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.
Down in new orleans
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm going back down in New Orleans
Well, I'm going where I can get my rice and beans
We are the cooking'est Creoles in the world you ever seen
We are the cooking'est Creoles in the world you ever seen
And if you don't believe me, follow me back down to New Orleans
Well, my man is a doctor and he lives off of rice and beans
Well, my man is a doctor and he lives off of rice and beans
That's why he done gone and left me back down in New Orleans
I've got the cooking'est sister in the world you ever seen
I've got the cooking'est sister in the world you ever seen
But she can't cook nothing but them rice and beans
And you can't tell me nothing, baby, that I never seen
And you can't tell me nothing, baby, that I never seen
And if you don't believe me, follow me back to New Orleans
In Memphis Minnie's "Down in New Orleans", she sings about her love for the city's food and culture. The lyrics express her desire to return to the city where she can get her rice and beans, which are staples in Creole cuisine. She boasts about the Creoles being the "cooking'est" in the world and invites anyone who doubts her to come with her back to New Orleans. The song also mentions her man, who is a doctor and lives off of rice and beans, but has abandoned her in New Orleans. She talks about her sister, who is also an excellent cook but is limited to making only rice and beans.
The song reflects the influence of New Orleans' African, French, and Spanish cultures on its cuisine. Rice and beans, commonly known as "red beans and rice," are a signature dish in Creole cuisine, and their popularity can be traced back to the city's history of African slave trade. The song also references the lifestyle of the Creole people, who were known for their passion for food, music, and dance.
Memphis Minnie, a pioneering blues musician and singer-songwriter, was known for her innovative guitar playing and powerful voice. Born in Mississippi in 1897, she began performing in Memphis in the 1920s, where she made a name for herself as one of the few prominent female blues musicians of the time. She recorded several hits throughout her career, including collaborations with other prominent musicians such as Little Walter and B.B. King. Although her career was mostly overshadowed by her male contemporaries, her songs and her influence on future female musicians would not be forgotten.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going back down in New Orleans
I am returning to my beloved city of New Orleans
Well, I'm going where I can get my rice and beans
I am returning to a place where I can enjoy my favorite cuisine, rice and beans
We are the cooking'est Creoles in the world you ever seen
The people of New Orleans are known for their exceptional culinary skills
And if you don't believe me, follow me back down to New Orleans
If you doubt my claim of New Orleans being the cooking capital, I invite you to visit with me and discover the truth for yourself
Well, my man is a doctor and he lives off of rice and beans
My partner, who happens to be a doctor, survives on a simple diet of rice and beans
That's why he done gone and left me back down in New Orleans
He left me behind to go back to New Orleans because he's drawn to the food and culture there
I've got the cooking'est sister in the world you ever seen
My sister is one of the best chefs in the world
But she can't cook nothing but them rice and beans
However, her specialty only happens to be rice and beans
And you can't tell me nothing, baby, that I never seen
I have seen too much in my time to be easily convinced
And if you don't believe me, follow me back to New Orleans
If you doubt my knowledge or experience, you can join me when I return to New Orleans
Contributed by Landon O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
yuromacviva
the next sessions good too,you wrecked my happy home,im waiting on you (twelve year old boy) and keep on goin'
yuromacviva
Chicago may 27th 1935,other songs jockey man blues ,weary womans blues 2 takes of reachin ,pete slightly different.nice guitar on her own.