to claim a place on the tribal rolls and thereby obtain land.
In 1900, his family moved 100 miles (160 km) north to the legendary 10,000-acre (40 km2) Dockery Plantation sawmill and cotton farm near Ruleville, Mississippi. It was here that both John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf fell under the Patton spell as well as Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, and Fiddlin' Joe Martin. It was also here that Robert Johnson played and was given his first guitar. At Dockery, Charley fell under the tutelage of Henry Sloan, who had a new, unusual style of playing music which today would be considered very early blues. Charley followed Henry Sloan around, and, by the time he was about 19, had become an accomplished performer and songwriter in his own right, having already composed "Pony Blues," a seminal song of the era.
Robert Palmer describes Patton as a "jack-of all-trades bluesman" who played "deep blues, white hillbilly songs, nineteenth-century ballads, and other varieties of black and white country dance music with equal facility". He was extremely popular across the Southern United States and also performed annually in Chicago, Illinois and, in 1934, New York City. In contrast to the itinerant wandering of most blues musicians of his time, Patton played scheduled engagements at plantations and taverns. Long before Jimi Hendrix impressed audiences with flashy guitar playing, Patton gained notoriety for his showmanship, often playing with the guitar down on his knees, behind his head, or behind his back. Although Patton was a small man at about 5 foot 5,[8] his gravelly voice was rumored to have been loud enough to carry 500 yards without amplification. Patton's gritty bellowing was a major influence on the singing style of his young friend Chester Burnett, who went on to gain fame in Chicago as Howlin' Wolf.
Patton settled in Holly Ridge, Mississippi with his common-law wife and recording partner Bertha Lee in 1933. He died on the Heathman-Dedham plantation near Indianola on April 28, 1934 and is buried in Holly Ridge (both towns are located in Sunflower County). Patton's death certificate states that he died of a mitral valve disorder. Bertha Lee is not mentioned on the certificate, the only informant listed being one Willie Calvin. His death was not reported in the newspapers. A memorial headstone was erected on Patton's grave (the location of which was identified by the cemetery caretaker C. Howard who claimed to have been present at the burial) paid for by musician John Fogerty through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund in July, 1990. The spelling of Patton's name was dictated by Jim O'Neal, who also composed the Patton epitaph.

Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton (2001) is a boxed set collecting Patton's recorded works. It also featured recordings by many of his friends and associates. The set won three Grammy Awards in 2003 for Best Historical Album, Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, and Best Album Notes. Another collection of Patton recordings, released under Catfish Records, is titled The Definitive Charley Patton.
Charley Patton's song "Pony Blues" (1929) was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2006. The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
In 2013 Jack White's Third Man Records teamed up with Document Records to reissue The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order of Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and The Mississippi Sheiks.
The Mississippi Blues Trail placed its first historic marker on Charley Patton's grave in Holly Ridge, Mississippi, in recognition of his legendary status as a bluesman and his importance in the development of the blues in Mississippi. It placed another historic marker at the site where the Peavine Railroad intersects with Highway 446 in Boyle, Mississippi, designating it as a second site related to Patton on the Mississippi Blues Trail. The marker commemorates the original lyrics of Patton's "Peavine Blues" that describe the railway branch of Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, which ran south from Dockery Plantation to Boyle. The marker emphasizes that a common theme of blues songs was riding on the railroad which was seen as a metaphor for travel and escape.

Tributes

"Blind Owl" Alan Wilson & Canned Heat covered Patton songs "Pony Blues", "Shake It and Break It" and "Yellow Bee".
Bob Dylan dedicated his song "High Water (For Charley Patton)", on his 2001 album "Love and Theft", to Patton.
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band internationally touring American country blues recording/touring artists, fronted by Kentucky Colonel, The Reverend Peyton, produced a tribute recording to Charley Patton: Peyton on Patton, which was released July 19, 2011. The album entered the Billboard Blues Album chart at #7.
French singer-songwriter Francis Cabrel refers to Charley Patton in the song "Cent Ans de Plus" on his 1999 album Hors-Saison.
Indie rock band Gomez recorded a song on their 2006 release How We Operate, entitled "Charley Patton Songs".
There is a picture of Charley Patton in the recording studio used for The White Stripes' album Icky Thump. It can be seen in the background of the short demo video on their website
Jule Brown recorded an updated arrangement of Patton's "Green River Blues", on their 2006 release Smoke and Mirrors.
Robert Crumb narrated Patton's life in a comic book.
The 1980s NYC Punk/Blues band Hi Sheriffs of Blue (which included visual artists Mark Dagley, George Condo and Elliott Sharp) was named after the Patton song "High Sheriff Blues".

Discography

Gennett Records, Richmond, Indiana, 1929
"Pony Blues"
"Mississippi Boweavil Blues"
"Screamin' And Hollerin' The Blues"
"Down The Dirt Road Blues"
"Banty Rooster Blues"
"Pea Vine Blues"
"It Won't Be Long"
"Tom Rushen Blues"
"A Spoonful Blues"
"Shake It And Break It (But Don't Let It Fall Mama)"
"Prayer Of Death Part 1 & 2"
"Lord I'm Discouraged"
"I'm Goin' Home"

Paramount Records, Grafton, Wisconsin, 1929
"Going To Move To Alabama"
"Elder Greene Blues"
"Circle Round The Moon"
"Devil Sent The Rain Blues"
"Mean Black Cat Blues"
"Frankie And Albert"
"Some These Days I'll Be Gone"
"Green River Blues"
"Hammer Blues"
"Magnolia Blues"
"When Your Way Gets Dark"
"Heart Like Railroad Steel"
"Some Happy Day"
"You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die"
"Jim Lee Blues Part 1"
"Jim Lee Blues Part 2"
"High Water Everywhere Part 1"
"High Water Everywhere Part 2"
"Jesus Is A Dying-Bed Maker"
"I Shall Not Be Moved"
"Rattlesnake Blues"
"Running Wild Blues"
"Joe Kirby"
"Mean Black Moan"
"Farrell Blues"
"Come Back Corrina"
"Tell Me Man Blues"
"Be True Be True Blues"

Paramount Records, Grafton, Wisconsin, 1930
"Dry Well Blues"
"Some Summer Day"
"Moon Going Down"
"Bird Nest Bound"

Vocalion Records, New York City, New York, 1934
"Jersey Bull Blues"
"High Sheriff Blues"
"Stone Pony Blues"
"34 Blues"
"Love My Stuff"
"Revenue Man Blues"
"Oh Death"
"Troubled 'Bout My Mother"
"Poor Me"
"Hang It On The Wall"
"Yellow Bee"
"Mind Reader Blues"

I
Charley Patton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I was in Missouri
Would not let me be
Wouldn't rest content
'Till I came to Tennessee

If you follow me baby
I'll turn your money green
I show you more money

Rockerfeller ever seen

If the river was whiskey
Baby and I was a duck
I'd dive to the bottom
Lord and I'd never come up

Lord the woman I hate
I see her every day
But the woman I love
She's so far away

Talk about *sweetheart*
I declare I'm a honest man
Give my woman so many dollars
It broke her apron string

All she give me was trouble
I'm troubled all the time
I been troubled so long
Trouble don't worry my mind

I been down so long
It seem like up to me
Woman I love
She done quit poor me

What's the need of me hollering
What's the need of me crying

Woman I love
She don't pay me no mind

Overall Meaning

In "I Will Turn Your Money Green," Charley Patton tells a story through his lyrics about his journey from Missouri to Tennessee, and the women he encounters along the way. The song portrays a sense of loneliness, heartache, desperation, and poverty. The opening line, "When I was in Missouri, would not let me be, wouldn't rest content till I came to Tennessee," speaks to a longing to escape something or someone in Missouri, pushing him to travel to another state in search of a better life.

In the chorus, Patton promises a woman that if she follows him, he will "turn her money green" and show her more wealth than "Rochefeller ever seen." This line suggests that the musician knows how to hustle and make money, and he is willing to share his wealth with those who join him. In the next verse, he sings of his troubles with women, expressing his longing for a woman who is far away and frustration with a woman who gave him nothing but trouble, causing him to be "troubled all the time."

The final verse reflects his heartbreak, with a sense of resignation and acceptance that the woman he loves "don't pay me no mind." The song shows the resilience and the hardship of the musicians of the Mississippi Delta during the early twentieth century.

