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.
Town To Town
Charlie Musselwhite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did you ever walk down one ol' lonesome road
Well, don't the highway look lonesome
When that sun is sinking low
Did you ever, ever drift from town to town
Did you ever, ever drift from town to town
And did you think about your baby
Going back home you're gonna fall down on your knees
Going back home you're gonna fall down on your knees
Well, don't it break your heart
When you see those fallin' leaves
The lyrics to Charlie Musselwhite's song "Town To Town" convey a sense of loneliness, longing, and the transient nature of life on the road. The first verse sets the scene of walking down a lonesome road, highlighting the feeling of isolation and the melancholic atmosphere that comes with being on the highway as the sun sets. The repetition of the line "Did you ever walk down one ol' lonesome road" emphasizes the emotional weight of the experience.
In the second verse, the focus shifts to drifting from town to town, capturing the nomadic lifestyle of a traveler. The lyrics suggest that amidst this constant movement, the singer reflects on their loved one and the weight of the blues that come crashing down on them. This line speaks to the emotional toll of being separated from someone they care about while navigating the uncertainties of a transient existence.
The final verse shifts the perspective to the act of returning home. The imagery of falling down on one's knees conveys the weight of remorse and heartbreak that comes with witnessing the changing seasons, represented by the falling leaves. This line implies a sense of regret and longing for stability and familiarity that can only be found at home.
Overall, "Town To Town" explores the themes of loneliness, longing, and the bittersweet emotions that come with a life on the road.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you ever walk down one ol' lonesome road
Have you ever strolled along a desolate and solitary path?
Well, don't the highway look lonesome
When that sun is sinking low
Indeed, doesn't the road appear solitary when the sun is setting?
Did you ever, ever drift from town to town
Have you ever aimlessly wandered and moved between different towns?
And did you think about your baby
And your blues come falling down
Did you reflect upon your loved one and experience a wave of sadness?
Going back home you're gonna fall down on your knees
When returning to your place of origin, you'll surely kneel in despair
Well, don't it break your heart
When you see those fallin' leaves
Doesn't it profoundly sadden you to witness the descent of autumnal foliage?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles Musselwhite
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind