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Charley Patton
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Charley Patton

One of the most important of the early discoveries was Charley Patton. Born in 1891 near Bolton, Mississippi as the son of a fairly successful Delta farmer, Patton was a part-time preacher and full-time musician, traveling throughout the Delta and later the Midwest playing his music. During his two decades of playing the blues, Patton traveled as far north as Chicago and St. Louis, as far east as Georgia, and everywhere in Mississippi. He made lots of money, married eight times, had scores more girlfriends, and died early at 43 due to a chronic heart condition. He bequeathed a legacy of over fifty recordings, made between 1929 and 1934, including spirituals, folk songs, ragtime, and popular song. This was not unusual for blues singers, and in fact it appears as if it were the norm. Most blues singers played a number of instruments and had repertoires far beyond the blues.

For example, besides being a great vocalist, Lonnie Johnson was an outstanding guitarist, fiddler, and pianist, and one of the blues great Robert Johnson's most popular songs was a rendition of the popular ballad My Blue Heaven (a surviving songlist from blues great Memphis Minnie even included The Woody Woodpecker Song).

Patton's recordings were always spontaneous, and in fact he often gave spoken commentary on his songs. He sang about many personal experiences, such as being a witness to a murder in a roadhouse he once played, or a railroad strike in Chicago, and perhaps his most famous song, High Water Everywhere about the 1927 Mississippi River flood.

The back water done rolled, Lord, and tumbled, Lord, drove me down the line. The back water done rolled and tumbled, drove poor Charley down the line.

Lord, I'll tell the world the water done struck Drew's town. Lord, the whole round country, Lord, creek water is overflowed. Lord, the whole round country, man, is overflowed. [Spoken] You know, I can't stay here. I'm bound to go where its high, boy.

I would go to the hill country, but they got me barred. Now looky here now, in Leland, Lord river is rising. Looky here, boys around Leland tell me river is raging high. [Spoken] Boy, it's rising over there. Yeah. I'm going over to Greenville. Bought our tickets good-bye.

Looky here, the water dug out, Lordy, levee broke, rolled most everywhere. The water at Greenville and Leland, Lord, it done rose everywhere. [Spoken] Boy, you can't never stay here. I would go down to Rosedale, but they tell me there's water there. Back water at Blytheville, backed up all around. Back water at Blytheville, done struck Joiner town It was fifty families and children. Tough luck, they drown. The water was rising up in my friend's door. The water was rising up in my friend's door. The man said to his womenfolk, "Lord we'd better go." Oooh, Lordy, women is groaning down. Oooh, women and children sinking down. [Spoken] Lord, have mercy I couldn't see nobody home, and was no one to be found.

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