Lizzie Douglas was born on June 3, 1897 in Algiers, Louisiana. She was the eldest from her 13 other siblings. Her parents Abe and Gertrude Douglas nicknamed her the Kid during her early childhood. At the age of 7 she and her family moved to Walls, Mississippi, which was just south of Memphis. The following year after she moved, she received her first guitar for Christmas. She began to practice and learn how to play both the banjo and the guitar and it was seen that she had a great talent as a musician. When she first began performing she did not use her first name Lizzie, but played under the name Kid Douglas. When she was 13 years old she ran away from her home to live on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. She would play on street corners for most of her teenage years and would eventually go home when she ran out of money. She began to get noticed singing and playing guitar on the street corners. This brought an opportunity for her to tour, travel, and play with the Ringling Brothers Circus. Eventually she came back to Beale Street and got consumed in the blues scene. At the time, women, whiskey, and cocaine were high in demand with the people and places she would be around. She made her money by playing guitar, singing, and prostitution, which was not uncommon at the time. Most of the female performers were prostitutes because of financial desperation. It was said “She received $12 for her services-an outrageous fee for the time.” (Memphis Minnie Biography,1). She was known as a woman that was very strong and that could take care of herself.
She had been married three times in her life; first with Will Weldon sometime in the 1920s, then Joe McCoy (1929–1934), and finally to Earnest Lawlars (a.k.a. Little Son Joe), in 1939. She and McCoy would perform together during their marriage. During this time, a talent scout from Columbia Records discovered her. When she and McCoy went to record in New York, she decided to change her name to Memphis Minnie. During the next few years she and McCoy released many singles and duets. She released the song “Bumble Bee” in 1930, which ended up being one of her favorite songs, and led her to a recording contract with the label Vocalion. Under this label, they continued to produce recording for two years, one of them being “I’m Talking About You”, which was one of her more popular songs. They soon decided to leave Vocalion and move to Chicago. She and McCoy introduced country blues to the urban environment and became very well known.
Memphis Minnie continued to have success throughout the years recording under many different labels like Decca Records and Chess Records. Some believe her fame was the reason for her divorce with McCoy due to jealousy and resentment towards her. She remarried after to Earnest Lawlars (a.k.a. Little Son Joe) and began recording material with him. She became very well known in the blues industry and ended up being one of the most famous blues performers of all time, competing with both men and women.
She continued to record throughout the 50’s, but her health began to become a problem for her. She retired from her musical career and ended up going back to Memphis. “Periodically, she would appear on Memphis radio stations to encourage young blues musicians. As the Garons wrote in Women With Guitar, 'She never laid her guitar down, until she could literally no longer pick it up.'” She suffered a stroke in 1960, which caused her to be bound by wheelchair. The following year her husband, Earnest “Little Son Joe” Lawlars died. She had another stroke a short while after and eventually ended up in the Jell Nursing Home. She could no longer survive on her social security income so magazines wrote about her and readers sent her money for assistance. On August 6, 1973 she died of a stroke. She was buried in an unmarked grave at the New Hope Cemetery in Memphis. A headstone paid for by Bonnie Raitt was erected by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund on October 13, 1996 with 35 family members in attendance including her sister, numerous nieces (including Laverne Baker) and nephews. Her headstone is marked:
Lizzie "Kid" Douglas Lawlers
aka Memphis Minnie
The inscription on the back of her gravestone reads:
"The hundreds of sides Minnie recorded are the perfect material to teach us about the blues. For the blues are at once general, and particular, speaking for millions, but in a highly singular, individual voice. Listening to Minnie's songs we hear her fantasies, her dreams, her desires, but we will hear them as if they were our own."
After her death some of her old work began to surface and some of her songs were featured on blues compilations. She was one of the first 20 blues artists that were inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame.
Crazy Cryin' Blues
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
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I been going crazy, I just can't help myself, ahhhhuuuuhahhhh
Because the man I'm loving, he's loving someone else
(spoken: You know I'm bound to cry)
Ahhhhaaahhhhuuuuhhuh
Ahhhhaaahhhhuuuuhhuh
I was locked outdoors, sat on my steps all night long and cried, ahhhhaaahhhuuuhhhaaah
I was locked outdoors, sat on my steps all night long and cried, ahhhhaaahhhuuuhhhaaah
I'm going crazy, crazy as I can be
I got up this morning, I made a fire in my stove, ahhhhaaahhhuuuhhhaaah
I got up this morning, I made a fire in my stove, ahhhhaaahhhuuuhhhaaah
I made up my bread and sat my pan outdoors
I'm crazy, I'm crazy, just can't help myself, ahhhhaaahhhuuuhhhaaah
I'm crazy, I'm crazy, just can't help myself, ahhhhaaahhhuuuhhhaaah
I'm just as crazy, crazy as a poor girl can be
Ahhhhaaahhhhuuuuhhuh
Ahhhhaaahhhhuuuuhhuh
Ahhhhaaahhhhuuuuhhuh
In "Crazy Cryin' Blues," Memphis Minnie laments the pain of unrequited love as she vividly portrays her anguish and desperation. The song begins with the repeated cry of "I been going crazy, I just can't help myself" which instantly sets the tone for the listener. Memphis Minnie's voice is raw and powerful, amplifying her emotions and conveying her sense of heartbreak. She sings of the man she loves who is now with someone else, causing her to feel as if she is losing her grip on her sanity. The spoken line "You know I'm bound to cry" adds to the intensity of the song, reaffirming that this is not just another love song, but a testament to the pain of lost love.
Memphis Minnie's raw and emotive delivery of "Crazy Cryin' Blues" reflects the harsh realities of life in the American South, where relationships and love were often fraught with complexity, jealousy, and loss. The song's lyrical structure, with its repetition of specific phrases, underscores how Minnie was trapped in a cycle of agony, unable to extricate herself from the grip of her emotions. The line "I was locked outdoors, sat on my steps all night long and cried" is particularly poignant, revealing the depths of her despair and sense of isolation. Yet, amidst the pain, there is a sense of resilience and kinship with other women who may have found themselves in similar situations. Throughout this song, Minnie's voice and lyrics combine seamlessly to create a powerful reminder of the pain and suffering that love can bring.
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
I been going crazy, I just can't help myself, ahhhhuuuuhahhhh
I am losing my mind due to my inability to stop loving a man who loves someone else.
Because the man I'm loving, he's loving someone else
I am heartbroken since the person I love is in love with someone else.
I was locked outdoors, sat on my steps all night long and cried, ahhhhaaahhhuuuhhhaaah
I spent a night crying on my doorstep after being locked out, unable to bear the pain anymore.
I'm going crazy, crazy as I can be
I am driven to madness, losing control of my emotions.
I got up this morning, I made a fire in my stove, ahhhhaaahhhuuuhhhaaah
I woke up and tried to distract myself from the pain by cooking and tending to my fire.
I made up my bread and sat my pan outdoors
I baked bread and left it outside, possibly as a gesture of hope towards a reconciliation.
I'm crazy, I'm crazy, just can't help myself, ahhhhaaahhhuuuhhhaaah
I am acknowledging that I am acting irrationally and that my feelings are taking control of me.
I'm just as crazy, crazy as a poor girl can be
My emotional distress has made me as overwhelmed and helpless as someone who is struggling financially.
Contributed by Liliana H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SmokinGun55
One of my favorites of Minnie's songs.👍