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.
Doctor Doctor Blues
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doctor stopped me from drinking, boys, I can't smoke no more
And I can't see no peace, seem like nowhere I go
Oh, doctor, doctor, you know I got a lot of faith in you
Oh, doctor, doctor, you know I got a lot of faith in you
I'd trust you everywhere
But it hurt me so bad, when you say if I took another drink, nothing you could do
Oh, doctor, doctor, I ain't drinked in a great long time
Bring us half a pint
I'm gonna take a drink of this, if the good Lord don't change my mind
Now, look-a here, doctor, don't you know my mama's done gone blind?
Now, look-a here, doctor, don't you know my mama's done gone blind?
I know her trouble
I was doing the best I could but she wouldn't pay the doctor no mind
Oh, doctor, doctor, tell me what's my trouble now
Oh, doctor, doctor, tell me what's my trouble now
"If you take another drink, I bet they put you in the ground!"
Doctor, you all right with me anyhow
The lyrics to Memphis Minnie's "Doctor Doctor Blues" tell the story of a person who has been advised by their doctor to stop drinking and smoking. The person can't seem to find peace anywhere and struggles with the thought of not being able to drink anymore. They express their trust in the doctor and their faith in their abilities, but are hurt when the doctor tells them that if they take another drink, there's nothing they can do to help.
The person talks about how they haven't had a drink in a long time due to the doctor's orders, but eventually asks for a half a pint, and says they'll drink it if the good Lord doesn't change their mind. The song also mentions the person's mother, who has gone blind. The person seems to be remorseful that they couldn't do more to help their mother, but also expresses frustration that their mother wouldn't pay attention to the doctor's advice.
Overall, the lyrics speak to the struggle of addiction and the powerlessness that can come with it. The person is torn between their desire to drink and the knowledge that it's harming them, and they feel a sense of guilt for not being able to help their mother more. At the same time, they acknowledge the authority and importance of the doctor's advice in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Doctor stopped me from drinking, boys, I can't smoke no more
The doctor prevented me from consuming alcohol or smoking tobacco, which has led me to feel uneasy and restless.
And I can't see no peace, seem like nowhere I go
My mind is in turmoil and I cannot find calmness or comfort anywhere I search.
Oh, doctor, doctor, you know I got a lot of faith in you
Doctor, I have faith and trust in your ability to heal me.
I'd trust you everywhere, but it hurt me so bad, when you say if I took another drink, nothing you could do
Although I have faith in you, I was scared and disappointed when you told me that if I resumed drinking, you wouldn't be able to help me.
Oh, doctor, doctor, I ain't drinked in a great long time
Doctor, I haven't consumed alcohol for a long period of time.
Bring us half a pint, I'm gonna take a drink of this, if the good Lord don't change my mind
Bring me a small quantity of alcohol, I intend to drink it unless divine intervention changes my thought process.
Now, look-a here, doctor, don't you know my mama's done gone blind?
Doctor, are you aware that my mother has lost her eyesight?
I know her trouble, I was doing the best I could but she wouldn't pay the doctor no mind
I am aware of her ailment, and though I did my best to help, she refused to seek medical attention.
Oh, doctor, doctor, tell me what's my trouble now
Doctor, can you please tell me what I'm struggling with at present?
"If you take another drink, I bet they put you in the ground!"
If you indulge in another alcoholic beverage, I bet you'll be six feet under before you know it.
Doctor, you all right with me anyhow
Regardless, I still value and appreciate you, doctor.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MINNIE MCCOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dom Bat
Because media speaks always about the same bluesmen that everybody knows (which does not prevent that they are very good ...) and that it is a woman, I think (I am a man, I specify ...), and also that for a lot of bluesmen, it's difficult to accept that a blueswoman can be better than them ! (I like many of bluesmen too, one does not prevent the other)
rampareg
Why does this only have 199 views?