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.
Georgia Skin
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The reason I like the game, the game they call Georgia Skin
Because when you fall, you can really take out again
When you lose your money, please don't lose your mind
When you lose your money, please don't lose your mind
Because each and every gambler gets in hard luck sometime
I had a man, he gambles all the time
I had a man, he gambles all the time
He throw the dice so in vain until he like to lose his mind
Hmmm, give me Georgia Skin
Hmmm, give me Georgia Skin
Because the women's can play, well, so as the men
(spoken:
Georgia Skin is the best game that I know
Georgia Skin is the game that I bet all of my money)
In Memphis Minnie's song Georgia Skin, she discusses her love for the game of gambling known as Georgia Skin. The main reason she enjoys it is because even when you lose, there's always a chance to win it all back again. Despite the risks involved, Minnie advises her listeners to be cautious with their money and mindset, as even the most seasoned gamblers can fall on hard luck.
She also talks about a man who gambles excessively and recklessly, showing how gambling addiction can be destructive. However, she notes that Georgia Skin is a game enjoyed by both men and women, further emphasizing the inclusivity of gambling in society. But, as she says in the spoken word interlude, Georgia Skin is the game she bets all of her money on, indicating that even she is not immune to the addictive nature of gambling.
Overall, Georgia Skin is a song that celebrates the thrill and excitement of gambling, while also warning of its potential dangers. Minnie recognizes the allure of the game while also cautioning her listeners to be mindful of their actions and decisions.
Line by Line Meaning
The reason I like the game, the game they call Georgia Skin
I enjoy playing Georgia Skin, a popular gambling game.
Because when you fall, you can really take out again
Even if you lose in the game, you can have the chance to win again.
When you lose your money, please don't lose your mind
Don't let losing money in the game affect your mental state.
Because each and every gambler gets in hard luck sometime
Every gambler goes through a rough patch at some point.
I had a man, he gambles all the time
I had a partner who was always gambling.
He throw the dice so in vain until he like to lose his mind
He kept rolling the dice without any success until he was almost crazy with frustration.
Hmmm, give me Georgia Skin
I want to play Georgia Skin again.
Because the women's can play, well, so as the men
Women and men are equally good at playing this game.
Georgia Skin is the best game that I know
In my opinion, Georgia Skin is the best gambling game.
Georgia Skin is the game that I bet all of my money
I am very confident in my ability to win at Georgia Skin and am willing to bet all my money on it.
Contributed by Sophia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.