Line by Line Meaning

When I was in Missouri
During my time in Missouri

Would not let me be
I was unable to be left alone

Wouldn't rest content
They were not satisfied

'Till I came to Tennessee
Until I arrived in Tennessee

If you follow me baby
If you come with me, my dear

I'll turn your money green
I will make you rich

I show you more money
You will have more money

Rockerfeller ever seen
Than Rockefeller has ever seen

If the river was whiskey
If this were a perfect world

Baby and I was a duck
And we were carefree

I'd dive to the bottom
I would completely immerse myself

Lord and I'd never come up
I would never come out

Lord the woman I hate
The woman I despise

I see her every day
I run into her all the time

But the woman I love
However, the woman that I love

She's so far away
Is not here with me

Talk about *sweetheart*
Speaking of my beloved

I declare I'm a honest man
I am an honest person

Give my woman so many dollars
I have given so much money to my woman

It broke her apron string
It was too much for her to handle

All she give me was trouble
All she has caused me is problems

I'm troubled all the time
I am constantly worried

I been troubled so long
I have been in trouble for so long

Trouble don't worry my mind
Trouble no longer bothers me

I been down so long
I have been struggling for so long

It seem like up to me
It feels like things are looking up

Woman I love
However, the woman I love

She done quit poor me
Has left me, poor and alone

What's the need of me hollering
What is the point of me shouting

What's the need of me crying
What is the point of me crying

Woman I love
However, the woman I love

She don't pay me no mind
Does not give me any attention

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: FURRY LEWIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@jamesvincett1917

38w

A lot of people talking about the guitar saying spoonful but not enough talking about what a fucking amazing metaphor it actually is.
A spoonful is enough, maybe more than enough, but it’s what you want, food, drugs, sex, money, whatever it is your after, you’re fighting for a spoonful of it. It is haunting, chilling and hits the nail on the head when the guitar sings it.

You’re a fool for enough
You’d kill a man for enough
Go to jail for enough
Get up and always want enough
You’ll do anything for enough

Patton says so much in this song, I wonder if he really knew how timeless the poetry he wrote here is.
Fuck, I could honestly talk about this song for hours

All comments from YouTube:

@thetriumphofthethrill2457

4y↑148

Simply one of the greatest Blues tracks. This song transcends time.

@malachysmith8110

With its subject matter absolutely

@maksim_erin

21w

@@malachysmith8110what's it about? I ain't born English speaking and I'm curious about the subject matter of the song.

@michavandam

1y↑16

Best sounding mix of this recording I've ever heard! No noise, so clean, wow!

@thomasgrayson4609

42w↑37

The Great Charley Patton is our Great-Great Uncle, and his nephew is our great uncle, "Big" Amos Patton, my grandpa John Patton's brother, my family talked about them a lot when we were kids, so I researched them on the internet and was completely amazed and moved by them and the rich history of music they left for the world, It warmed my heart when I heard their music for the first time awhile back, (it brought me to tears, tears of joy) music that inspired generations of artists and to know I'm a descendant of these two great men with such a great legacy, it makes me very proud even more so to be a part of the great Patton family ❤

@creighton8069

25w↑1

I have been listening to your great uncles music since I was a kid, hearing him on YouTube made me want to pick up the guitar and the first songs I ever learned were all his. Thank you for reaching out

@thomasgrayson4609

25w↑1

@creighton8069 thanks, may blessing follow you wherever you go and your music be heard for generations, much love

@creighton8069

25w

@@thomasgrayson4609 thank you, some of my music is on YouTube, I go by the username of Blues Preacher Creighton, I think I have some videos of me playing your great uncles music

@thisislaflaretv5250

21w↑1

Blessings

@knuteboy3778

45w↑9

Wow, this is amazing. It has such a hypnotic quality. It draws you in. His playing is as good or better than any other blues artist from this era I've ever heard. The way he alternates between spoken word and singing, and it's locked in tight with his playing. The man was very talented.

@lenevee4925

4y↑100

I wish there were more recordings and photos of this man.

@jasonispunk

3y↑2

Sadly people of color were treated like dogs back then. They don't even know where half of these people are even buried in the right graves.

@pioneersofregress

5y↑31

Is it me or this song sounds incredibly modern for its time? This tune is so cool

@ruthward7581

4y↑4

I love to listen to Charley Patton sing and play he is the best

@randomdudewholikesmusic1640

22w

It may be a century old now, but the soul, passion and fire in his voice are eternal, not just the voice, but now archived online forever.

@miguelangel6899

2y↑34

His Native American roots should be also praised. Also the contribution of Native Music in our culture.

