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.
Tennessee Woman
Charlie Musselwhite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I've got a pretty woman lives way down in Tennessee
Well, I'm crazy 'bout my baby
She's the only one for me
Well, I want to see you, baby, I don't have my train fare
Yes, I want to see you, baby, I don't have my train fare
I'm gonna take out all my money
Well, my mind begins to ramble and my heart is full of pain
Yes, my mind begins to ramble and my heart is full of pain
Time I think of my baby
My tears fall like showered pain
I've got a pretty woman, lives way down in Tennessee
Yes, I got a pretty woman, lives way down in Tennessee
Well, I'm crazy 'bout my baby
She's the only one for me
In Charlie Musselwhite's song Tennessee Woman, the singer shares his love and devotion towards his significant other who resides in Tennessee. The singer is deeply in love with his "pretty woman" who he refers to multiple times throughout the song. He admits to being "crazy" about her and that she is "the only one" for him.
However, the singer is clearly faced with some financial difficulties which prevents him from being able to travel and see his beloved. He mentions not having enough money to pay for his train fare to visit her, but is willing to take out all his money to make the trip happen. His desperation to see her is palpable in the lyrics.
The chorus repeats the same lines about the singer's love and admiration for his Tennessee woman, and the verses reflect his longing to be with her regardless of the obstacles. The final stanza reveals how the thought of his significant other causes him immense emotional pain, demonstrated by his tears falling "like showered rain".
Overall, Tennessee Woman is a poignant blues song that expresses the deep love and longing of the singer for his significant other who resides in Tennessee. It also touches upon the financial struggles faced by many, which can often hinder individuals from seeing their loved ones as often as they would like to.
Line by Line Meaning
Got a pretty woman, lives way down in Tennessee
I have a beautiful girlfriend who lives in the state of Tennessee
Well, I've got a pretty woman lives way down in Tennessee
I possess a remarkably attractive girlfriend residing in Tennessee
Well, I'm crazy 'bout my baby
She's the only one for me
I'm exceedingly fond of my girlfriend, she's my one and only
Yes, I want to see you, baby, I don't have my train fare
I desire to meet you, but I lack the money for the train ride
I'm gonna take out all my money
I'm gonna ride on away from here
I'll use all my savings to purchase the train ticket and escape from this place to meet you
Yes, my mind begins to ramble and my heart is full of pain
My thoughts become erratic, and my heart overflows with misery
Time I think of my baby
My tears fall like showered pain
Every time I ponder upon my beloved, tears brim over and inflict sharp pain
Yes, I got a pretty woman, lives way down in Tennessee
I have a remarkably beautiful girlfriend residing in the state of Tennessee
Well, I'm crazy 'bout my baby
She's the only one for me
I'm excessively fond of my girlfriend, and I have eyes for no one else
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FENTON LEE ROBINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind