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.
My Buddy Buddy Friends
Charlie Musselwhite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got lots of phony friends
I got lots of women
I can buy lots of gin
I know every guy in this town
When my money runs out
I won't have these friends around
I walked right on in
Everybody knows me
By the money that I spend
I'm always playin' the seats
That these buddies tell lies
In fact they're no good friends
Money makes some folks frown
Money makes some folks steal
Money gets some folks hurt
Money gets some folks killed
I can't trust nobody
Not even my buddy, buddy friends
Yes, they'll stab me in the back
Took away my baby's ring
Well I finally realized
That these buddies tell lies
In fact they're no good friends
The opening line of Charlie Musselwhite's song My Buddy Buddy Friends, "Got lots of money," immediately sets the tone for a song about the emptiness of material possessions and the fickle nature of friendships based on wealth. The singer boasts of having both money and phony friends, insinuating that the two are not mutually exclusive. He also declares that he is able to buy "lots of women" and "lots of gin," further emphasizing his reliance on money for pleasure and companionship.
The second verse describes a scene at a club where the singer is well-known for his spending habits, but is aware that his supposed friends are really only interested in his money. He laments that when his money runs out, these "buddies" will not stick around. The final verse is the most poignant, as the singer realizes that even his closest friends cannot be trusted and have taken advantage of him. He acknowledges that these friends only tell lies and are ultimately "no good friends."
Line by Line Meaning
Got lots of money
I have a significant amount of wealth
Got lots of phony friends
I have many acquaintances who are only interested in me because of my money
I got lots of women
I have numerous romantic partners
I can buy lots of gin
I am able to purchase a significant amount of alcohol
I know every guy in this town
I am familiar with all of the men in this locality
When my money runs out
Once I have no more wealth
I won't have these friends around
I will no longer have these acquaintances as companions
I go to this Boogaloo Club
I attend this establishment named the Boogaloo Club
I walked right on in
I entered the club with ease
Everybody knows me
The individuals present in the club are aware of my identity
By the money that I spend
My expenditure indicates my wealth
I'm always playin' the seats
I consistently engage in gambling
That these buddies tell lies
My associates often deceive me
In fact they're no good friends
In reality, these acquaintances are not trustworthy companions
Money makes some folks frown
Certain individuals react negatively to wealth
Money makes some folks steal
Some people resort to theft to acquire money
Money gets some folks hurt
Wealth can put individuals in dangerous situations
Money gets some folks killed
Money can lead to fatal consequences
I can't trust nobody
I do not have confidence in anyone
Not even my buddy, buddy friends
Even my close acquaintances are not trustworthy
Yes, they'll stab me in the back
They are capable of betraying me
Took away my baby's ring
They have stolen a valuable belonging from my significant other
Well I finally realized
I have come to an understanding
That these buddies tell lies
My associates often hide the truth from me
In fact they're no good friends
In reality, these acquaintances are not respectful or reliable companions
Contributed by Asher C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.