His family considered it normal to play music, with his father playing guitar and harmonica, his mother playing piano, and a relative who was a one-man band. At the age of three, Musselwhite moved to Memphis, Tennessee. When he was a teenager, Memphis experienced the period when rockabilly, western swing, electric blues, and some forms of African American music were combining to give birth to rock and roll. The period featured legendary figures such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, as well as minor legends such as Gus Cannon, Furry Lewis, Will Shade, Royal Bell, Memphis Willie B., Johnny Burnette, Red Roby, Abe McNeal, and Slim Rhodes. Musselwhite supported himself by digging ditches, laying concrete and running moonshine in a 1950 Lincoln. This environment was Musselwhite's school for music as well as life, and he acquired the nickname "Memphis Charlie."[citation needed]
In true bluesman fashion, Musselwhite then took off in search of the rumored "big-paying factory jobs" up the "Hillbilly Highway", legendary Highway 61 to Chicago, where he continued his education on the South Side, making the acquaintance of even more legends including Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Sonny Boy Williamson, Buddy Guy, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and Big Walter Horton. Musselwhite immersed himself completely in the musical life, living in the basement of, and occasionally working at Jazz Record Mart (the record store operated by Delmark Records founder Bob Koester) with Big Joe Williams and working as a driver for an exterminator, which allowed him to observe what was happening around the city's clubs and bars. He spent his time hanging out at the Jazz Record Mart at the corner of State and Grand and the nearby bar, Mr. Joe's, with the city's blues musicians, and sitting in with Big Joe Williams and others in the clubs, playing for tips. There he forged a lifelong friendship with John Lee Hooker; though Hooker lived in Detroit, Michigan, the two often visiting each other, and Hooker serving as best man at Musselwhite's wedding. Gradually Musselwhite became well known around town.
In time, Musselwhite led his own blues band, and, after Elektra Records' success with Paul Butterfield, he released the classic[citation needed] Stand Back! album in 1966 on Vanguard Records (as "Charley Musselwhite"), to immediate and great success. He took advantage of the clout this album gave him to move to San Francisco, where, instead of being one of many competing blues acts, he held court as the king of the blues in the exploding countercultural music scene, an exotic and gritty figure to the flower children. Musselwhite even convinced Hooker to move out to California.
Since then, Musselwhite has released over 20 albums, as well as guesting on albums by many other musicians, such as Bonnie Raitt's Longing in Their Hearts and The Blind Boys of Alabama's Spirit of the Century, both winners of Grammy awards. He also appeared on Tom Waits' Mule Variations and INXS' Suicide Blonde. He himself has won 14 W. C. Handy awards and six Grammy nominations, as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Monterey Blues Festival and the San Javier Jazz Festival in San Javier, Spain, and the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.
In 1979, Musselwhite recorded The Harmonica According to Charlie Musselwhite in London for Kicking Mule Records, intended to go with an instructional book; the album itself became so popular that it has been released on CD.
Unfortunately, Musselwhite, as with many of his peers, fell victim to alcoholism; by his own admission[citation needed], he had never been on stage sober until after he stopped drinking entirely in 1987.
In 1990 Musselwhite signed with Alligator Records, a step led to a resurgence of his career.
Over the years, Musselwhite has branched out in style. His 1999 recording, Continental Drifter, is accompanied by Quarteto Patria, from Cuba's Santiago region, the Cuban music analog of the Mississippi Delta. Because of the political differences between Cuba and the United States, the album was recorded in Bergen, Norway, with Musselwhite's wife ironing out all the details.
Musselwhite believes the key to his musical success was finding a style where he could express himself. He has said, "I only know one tune, and I play it faster or slower, or I change the key, but it’s just the one tune I’ve ever played in my life. It’s all I know."[1]
His past two albums, Sanctuary and Delta Hardware have both been released on Real World Records.
Baby Will You Please Help Me
Charlie Musselwhite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This time another year, baby I wonder where will I be
I may be in Chicago
I may be back down in Tennessee
One of these mornings, baby I believe I'll go back home
One of these mornings, baby I believe I'll go back home
For years I've been in Chicago
I was born in Mississippi, than I was raised in Tennessee
I was born in Mississippi, than I was raised in Tennessee
Seem like every place I've been
Look like the blues keep following me
Baby you don't see, you don't see any blues like me
No baby you don't see, you don't see any blues like me
I'm having a hard time
Baby will you please help me
The lyrics of the song "Baby Will You Please Help Me" by Charlie Musselwhite speak to the emotional turmoil and uncertainty that the singer is experiencing. He is pondering where he will be in the future, wondering if he will return to his hometown in Tennessee or remain in Chicago. The repetition of the phrase "This time another year" emphasizes the passing of time and the transience of his current situation.
The singer sings about feeling like the blues are following him wherever he goes, indicative of a sense of hopelessness and despair. He pleads with his lover to understand and to help him through his difficult times. The song is a plea for emotional support and understanding from a partner, a universal theme that many listeners can relate to.
Overall, the lyrics of "Baby Will You Please Help Me" convey a deep sense of sadness and uncertainty, but through the powerful blues vocals and melancholic melody, the listener can hear the hope and longing for love and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
This time another year, baby I wonder where will I be
I am uncertain of my future and where I will be at this time next year.
I may be in Chicago
I may be back down in Tennessee
My future location could be either Chicago or Tennessee.
One of these mornings, baby I believe I'll go back home
I plan to go back to my hometown soon.
For years I've been in Chicago
Baby please don't treat me wrong
I have been living in Chicago for a while, but I hope my partner treats me kindly.
I was born in Mississippi, than I was raised in Tennessee
I was born in Mississippi and grew up in Tennessee.
Seem like every place I've been
Look like the blues keep following me
I have encountered hardship everywhere I go, and the blues stay with me.
No baby you don't see, you don't see any blues like me
My blues are unique and incomparable to anyone else’s.
I'm having a hard time
Baby will you please help me
I am currently struggling, and I need my partner's assistance.
Writer(s): MUSSELWHITE
Contributed by Camden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
joe beri
In 1978 I saw him at the light house in Hermosa beach, Ca and at the zoo bar in Lincoln Nebraska when I was student at UNL. Tnx
Pesach Nisenbaum
Back in 1969ish I saw shows:
- Charlie Musslewhite at the Ash Grove, Hollywood
- Harvey Mandel with Sugarcane Harris at the Cheetah, Santa Monica.
JGLB2012
harvey mandel rules
TheGary0
Check.