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"
Some Summer Day
Charley Patton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come sun up my dogs will fade to
Honeysuckle and clear moonshine
She was, she was my black earth
And the fire in my spine
Her magnetic waves gave birth
I was the one who loved you most
But you can't put your arms around a ghost
You'll be mine
Some sweet day you will be mine
You'll be mine
We can, we can go home soon
Over the cold old sea
Her lover is in the old moon
Oh, to kiss her knobbly knees
Know she's laughing underwater
Her pain's gone away
We drank whiskey like our fathers
Born to return back to the clay
My love for you girl will never decay
Some sweet day you will be mine
You'll be mine
Some sweet day you will be mine
You'll be mine
Where did you go up to the sun?
Where are you now?
Part of the sea in every drop
Or did you simply stop?
Some sweet day you will be mine
You'll be mine
Some sweet day you will be mine
You'll be mine
Charley Patton's song "Some Summer Day" is a haunting and melancholic love song that expresses a deep longing for a lost love. The lyrics are rich with imagery that conjures up the beauty and pain of memory. The song begins with the singer addressing his lost love as his "daisy" and "lullaby," expressing the comfort and solace that she once provided. He then shifts to the imagery of the changing season, as his dogs fade away and the honeysuckle blooms, suggesting the passage of time and the inevitability of change.
The second verse introduces the lost love as the singer's "black earth" and the "fire in his spine", suggesting her power and importance in his life. He describes her "magnetic waves" and how they gave birth, possibly implying that their love created something new and powerful. However, the third verse acknowledges the reality that despite his love for her, she is gone and he cannot hold onto a "ghost." The chorus repeats the phrase "Some sweet day you will be mine" as a hopeful but mournful refrain, suggesting that the singer still dreams of being reunited with his lost love.
The final verse takes a fantastical turn, wondering where his lost love has gone and imagining that she has become part of the sea, or simply disappeared altogether. The song ends with the same mournful chorus, repeating the hope that their love will be reunited someday.
Overall, "Some Summer Day" is a powerful and deeply emotional song that captures the complexity and pain of lost love. The lyrics are full of rich imagery and metaphor, creating a vivid and evocative picture of the singer's experience.
Line by Line Meaning
You are, you are my daisy, you're my lullaby
You, my love, are the most beautiful flower in the garden and your voice is the sweetest melody to my ears
Come sun up my dogs will fade to honeysuckle and clear moonshine
As the sun rises, my hunting dogs will rest among the fragrant honeysuckles and the clear moonshine will light the way
She was, she was my black earth and the fire in my spine
My lover was my solid ground, the foundation of my life, and the intense passion she stirred in me was a burning flame within my body
Her magnetic waves gave birth
Her irresistible charm and energy created something new within me
I was the one who loved you most, But you can't put your arms around a ghost
I loved you more than anyone else could, but it's impossible to physically embrace someone who's already gone
Some sweet day you will be mine, You'll be mine
Someday, my love, you will be with me and we will be together
We can, we can go home soon, Over the cold old sea
We can leave this place and go back to where we belong, across the vast and chilly ocean
Her lover is in the old moon, Oh, to kiss her knobbly knees
Her love is so distant, it's like it's on the moon, but I long to be close to her and show her affection in any way I can
Know she's laughing underwater, Her pain's gone away
I know she's happy now, even if it's hard to reach her, and all her suffering has vanished
We drank whiskey like our fathers, Born to return back to the clay
We had a good time together, just like our ancestors did, but we all must eventually return to the earth
My love for you girl will never decay
My love for you will never fade, no matter what happens
Where did you go up to the sun?, Where are you now?, Part of the sea in every drop, Or did you simply stop?
Where did you go, my love? Are you still alive and well, or have you merged with the elements of nature, or have you simply passed on?
Some sweet day you will be mine, You'll be mine
Someday, my love, you will be with me and we will be together
Some sweet day you will be mine, You'll be mine
Someday, my love, you will be with me and we will be together
Writer(s): Charley Patton
Contributed by Allison I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.