@jasonsenator6144

46w↑3

Hendrix too. Hmm.

@garr6954

5y↑81

When I listen to this I am appreciative of this artwork. But then I have to think about all of the Charley Pattons that never got recorded.

@fecklessmovies

4y↑4

Yes, and the ones of whom we have just one or two tantalising recordings... if only someone had recorded a whole album’s worth. Eg blind willie walker

@freezonetrumpet

3y↑4

Taj Mahal explained it to me like this. When the technology to record came into being, of course, the dominant culture first recorded all the important European music. Then they chose WHICH ethnic music to record; Blues, Hillbilly, whatever. So yes, who knows what we never heard. The puzzle pieces can never be put back together again.

@oleksiishekhovtsov1564

3y↑2

@mall records inc. Well that's the sad thing... since they were never recorded their names and music are now lost to the sands of time

@nurkenrustem6044

2y↑2

@All kinds of blues information. Ike Zimmerman for instance. Taught Robert Johnson how to play, but never recorded.

When Marshall Chess and his father Leonard Chess went down south in search of new talents, one plantation boss threatened them to leave with shotgun, saying blesman they're lookin for is his "property" and ain't nobody else's.

@canesvenatici4259

@freezonetrumpet Yeah It wouldn't make sense for them to go straight to recording such a looked-down-upon, obscure and niche music such as Early blues or hillbilly, they really had to wait 'til their was an audience for recordings like Charley's.

1 More Replies...

@GypsyBlws

13y↑24

How these musicians did to play that blues and sing so amazing tunes at the same time it's like magic to me, fills my heart.

@SGVB22

2y↑2

practice

@bigboxbobby2

6y↑453

Americans should be proud of their wonderful musical heritage. Overlooked for to long. Thanks for posting

@leawism

6y↑47

You mean afro-american heritage :)

@claudiocesar4206

5y↑16

But now, they listen to rap-pop music :/

@barryobongo8833

5y↑26

leawism same thing my man

@GiggleBlizzard

5y↑65

@leawism afro-american and euro-american heritage are interlinked like crazy, Charlie Patton is a great example of that mix

@dantean

5y↑8

You must have missed it--the blues and folk revival of the early 60's in Greenwich Village and elsewhere? Our musical heritage is, if anything, maybe OVER-examined.

100 More Replies...

@mendessabino1409

4y↑6

Músico por excelência!👏🏻👏🏿

@BarbecueBob123

13y↑25

Ventriloquism. He owned tempo. He growled like a tiger. His slide is another voice. I dare anyone to play like this man. Even close... I'll be waiting.

@jerryclack2019

2y↑14

Musical genius who walked into my life. Thank you for the enrichment you have given me.

@karmabites1

14y↑19

I've listened to this everyday for about a week now. This to me is as haunting as anything Robert Johnson ever recorded. One of my favorite old blues.....

@dougcoombes8497

3y↑13

Such a powerful voice and playing. Later in life as his heart got weaker Charlie would often take breaks from singing and just play his guitar.

@jlouis4407

3y↑17

You can hear the Mississippi country oozing from his strings and voice.

@minutegongcoughs

15y↑46

This should be highlighted in Music Education as one of the most uplifting pieces of music you will ever hear. I think Charley Patton was one of the best, if not the best.

@stabbymcpokey5901

Yes

@elyogito5621

5y↑5

What a unique, creative mind for the blues music... this man is beyond under rated

@SpiritWorldTarot

18w

Thank you Charlie Patton for getting me through.
And I am listening to you.

@holyhandgrenade69

14y↑16

An absolute classic and all time great tune for me... Thank you John Peel RIP for introducing the Radio 1 listeners to this in the early 00's.

@paparent6375

3y↑84

Meaner than any heavy metal you'll ever hear. Delta blues are just hard and mean as hell.

@eternallife9786

1y↑3

The pagan music of Nordic countries who makes the blues sound like sunshine and rainbows

@mr.brenman2132

52w↑2

@Pa Parent I have no idea what you're listening to.

@mr.brenman2132

52w↑1

@try_me_guy Any suggestions?

@wegg4730

50w

@try_me_guy lmao nerd

@JLee-bi4es

48w

@try_me_guy that shit isn't harder than the blues get the fuck outta here

7 More Replies...

@terrypussypower

2y↑33

I love how Charlie never actually says the word “Spoonful”, just plays it on his guitar instead!

@ethanhammond7615

2y↑6

It's supposed to imitate the black women singing back up in a gospel church

@ethanhammond7615

2y↑6

And from here forth, every time you hear him play that lick on the guitar, you'll picture some voluptuous black women singing "spoonful"!!

@ethanhammond7615

2y↑4

Honestly the high parts played on guitar were supposed to imitate the black women singing in the church

@mikelikesguitaralot

2y↑4

Yep, my friends never notice this til I point it out

@ethanhammond7615

2y↑3

@Mike good stuff. You have a good day mister

@user-hm8nh6th6o

3y↑10

This is one the most notable of our blues fathers. Absolutely wonderful to see the begining of the grand trip of the blues. Its so American!

@ChrisCross2014

5y↑234

I listen to this several times and didn't get it until I realize that the guitar was saying "spoonful", wow what a great song!

@MagmaSloth64

5y↑26

I hadn't realized that wow! This song in particular just has such a unique and mysterious vibe to it

@drsoftee

5y↑13

great comment dude

@mohmedabdul-wahid6105

5y↑5

I ain't notice til u say it 💯

@JohnSmith-ij6ms

4y↑4

mind blow

@duncanpinderhughes

4y↑3

after lookin pass the great music & further into what this song about...thank u so much for the clarity!!!! 😂😂😂

10 More Replies...

@jamestrujillo5195

3y↑15

Charlie is a legend!

@blueninion

4y↑68

I love that the guitar sounds like its saying spoonful. What an historic ground-breaking great song.

@JohnSmith-ij6ms

4y↑5

blew my mind

@Vic-we7ep

50w↑1

Wow it does haha

@Pentagonshark666

13y↑42

This is the purest blues what ever made.

@jeffersonoliveira600

8y↑3

Viciado nesse som!!

@AmberSF

2y↑8

Fascinating that this genre, Delta blues, also influenced jazz. Loving all the other comments on the wide reaching influence of the Delta blues.

@logicalfallacy234

7y↑45

I'm just listening to this old Delta blues stuff now, and It's interesting to note (at least, in my opinion) that 60's/70's blues rock/hard rock has more in common with this strand of the blues than the blues in the 40's and 50's, in terms of rhythm and how the guitar is used. At least to my ears, that is.

@alanhodara1329

5y↑5

I agree. I'm reading Marybeth Hamilton's In Search of the Blues. Her thesis: Urban blues, stomp, boogie woogie, dance band music, etc. was more popular after the advent of records and through the 1950's. The Delta Blues revival, in fact the whole myth of Delta Blues, was a later construct, and was the inspiration for '60's rockers.

@WinstonAug

5y↑1

You can DEFINITELY hear the influence even in bands like Lynard Skynard. Wow.

@fenderjazzbrian

5y↑1

I do think it’s interesting how delta style is more familiar to our ears than variants that were more popular at the time like piedmont, and what came later in the 40s etc like you said. This has been noted before and I think you’re right.

@rag2458

4y↑1

Delta blues was extremely influential to rock music; think about all the times rock musicians have name-dropped Robert Johnson

@jessespencer7333

@Dan Adams
Ronnie Van Zant was a huge blues fan. They covered “Crossroads” by Robert Johnson. You have songs like “Mister Banker”, “The Ballad of Curtis Lowe”, and he mentions Son House singing the blues in “Swamp Music”. You can even look on YouTube of them doing a medley of old blues songs under “Bad Boy Blues” methinks.

@mikelikesguitaralot

2y↑7

This is amazing, way ahead of it's time

@simplethunder

12y↑3

Woah, this guy is pretty amazing. So much swing, yet so much emotion on this rather harsh topic.

@TheGuitarMan71

4y↑21

This guy was so smart. The spoonful is being said by the guitar. Brilliant

@erich1394

35w↑1

I like how the pattern ends on the root but starts somewhere else - I can't even tell.. is that the IV? The whole thing tumbles so nicely into itself like a river. Refreshing example of a nonstandard blues chord progression.

@shawnbruzda7722

4y↑9

The man, the legend. Good sweet lord could he play and sing. Wonderful!

@maximuskhan2100

3y↑4

Can't believe I have not liked this vid yet. This is not only my favorite blues song, but one of my all time favorite songs period.

@jaymogamy

7y↑4

The roots of rock. I love it!

@jlouis4407

2y↑2

This is it. This is where it comes from there is no other more legendary blues song. Not your standard 12 bar blues still sounds so modern.

@jay1beaux

14y↑4

A musical genius, thanks for posting

@willlewis4447

10y↑20

That slide sound is perfect

@jonathanstratton707

11y↑23

Thought Robert Johnson was the man ,now I've discovered Charley Patton,incredible stuff thanks for putting on you tube

@douglaspatrick868

4y↑1

Blind Blake and Barbecue Bob Hicks are great too. Skip James, Tommy Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Frank Stokes, Gus Cannon, Dock Boggs Sister Rosetta Tharpe ... pre electric blues and ragtime is special stuff.

@Yossiayano

Robert Johnson indeed

@paparent6375

You also might like Blind Boy Fuller. He's quite underrated, his guitar playing is really advanced for his time. Amazing finger picking.

@garyboldwater9066

5y↑3

A legend for legends, unceasingly beautiful

@captaincat40

3y↑29

The RR Hall of Fame finally recognizes this musical treasure. 2021 inductee.

@hamletsmill258

Which is weird, when you think of it. Since this is not rock & roll, obviously.

@ukatofarticus9046

2y↑1

@Long Tall Friday very few inductees actually play rock and roll, it's all major contributors to contemporary music under the rock umbrella

@spaceninja7109

1y↑1

@Hamlet's Mill the blues are the father of rock and roll

@ohsoedgy6888

3y↑6

So glad he is in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame now!

@kayholmes7920

43w

Sends shivers down the spine.

@michaelandrew4812

2y↑2

I love everything about this song

@amp7224

4y↑5

This stirs up something in my soul so very wonderful

@terrypussypower

2y↑4

Having had way more than my fair share of spoonfuls, I know just what Charlie is singing about….

@terrypussypower

2y↑7

Imagine sitting in the room when that was being recorded…and think of all the Charlie Patton genius moments that went unrecorded!

@fourlightsorchestra

2y↑3

I sometimes think of all the amazing music that went unrecorded because sound recording is a relatively new invention. How much music in human history was on this same level but we never heard it? It breaks my heart. Genres I've never heard of that I probably would've become obsessed with.

@LJC4495

Amazing I love the blues 💙

@tago69mago671

21w

Amazing for the time. Nearly 100 years old!

@cryptoxenologist

8y↑21

I like how he picks up the tempo ..gives u hints about what he's singing about

@Thelitesleeper

cryptoxenologist interesting thought. Thanks

@RavnerRavner

2y↑3

I think it gets faster because they were committed to about 3minutes and a few seconds before the recording wax ran out. I can almost see an engineer signaling to him to speed up. Or maybe he was just really getting into the song.

@yodavivo-zy4wk

Right of passage for all aspiring blues guitarists of all generations. 😊

@nudge2626

10y↑10

One of my all time favorites. A song about addiction

@jasoneustice8034

5y↑7

This era of music is forgotten and ignored but deserves to be always listened to and remembered myaic these days doesnt have what this stuff has

@williamrolls8199

Hello friend, how're you doing today?

@mochawitch

10y↑50

This stuff gives me goose bumps 💗💗💗

@davidkless9131

6y↑4

I know right? Primitive recording equipment and gear but still great music.!

@daryldunson563

5y↑1

for.real. listen to another song he did called Death

@groowerasf

@Daryl Dunson thanks.

Try ‘Hellhound on my trail ‘ Robert Johnson and ‘Me and the Devil Blues ‘ by Robert. They do that too. Really gets into your soul

@remzialioglou6624

12y↑7

Thank you Jack White for getting me into the blues..

@boxingin

14y↑10

He sounds like a whole band but he's just playing a fucking guitar... Incredible!

@vandalking8341

4y↑2

This song is so so so awesome!

@nolanschmidt5239

3y↑9

Man I Love this Man and what he Did here!

@TheIsraDave

13y↑9

Patton and Robert Johnson--greatest in the genre.

@featuremeat

6y↑2

I was listening to arlo guthrie and heard this songs slide in every bit of lightning bar blues. That just shows how this mans influence is everywhere

@itsnice420

2y↑2

This is so creative I love it

@minutegongcoughs

13y↑2

@Floatles Absolutely. There's a period from the late twenties to the late thirties when these were cut on 78's. These guys were doing this long before they were recorded. Would love to know when Charley first performed this track. Timeless is inappropriate word here. It's esoteric and mind blowing at the same time. Just check out a recent Robert Johnson 78 which is later and they go for over ten thousand big ones these days. The guitar picking on this is unbelievable.

@thegenderspectrum

1y↑3

This is a very weird song, at least it influenced rock ‘n’ roll. You can see its roots in here with its fast guitar playing, and hey this proves that Elvis wasn’t the only male singer in the world that had weird lyrics and a even weirder voice that made no one understanding what they’re saying at all at any time!

@MoniqueM11

14y↑4

it's cool how throughout the tune he never says spoonfull, the gutiar fills it in.

@asmrdadbod2483

2y↑2

Fantastic version

@asdf9890

5y↑2

How could anyone downvote this? Maybe they don't think it's very good quality? Lol, it's from '29.

@darklingeraeld-ridge7946

3y↑1

Spiritdness in sound - superb.

@juliandale8006

8y↑12

One man, one guitar. That's all I want to hear.

@LetheMusiccom

13y↑1

I must say though that the lyric transcription is the best I've seen. In "Deep Blues," Robert Palmer comments on Patton's use of four voices in this song, his "customary singing voice," a "womanish falsetto," a "lower speaking voice," and "the voice of his slider" completing the verse. Hunter suggests that Patton's vocal style and his use of polyrhythms is very close to the original African roots of the music. Like Muddy Waters, his "microtonal" voice pitchings are quite archaic.

@dereek1618

5y↑3

awesome how he moves his guitar strings

@timrolls2854

4y↑14

Better than Robert Johnson imo. I know he was obviously one of the most influential delta musicians, but I think Patton is overlooked sometimes. His voice has more power and he can really belt it out if he wanted to. Not to mention, he advanced the career of Robert Johnson and many others, you can definitely hear his guitar techniques in players like Robert Johnson as well. Both are legends anyway of the American south....

@lowenbad

4y↑4

Robert Johnson was obviously influenced by Charley... for sure.

@jamescaleb9676

3y↑1

he's overlooked because he was mixed. same as august wilson, black america's greatest writer IMO. black american scholars don't like to celebrate the mixed people the same way they do the black ones.

@zavataz

13y

So hard to sing, amazing performance !!!

@mcfunkys227

8y↑2

Legendary round these parts. Mississippi delta's finest!

@douglaspatrick868

McFunky's Skip James was great too, Sam Chatmon, Tommy Johnson, Gus Cannon, Jimmie Rodgers, Bo Carter, Son House... you could go on and on. Mississippi has a musical heritage to be proud of, the contributions to culture and the way the artists inspired and shaped much of later music in America and abroad can't be denied. I love all the various regional takes on blues deeply but there is something about the early acoustic delta guys that just transcends. There really is nothing else quite like it.

@chrisjaybecker

4y↑3

Son House, on songwriting, complimented one Bluesman (I don’t remember who) for consistency in his verses, then said, by comparison, that Charley Patton, “Could start off singing of the shoe... and end up singing about that banana.” Gotta love it.

@LetheMusiccom

13y

It's a great loss that Patton's mentor, Henry Sloan was never recorded. Some have speculated that it was either Sloan or Patton himself who W.C. Handy encountered in that late-night train station in Tutwiler when Handy was enthralled by the slider and the lyric about "Where the Southern cross the Dog." Which lyric Handy used in one of his first Blues songs in recognition of the great appeal of the Delta Blues form.

@josejaramillo7341

2y↑4

I didn't like Charley Patton or early blues at first.

Then I took the time to actively listen and it hit home.

@mortenhansen3455

2y↑3

I'm a white man born in the mid 80's. And this music, just takes it all the way home! All of you white pride out there, grab your guitar and see if you can play this "lower-human level kind of entertainment" as Robert Johnson was called by whites back in the day. Amazing skill as not only a player, but a song writer AND composer! Amazing! Amazing it still holds all the ground today, as it did back then and even more! Rspect and love to all kinds of life! Let's flourish intead of perrish. Let's bond instead of seperate! Because if not now, when?

@rayhutto2063

Preach on!

@thisislaflaretv5250

My man

@Dazbog373

3y↑1

0:40 the sound that echoed down through the century!

