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.
Memphis Minnie-Jitis Blues
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
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You don't have to worry about cookin', go to North Memphis cafe and eat
I tell all you people, you can rest in ease
Because the North Memphis cafe got everything that you really need
I don't buy no wood, even buy no coal
I go to North Memphis cafe and eat and don't be outdoors
I tell all you people, you can rest in ease
You don't have to worry about cookin', go to North Memphis cafe and eat
I wan' tell y'all somethin', I don't change like the wind
If you go to North Memphis cafe eat you go back again
I tell all you people, you can rest in ease
Because the North Memphis cafe got everything that you really need
Now listen to me good people, I don't even make you mad
You go to North Memphis cafe and get somethin' you never had
I tell all you people, you can rest in ease
Because the North Memphis cafe got everything that you really need
The lyrics of Memphis Minnie's song "North Memphis Blues" revolve around the North Memphis Cafe, portraying it as the one-stop place for all the community's needs. The song begins with the artist telling people that they can rest assured and not worry about cooking because the North Memphis Cafe has everything they need. The repetition of the line, "I tell all you people, you can rest in ease" establishes a sense of comfort, implying that the cafe is a reliable and trustworthy establishment. Memphis Minnie then goes on to emphasize her point by stating that she doesn't buy wood or coal for cooking, but instead goes to the North Memphis Cafe.
The lyrics of the song continue with Memphis Minnie persuading her listeners to go to the North Memphis Cafe, insisting that visiting the cafe is an experience in itself. She states that the cafe has everything you really need and that if you go there once, you will go back again. Her passion and conviction in the lyrics are evident in the repetition of "I tell all you people," which conveys her urgency in convincing her listeners to visit the North Memphis Cafe. The final lines of the song, "You go to North Memphis cafe and get something you never had/Because the North Memphis cafe got everything that you really need," further cement the idea that the cafe is a haven for the community, providing them with a sense of belonging and comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
I tell all you people, you can rest in ease
Minnie assures the listeners that they can relax and relieve their worries
You don't have to worry about cookin', go to North Memphis cafe and eat
She suggests that instead of cooking, one can simply dine at North Memphis cafe
Because the North Memphis cafe got everything that you really need
Minnie emphasizes that the cafe has everything one could possibly desire
I don't buy no wood, even buy no coal
Minnie explains that she doesn't go through the trouble of firewood or coal for cooking
I go to North Memphis cafe and eat and don't be outdoors
Instead of spending time outdoors or shopping for food, Minnie chooses to dine at the cafe
I wan' tell y'all somethin', I don't change like the wind
Minnie asserts that she is consistent and reliable, unlike the ever-changing wind
If you go to North Memphis cafe eat you go back again
She believes that one will always return to the cafe after experiencing its food
Now listen to me good people, I don't even make you mad
Minnie wants the listeners to listen carefully as she promises not to anger them
You go to North Memphis cafe and get somethin' you never had
She encourages listeners to visit the cafe and try something new
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLIE MCCOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind