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.
I
Charlie Musselwhite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gonna gather up my things
Don't wanna hear you fussin'
If it is, or if it ain't
If it is, or if it ain't
And my life needs no witness
And my burden is my own
My burden is my own
I'm in, I'm out, and I'm gone
You gotta answer to somebody
You gotta answer to somebody
If you didn't learn, then you didn't read
Gonna live with it, gotta live with it, yeah
What's a man to do, what's a man to do
Gotta answer to somebody
Answer to somebody
Gotta answer, answer, yeah
And I'm in, I'm out, and I'm gone
The death row preacher
Came through the back door to greet her
Hardly can blame her
For trusting a one-armed lion-tamer
She stepped in from a storm
As dry as a bone
The preacher thought to himself
He never takes care of his own
She said look what your prayers
Look what they've done to me
What can your prayers do for me?
Preacher said, careful talking to yourself
Cause you may be listening
Careful talking to yourself
Cause you may be listening
I'm in, I'm out, and I'm gone
The lyrics of "I'm in, I'm out, and I'm gone" by Charlie Musselwhite tell a story of a person who wants to be free, both from the burdens they carry and from the opinions and judgments of others. The first stanza expresses a disdain for ostentatious displays of death and the desire to not be the subject of gossip or criticism. The repetition of "if it is, or if it ain't" could also reflect the person's feelings of ambivalence towards life and the world around them.
In the chorus, the singer acknowledges that everyone has someone to answer to, but also seems to have reached a point of acceptance that life is what it is, and one has to accept it and live it. The lyrics hint at a sense of resignation about not being able to change one's life circumstance, and the repetition of "gotta answer to somebody" only emphasizes this theme.
The final stanza of the song tells the story of a woman who seeks solace in prayer, only to be met with disappointment when the preacher cannot offer her any relief. The preacher's advice to be "careful talking to yourself" implies that one's own words can be their own demise, hinting at a larger theme of the power of self-reflection and introspection.
Overall, the song seems to be exploring themes of freedom, acceptance, and the struggle to find meaning in a world that can feel overwhelming and oppressive.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't want no high rise tombstone
I don't want to live a life of excess and luxury, to be remembered as someone who was consumed by possessions and material things, resulting in a grand, extravagant tombstone
Gonna gather up my things
I'm going to take only what I need, and leave behind what I don't, when I leave this world
Don't wanna hear you fussin'
I don't want any arguments or conflicts between us, let's keep things simple and peaceful
If it is, or if it ain't
I'm indifferent about whether something is true or not, it doesn't matter to me either way
And my life needs no witness
I don't need anyone to bear witness to my life, or to validate it, as it is my own to live
And my burden is my own
I am responsible for my own troubles and hardships, and must bear them alone
My burden is my own
My suffering is a personal, individual hardship that belongs only to me
I'm in, I'm out, and I'm gone
My time here is brief and transient, and I will be leaving before long
You gotta answer to somebody
We all have someone, or something, that we must answer to, and are held accountable for our actions and decisions by others
If you didn't learn, then you didn't read
If you failed to learn from your experiences, or from the knowledge of others, then you are ignorant and uninformed
Gonna live with it, gotta live with it, yeah
I have to live with the consequences of my actions, both good and bad, and accept them as a part of my life
What's a man to do, what's a man to do
What options or choices are available to a person in their situation?
Gotta answer to somebody
We all have someone, or something, that we must answer to, and are held accountable for our actions and decisions by others
Answer to somebody
To be held accountable or responsible to someone, for one's actions or decisions
Gotta answer, answer, yeah
We can't escape the consequences of our actions or avoid answering for what we've done
The death row preacher
The preacher who visits inmates on death row, and offers comfort and guidance before their execution
Came through the back door to greet her
The preacher arrived unannounced or unexpectedly, using the back entrance to avoid attention
Hardly can blame her
It's not her fault or responsibility that the preacher came to see her
For trusting a one-armed lion-tamer
She's a trusting person, even when dealing with someone who is in a dangerous or precarious situation
She stepped in from a storm
She arrived suddenly, after being caught in a storm outside
As dry as a bone
Despite being outside in a storm, she was completely dry when she arrived
The preacher thought to himself
The preacher had a private thought, that he didn't say out loud to anyone else
He never takes care of his own
He realized that he neglects the spiritual needs of other people, even when they're right in front of him
She said look what your prayers
She's blaming the preacher for not praying hard enough, or not having enough faith
Look what they've done to me
She's blaming the preacher for her troubles or misfortunes, and suggesting that his prayers have been insufficient or ineffective
What can your prayers do for me?
She's skeptical or doubtful of the preacher's ability to offer her any real help, or to change her circumstances
Preacher said, careful talking to yourself
The preacher is warning her to be careful with her words, because she may inadvertently influence her own behavior, or bring about negative outcomes
Cause you may be listening
She may be influenced, subconsciously or consciously, by her own words and thoughts, and therefore must be careful with what she says
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: BENJAMIN CHASE HARPER, CHARLES MUSSELWHITE, JASON MOZERSKY, JESSE INGALLS, JORDAN RICHARDSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lindamarceline
An old soul with young eyes, a vintage heart, and a beautiful mind.
@alexandrkitayenko327
Прилипает, невозможно оторваться !!!!!
@supedersen
Best singing from Charlie, I have ever heard (with melodic swing vibrato). And the band is the best !!
@ricklundy3439
Just listened to Ace of Harps,,now this, no sleep for me, wow,,,,,
@szymonb4815
@@ricklundy3439
Inne że
@JL-bu8bz
Charlie is a live legend and kirk is fantastic too
@madogblue
Thanks for sharing the full set. Charlie still has it, and the band is smokin!
@supedersen
Got to say it: Top bass and drummer !!
@MariliaCoutinho
Wow! I didn't know Layla had such a powerful voice! Great seeing them perform together. Great band, great recording (thanks!), and Charlie is pure awesomeness.
@don.richard8823
Charlie still sounds great and the band ! 😎