@rttjenk8

14y↑1

one of the best songs ever

@jeremyparsons9152

4y↑4

The only truly American form of music

@mussycluves

6y↑2

I LISTEN TO THIS VIDEO EVERY DAY....STILL TAKES ME THERE. CHEERS.

@goatman666

11y

Thanks to the uploader for posting this awesome song with lyrics. My question for the world: does Charley Patton do all the vocals here, or is the spoken part someone else? Never was wholly clear to me

@danielkroha5440

3y↑1

It’s all him.

@musicyourfriend1979

@Daniel Kroha You're wrong, that's Willie Brown and Patton on backing vocals

@satanscobrademon8724

Charley Patton the legend

@alpaca_growing_kit

4y↑6

The real reason why this is so cool is because it's so fucking raw.

@mo9504

13y↑2

Blues, the heart n soul of this country, I pray we never forget where we come from, but I think we have, thank you for sharing this we us

@chriscorman734

Only one Charley reported to have been taught by a man named Henry Sloan cant get enough of this song.

@mrgabest

14y

God. This is amazing.

@RandyStrubleBackingTracks

11y

Great post always enjoy listenin' to Patton!!

@jamesvincett1917

38w

@JohnMcLaughlin48

8y↑2

Simply terrific

@fmilktoast

14y

@neonmeat1 the twelve bar pattern was mostly a development to facilitate more instrumental solos. best example i can think of is little walter. the simple fact is that it just doesn't sound that great to use the blues mode in one key over a lot of different chord changes or over the ragtime progression. it works really well over the 1-4-5 and 2-5-1 progressions, and so those were the progressions that won out once electric instruments were introduced and people started recording a ton of solos.

@LS-nj5ix

4y↑2

best song ever!!!

@user-po6dj7br3h

11y

EXCELENT !!!

@Scott-yz2rr

5y↑63

the native american and afro mix with other cultural ethnic groups is the source of blues some of the greatest all time blues and rock guitar and songwriters were native american.

@marthajf73

5y↑6

Absolutely correct!!!

@daryldunson563

5y↑5

yes! charlie patton reminds me of the way they sing at Muscogee Creek funerals and even the stomp dances.

@ilovelife3328

4y↑4

Definitely!

#afronativepride

@viridianagarcia5420

3y↑2

Yes ! Those Native American microtones are in the blues too.

@RockandrollNegro

3y↑12

If Charley Patton was indeed Henny Chatmon's son (it's pretty much accepted as fact at this point) then Charley was 1/4 black, 1/4 Choctaw, and half white. He grew up learning primarily country hillbilly music from the Scots-Irish plantation workers his family worked under, but when they moved north to a segregated plantation he learned black gospel and blues. At some point his family tried to claim land in the Cherokee Reservation and were turned away, but Charley worked there for about a year, where he picked up some Cherokee rhythm and chanting.

The point is the Blues are American. They may have had roots in Africa, or the Scottish Highlands, or 16th century Welsh lute jigs, or in primitive Eurasian drum chanting from before the time of the Bering Strait crossing, but they all met up in the American South and formed a new, perfect union.

18 More Replies...

@VousEtre

43w↑1

Guitarist John Fahey studied Patton in college. His work was eventually published.

@augustrushmotloch

12y↑6

I'm 16 and I like this kind of music its a good song

@arturobarhar8582

3y↑1

I'm 17, but nobody really cares your ages, just enjoy it

@minutegongcoughs

11y↑38

I go overboard sometimes but I believe in free expression. The Blues legacy in America and Native American culture are massive influences ]the world over. It's the real deal. You have a sixties culture whose music inflence is Jazz and Blues based. In Europe only Paris picked up on this early. Same with the Beat writers. Someone somewhere is probably sitting on some original Blues 78's and just don't know it.

@James-lu4hb

3y↑1

Blues is African American culture

@deloreswilson1798

Charlie makes a banquet out of just a "few " ingredients. Amazing....😉

@terrypussypower

There were lots of people in the UK, especially in London and Liverpool (possibly even more so than London, as Liverpool had a direct link to the US through their port)that picked up on the Blues every bit as early as Paris.

@loganstroganoff1284

2y↑1

damn charley is a blues great. my grandma met him as a young girl in her father's store in ruleville miss. if anybody is still wondering if he was black white or what he was most definitely mixed. she referred to him as a light colored man. not pc by today standards but that was the lingo at the time.