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.
Done Somebody Wrong
Charlie Musselwhite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, the bell just toned, my baby done caught that train and gone
It's all my fault, I must have done somebody wrong, oh yeah
Everything that happened, you know I am to blame
Everything that's happened, you know I am to blame
I'm gonna find me a doctor, maybe my luck will change, oh yeah
My mother told me these days would surely come,
But I, wouldn't listen to her, said, I gotta have some fun
Uuh, it's all my fault, I must-a did somebody wrong
The lyrics to Charlie Musselwhite's song Done Somebody Wrong speak to the regret and feelings of guilt that come with losing someone you love. The repeated phrase, "the bell just toned, my baby done caught that train and gone," suggests that the person the singer loved has left them, likely for good. The lyrics then attribute this loss to the singer's own actions, with lines like "It's all my fault, I must have done somebody wrong."
As the song progresses, the lyrics begin to suggest that the singer may have a chance at redemption. He sings about finding a doctor who can help him, and his mother's warning that "these days would surely come" implies that he may have a chance to make amends for whatever actions caused his lover to leave. The repetition of the phrase "I must-a did somebody wrong" drives home the singer's remorse and the realization that his actions have brought him to this point.
Overall, the lyrics to Done Somebody Wrong are a lament for a lost love and an exploration of the painful emotions that come with regret and self-blame. The song suggests that while the singer might never be able to get back what he has lost, he is willing to try to make changes in his life to avoid making the same mistakes again.
Line by Line Meaning
The bell just toned, my baby done caught that train and gone
The bell rang and my beloved has left on the train, and I am left behind.
Yes, the bell just toned, my baby done caught that train and gone
I am affirming that my lover has left and I am sorrowful.
It's all my fault, I must have done somebody wrong, oh yeah
I realize that everything that has happened is my fault and I have probably harmed someone.
Everything that happened, you know I am to blame
I am accepting responsibility for everything that occurred and acknowledging that the fault lies with me.
I'm gonna find me a doctor, maybe my luck will change, oh yeah
I plan to look for a solution to my problems and hope that it will improve my circumstances for the better.
My mother told me these days would surely come,
My mother warned me that difficult times would come and I did not listen.
But I, wouldn't listen to her, said, I gotta have some fun
Despite my mother's warning, I disregarded her advice and sought pleasure.
Aah, I must-a did somebody wrong,
I come to the realization that I am at fault and caused someone harm.
Uuh, it's all my fault, I must-a did somebody wrong
I express remorse and take responsibility for the harm that I caused.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Elmore James, Levy Morris, Clarence Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind