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.
Hobo Blues
Charlie Musselwhite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I took a highway to be my friend, to be my friend
You know I hoboed, hoboed, hoboed
Hoboed a long way from home, away from home
You know my mother followed me that mornin', me that mornin', morn, morn
Followed me down to the crossroad, to the crossroad
Take care, my child, take care, my child, take care of my child
Yeah, I hoboed, hoboed, hoboed, hoboed
Hoboed a long way from home, away from home, away from home
The lyrics of Charlie Musselwhite's "Hobo Blues" tell the story of a person who embarks on a journey as a hobo. The repetition of the phrase "hoboed a long way from home" emphasizes the distance traveled and the feeling of being far away from the familiar and comfortable. The highway is portrayed as a companion or friend that the hobo relies on during their journey.
The mention of the mother following the hobo in the morning to the crossroad adds a touch of sentimentality and concern. The mother's words of caution and care for her child before they part ways highlight the vulnerability and uncertainty that comes with the hobo lifestyle.
The song captures the nomadic nature of hobo life, where individuals roam in search of work, adventure, or escape. The repetition of the verses and the simple structure of the song evoke a sense of repetition and monotony, reflecting the cyclical nature of the hobo's existence. The lyrics paint a picture of a person disconnected from their roots, seeking solace in the open road as they navigate their way through life.
Line by Line Meaning
When I first started hoboin', hoboin'
At the beginning of my life as a hobo, as a hobo
I took a highway to be my friend, to be my friend
I chose the open road as my companion, as my companion
You know I hoboed, hoboed, hoboed
I wandered aimlessly, wandered aimlessly, wandered aimlessly
Hoboed a long way from home, away from home
Travelled a great distance from my place of origin, far from my place of origin
You know my mother followed me that mornin', me that mornin', morn, morn
It was my mother who followed me early in the morning, me early in the morning, morning, morning
Followed me down to the crossroad, to the crossroad
She pursued me until we reached a decisive moment, until we reached a decisive moment
Take care, my child, take care, my child, take care of my child
Please, look after yourself, my child, please, look after yourself, my child, please take care of yourself
Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh
An expression of affirmation or agreement
Yeah, I hoboed, hoboed, hoboed, hoboed
Indeed, I roamed aimlessly, roamed aimlessly, roamed aimlessly, roamed aimlessly
Hoboed a long way from home, away from home, away from home
Travelled a great distance from my place of origin, far from my place of origin, far from my place of origin
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: James Rachell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind