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.
My Butcher Man
Memphis Minnie Lyrics
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I've been looking for him all day long!
Butcher man, butcher man, where have you been so long?
Butcher man, butcher man, where have you been so long?
I can't catch you at the butcher shop and you're so hard to find at home
I'm going to tell everybody I've got the best butcher man in town
I'm going to tell everybody I've got the best butcher man in town
He can slice your ham, he can cut it from the fat on down
He slice my pork chops and he grinds my sausage, too
He slice my pork chops and he grinds my sausage, too
Ain't nothing in the line of butcherin' that my butcher man can't do
Butcher man, in the morning, won't you please stop by my house
Butcher man, in the morning, won't you please stop by my house
I've got enough butcherin' for you to do if you promise me you just only hush your mouth?
Butcher man, butcher man, I got a ham I cannot slice
Butcher man, butcher man, I got a ham I cannot slice
If you can't stop in the morning, please stop by tomorrow night
If anybody asks you, ""Butcher man, where have you been?""
If anybody asks you, ""Butcher man, where have you been?""
Show 'em that long-bladed knife, tell 'em you been butchering out in the slaughter pens
Let's go, butcher man, for me
The song "My Butcher Man" by Memphis Minnie tells the story of a woman who is searching for her beloved butcher man. She expresses her frustration at not being able to locate him at the butcher shop or at home. Despite this, she raves about his skills, boasting that she has the "best butcher man in town." She highlights his ability to slice pork chops, grind sausage, and handle any aspect of butchering. The woman pleads with her butcher man to come to her house and help her with her ham, emphasizing her need for him to keep their relationship discreet.
This song reflects the strong ties that many African Americans had to food and cooking during the early 20th century. The butcher was often an important member of the community, as he provided fresh meat for families who could not afford to buy it at a store. The song also depicts a woman who takes pride in having access to quality food and being able to cook for her family. The woman's attraction to her butcher man goes beyond his physical appearance, highlighting his usefulness in providing her with the means to showcase her culinary skills.
Line by Line Meaning
Wonder where is my butcher man now?
I wonder where my butcher man is, as I have been looking for him all day long.
Butcher man, butcher man, where have you been so long?
Butcher man, where have you been? I can't find you at the butcher shop or at home.
I'm going to tell everybody I've got the best butcher man in town
I am going to let everyone know that I have the best butcher man in the town.
He can slice your ham, he can cut it from the fat on down
He can slice your ham and cut it precisely from the fatty part to the bottom.
He slice my pork chops and he grinds my sausage, too
He not only slices my pork chops but also grinds the sausage for me.
Ain't nothing in the line of butcherin' that my butcher man can't do
My butcher man can do anything related to butchering, and there is nothing he can't do.
Butcher man, in the morning, won't you please stop by my house
Butcher man, please stop by my house tomorrow morning.
I've got enough butcherin' for you to do if you promise me you just only hush your mouth?
I have a lot of meat to be butchered, but please promise to keep quiet about it.
Butcher man, butcher man, I got a ham I cannot slice
Butcher man, I have a ham that I can't slice.
If you can't stop in the morning, please stop by tomorrow night
If you can't make it in the morning, please come tomorrow night.
If anybody asks you, "Butcher man, where have you been?"
If anyone asks you about your whereabouts, butcher man.
Show 'em that long-bladed knife, tell 'em you been butchering out in the slaughter pens
Show them the long-bladed knife and tell them that you have been busy butchering in the slaughter pens.
Let's go, butcher man, for me
Come on, butcher man, let's get started with the butchering.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: LAWLERS, MINNIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind