Born Denise Eileen Garrett in Memphis, Tennessee, she grew up in Flint, Michigan. Her father, Matthew Garrett, was a jazz trumpeter and teacher at Manassas High School, and through his playing, Denise was exposed to jazz early on. At the age of sixteen, she was a member of a rock and rhythm'n'blues trio, singing in clubs in Michigan. At 18, she studied at Michigan State University before she went to the University of Illinois. With their jazz band, she toured the Soviet Union in 1969. The next year, she met trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, and after their marriage, they moved to New York City, where Cecil played in Horace Silver's band.
In 1971, Dee Dee Bridgewater joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra as the lead vocalist. The next years marked the beginning of her jazz career, and she performed with many of the great jazz musicians of the time, such as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, and others. In 1974, her first own album, entitled Afro Blue, appeared, and she also performed on Broadway in the musical The Wiz. For her role as Glinda the Good Witch she won a Tony Award in 1975 as "best-featured actress", and the musical also won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
She subsequently appeared in several other stage productions. After touring France in 1984 with the musical Sophisticated Ladies, she moved to Paris in 1986. The same year saw her in Lady Day as Billie Holliday, for which role she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she returned from the world of musical to jazz. She performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990, and four years later, she finally collaborated with Horace Silver, whom she had admired for a long time, and released the album Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver. Her 1997 tribute album Dear Ella won her the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and the 1998 album Live at Yoshi's was also worth a Grammy nomination. She has also explored on This is New the songs of Kurt Weill, and, on her latest album J'ai Deux Amours, the French Classics.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is the first American to be inducted to the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie. She has received the Award of Arts and Letters in France.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is mother to three children, Tulani Bridgewater (from her marriage to Cecil Bridgewater), China Moses (from her marriage to theater, film and television director Gilbert Moses) and Gabriel Durand (from her current marriage to French concert promoter Jean-Marie Durand).
Mr. Guitar Man
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Momma's busy fixin' dinner in the kitchen
Daddy's coming home from work
It's been a long hard day
Dogs are barking after every car that's passing
"Cats" are throwing dice and messin' with the ladies
Got my music up
Each time that I close my eyes
I dance off to the wonderland but
Sister, she soon is shaking me
And I'm in my room again…
Oh Mr Guitar man (Guitar man)
Wish you'd come and play beside me
Mr Guitar man (Guitar man)
You could help me sing my melody
Mom and dad decide to go and see a movie
Shirley's racin' little bobby down the hallway
Turn the music on
And suddenly I start to sway
Each time that I close my eyes
I dance off to the wonderland but
Sister, she soon is shaking me
And I'm in my room again
Mr Guitar man (Guitar man)
Wish you'd come and play beside me
Mr Guitar man (Guitar man)
You could help me sing my melody
Help me sing my melody
…
Each time that I close my eyes
I dance off to the wonderland but
Sister, she soon is shaking me
And I'm in my room again
Mr Guitar man (Guitar man)
Wish you'd come and play beside me
Mr Guitar man (Guitar man)
You could help me sing my melody
Mr Guitar man (Guitar man)
Wish you'd come and play beside me
Mr Guitar man
You could help me sing my melody
Hey Mr Guitar man…
Wish you'd come and play beside me
Hey Mr Guitar man…
You could help me sing my melody…
The lyrics of "Mr. Guitar Man" by Dee Dee Bridgewater paint a vivid picture of the everyday life of a working-class family, with children playing games in the alleyway and parents coming home tired after a long day at work. The song's narrator seeks refuge from the mundane realities of life through music, turning up the volume to chase the blues away. The lyrics convey the power of music to transport us to a place of joy and imagination, where anything is possible.
The chorus of the song, where the singer pleads with the "Mr. Guitar Man" to come and play alongside her, is a cry for connection and community through music. Bridgewater's soulful vocals convey the longing and yearning for something beyond the routine of daily life. The song is a celebration of the transformative power of music and a tribute to the musicians who bring it to life.
Overall, "Mr. Guitar Man" is a beautiful and uplifting song that speaks to the universal human experience of seeking joy and fulfillment in a world that can often be hard and unforgiving. The song's message of hope and connection through music is as relevant today as it was when the song was first released.
Line by Line Meaning
Children playing "cops'n'robbers" in the alley
Kids are playing "cops and robbers" in the streets
Momma's busy fixin' dinner in the kitchen
Mother is cooking in the kitchen
Daddy's coming home from work
Father is returning from work
It's been a long hard day
The day has been long and tiring
Dogs are barking after every car that's passing
Dogs are barking at every passing car
"Cats" are throwing dice and messin' with the ladies
People are gambling and flirting
Got my music up
Listening to loud music
To try and chase the blues away…
To alleviate some sadness or stress
Each time that I close my eyes
Whenever I shut my eyes
I dance off to the wonderland but
I transport myself to a magical world
Sister, she soon is shaking me
My sister then wakes me up
And I'm in my room again…
And I find myself back in my own room
Oh Mr Guitar man (Guitar man)
Addressing a musician figuratively as "Mr. Guitar Man"
Wish you'd come and play beside me
I would love it if you could play next to me
You could help me sing my melody
Your music abilities could complement my singing
Mom and dad decide to go and see a movie
Parents have decided to go see a movie
Shirley's racin' little bobby down the hallway
Shirley's running a race with little Bobby in the hallway
Turn the music on
Playing some music
And suddenly I start to sway
And I suddenly start dancing
Hey Mr Guitar man…
Again, addressing a musician figuratively as "Mr. Guitar Man"
Contributed by Caroline A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.