Charley Patton

Charley Patton

Charlie Patton, better known as Charley Patton (May 1, 1891 - April 28, 1934) is best known as an American Delta blues musician. He is considered by many to be the "Father of Delta Blues" and therefore one of the oldest known figures of American popular music. He is credited with creating an enduring body of American music and personally inspiring just about every Delta blues man (Robert Palmer, 1995). Palmer considers him among the most important musicians that America produced in the twentieth century. Many sources, including some musical releases and even his gravestone, spell his name “Charley” even though the musician himself spelled his name “Charlie”.

Charlie Patton was one of the first mainstream stars of the Delta blues genre. Patton, who was born in Hinds County, Mississippi near Edwards, lived most of his life in Sunflower County, in the Mississippi Delta. Most sources say he was born in 1891, but there is still some debate about this. In 1900, however, his family moved 100 miles north to the legendary 10,000-acre Dockery Plantation sawmill and cotton farm near Ruleville, Mississippi. It was here that both John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf fell under the Patton spell. It was also here that Robert Johnson played his first guitar.

At Dockery, Charlie fell under the tutelage of Henry Sloan, who had a new, unusual style of playing music which today would be considered very early blues. Charlie followed Henry Sloan around and by the time he was about 19 he was an accomplished performer and composer, having already written "Pony Blues" - a song that would become iconic of the era.

He was extremely popular across the Southern United States, and - in contrast to the itinerant wandering of most blues musicians of his time - was invited to perform at plantations and taverns. Long before Jimi Hendrix impressed audiences with stylish guitar playing, Patton gained notoriety for his showmanship, often playing guitar on his knees, behind his head, and behind his back. Although Patton was a small man at about 5 foot 5 and 135 pounds, the sound of his whiskey- and cigarette-scarred voice was rumored to have carried for over 500 yards without amplification. This gritty voice was a major influence in the singing style of one of his students, Howlin' Wolf.

Patton settled in Holly Ridge, Mississippi with his common-law wife and recording partner Bertha Lee in 1933. He died on the Heathman-Dedham plantation near Indianola from heart disease on April 28, 1934 and is buried in Holly Ridge (both towns are located in Sunflower County). A memorial headstone was erected on Patton's grave (the location of which was identified by the cemetery caretaker C. Howard who claimed to have been present at the burial) paid for by musician John Fogerty through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund in July, 1990. The spelling of Patton's name was dictated by Jim O'Neal who also composed the Patton epitaph.

There apparently exists only one photograph of Charlie Patton, although its authenticity is disputed. Rights to it are owned by a collector named John Tefteller.

The question of Patton's ethnicity is of minor debate. Though he was most likely African-American, because of his light complexion there have been rumors that he was Mexican, full-blood Cherokee (Howlin' Wolf endorsed this theory) or some other race.

Charlie Patton Time Line

1891						Charlie Patton born in Hinds County, Mississippi near Edwards or Bolton.
1895			(Age 4)			The Patton family moves near Edwards Depot.
1900			(Age 9)			The Patton family moves to the Dockery Plantation in Sunflower County, Mississippi, where Charlie would meet Henry Sloan.
1905-1907			(Ages 14-16)			Gets guitar lessons from Earl Harris of Cleveland, and learns "You Take My Woman" and "Maggie."
1908			(Age 17)			Lives with Millie Barnes, and has a baby girl named Willie Mae.
1910			(Age 19)			Writes songs including "Pony Blues," "Banty Rooster Blues," "Mississippi BoWeavil," and "Down The Dirt Road."
1916			(Age 25)			Offered a position in W.C. Handy's band.
1922			(Age 31)			Marries Mandy France on Oss Pepper's plantation.
1926			(Age 35)			Willie Brown becomes his duet partner.
1929			(Age 38)			Records fourteen titles for Paramount Records at Richmond, Indiana.
1929			(Age 38)			In July, Paramount releases "Pony Blues," Patton's first issued recording, which sells well.
1929			(Age 38)			Records again for Paramount, this time in Grafton, Wisconsin, with Henry "Son" Sims on fiddle.
1930			(Age 39)			Third Paramount recording session, again in Grafton, Wisconsin, and accompanied by Son House and Willie Brown on guitar, and Louise Johnson on piano.
1932			(Age 41)			Final Paramount recording is released.
1932			(Age 41)			Marries Bertha Lee, an overseer's daughter, in Morgan City, Mississippi.
1933			(Age 42)			Almost killed when his throat is slit near Holly Ridge, Mississippi.
1934			(Age 43)			Records twenty-six titles, including "Oh Death," for the American Recording Company in New York City between January 30th and February 1st.
1934			(Age 43)			Dies of heart failure on the Heathman-Dedham plantation in Mississippi.

Discography

Original 78's (in chronological order)

Title	Catalogue No.	Release Date	Notes
Paramount
Pony Blues/Banty Rooster Blues	Paramount 12792	July 1929
Prayer Of Death Pt.1/Prayer Of Death Pt. 2	Paramount 12799		pseudonym as Elder J. Hadley
Screamin' And Hollerin' The Blues/Mississippi Bo Weavil Blues	Paramount 12805		pseudonym as The Masked Marvel
Down The Dirt Road Blues/It Won't Be Long	Paramount 12854
A Spoonful Blues/Shake It And Break It But Don't Let It Fall Mama	Paramount 12869
Pea Vine Blues/Tom Rushen Blues	Paramount 12877
Lord I'm Discouraged/I'm Going Home	Paramount 12883
High Water Everywhere Pt. 1/High Water Everywhere Pt. 2	Paramount 12909	April 1930
Rattlesnake Blues/Running Wild Blues	Paramount 12924
Magnolia Blues/Mean Black Cat Blues	Paramount 12943	July 1930
Mean Black Moan/Heart Like Railroad Steel	Paramount 12953	August 1930
Green River Blues/Elder Greene Blues	Paramount 12972	September 1930
Jesus Is A Dying-Bed Maker/I Shall Not Be Moved	Paramount 12986	October 1930
Hammer Blues/When Your Way Gets Dark	Paramount 12988	November 1930
Moon Going Down/Going To Move To Alabama	Paramount 13014	December 1930
Some Happy Day/You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die	Paramount 13031
Circle Round The Moon/Devil Sent The Rain Blues	Paramount 13040	End 1930 / Beginning of 1931
Dry Well Blues/Bird Nest Bound	Paramount 13070	Spring 1931
Some Summer Day Pt. 1/Jim Lee Blues Pt. 1	Paramount 13080	Spring / Summer 1931
Frankie And Albert/Some These Days I'll Be Gone	Paramount 13110	Beginning 1932
Joe Kirby/Jim Lee Blues Pt. 2	Paramount 13133	Beginning 1932
Vocalion
34 Blues/Poor Me	Vocalion 02651
High Sheriff Blues/Stone Pony Blues	Vocalion 02680	15th April 1934
Love My Stuff/Jersey Bull Blues	Vocalion 02782	1st September 1934
Oh Death/Troubled 'Bout My Mother	Vocalion 02904		With Bertha Lee
Hang It On The Wall/Revenue Wall Blues	Vocalion 02931	15th April 1935

Edition

• Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton, Revenant Records No. 212, 2001, (Complete recordings on seven CDs including all alternate takes, all recordings of other artists with Patton as company and two books on Patton beside many other features.)

Songs Ogg Vorbis

34 Blues	A Spoonful Blues
Banty Rooster Blues	Bird Nest Bound
Down the Dirt Road Blues	Dry Well Blues
Elder Green Blues	Going to Move to Alabama
Green River Blues	Hammer Blues
High Water Everywhere Part I	High Water Everywhere Part II
High Sherriff Blues	It Won't Be Long
Mississippi Bo Weavil Blues	Moon Going Down
Pony Blues	Poor Me
Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues	Shake It and Break It
Some These Days I'll Be Gone	Stone Pony Blues
Tom Rushen Blues	When Your Way Gets Dark

Trivia and Tributes

• Bob Dylan dedicated his song "High Water (for Charley Patton)" on his 2001 album "Love and Theft" to Charlie Patton.
• French singer/song writer Francis Cabrel refers to Charley Patton in the song "Cent Ans de Plus" on the 1999 album "Hors-Saison". Cabrel cites the artist as one of a number of blues influences, including Son House, Blind Lemon, Robert Johnson (musician), Howlin' Wolf, Blind Blake, Willie Dixon and Ma Rainey.
• Indie Rock band, Gomez, recorded a song on their 2006 release How We Operate entitled "Charley Patton Songs".
• There is a picture of Charlie Patton in the recording studio for The White Stripes' Icky Thump album. It can be seen in the background of the short demo video on their web site.
• Jule Brown [1] recorded an updated arrangement of Patton's "Green River Blues" on their 2006 release Smoke and Mirrors.

Notes

References

• Calt, Stephen & Wardlow, Gayle (1988). King of the Delta Blues, The Life and Music of Charlie Patton. ISBN 0-9618610-0-2.
• Robert Palmer (1995). Deep Blues. ISBN 0-14-006223-8.

External links

• History of Charley Patton recording on Paramount Records
• Charlie Patton by R. Crumb
• Charley Patton Biography (Allmusic.com)
• Southern Music Network -- Charlie Patton
• The bluesman -- Charlie Patton (by Cub Koda)
• Charley Patton Biography (MP3.com)
• Charley Patton - Delta Blues
• Charley Patton Profile
• Songs by and featuring Charley Patton on The Internet Archive
• 1980 Induction into Blues Foundation Hall of Fame