| Memphis Minnie | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lizzie Douglas |
| Born | June 3, 1897 |
| Origin | Algiers, Louisiana, USA |
| Died | August 6, 1973 (aged 76) Memphis, Tennessee, USA |
| Genre(s) | Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, Vocalist, Composer |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1920s – 1950s |
| Label(s) | Okeh, Columbia, Vocalion, Decca, Bluebird |
Memphis Minnie McCoy-Lawler (born Lizzie Douglas, June 3, 1897 in Algiers, Louisiana; died August 6, 1973 in Memphis, Tennessee) was an American Blues guitarist, vocalist, and composer. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Algiers is a community within the city of New Orleans. It is the portion of Orleans Parish Louisiana on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Okeh Records began as an Independent record label based in the United States of America in Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Vocalion Records was a Record label historically active in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Algiers is a community within the city of New Orleans. It is the portion of Orleans Parish Louisiana on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance
Contents |
Career
Born Lizzie Douglas in Algiers, Louisiana, Minnie was one of the most influential and pioneering female blues musicians and guitarists of all time. Algiers is a community within the city of New Orleans. It is the portion of Orleans Parish Louisiana on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres She recorded for forty years, almost unheard of for any woman in show business at the time, and possibly unique among female blues artists. A flamboyant character who wore bracelets made of silver dollars, she was the biggest female blues singer from the early Depression years through World War II. bracelet is an article of Jewelry which is worn around the Wrist. Dollar coins have been minted in the United States in Gold, Silver, and Base metal versions World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including One of the first blues artists to take up the electric guitar, in 1942, she combined her Louisiana-country roots with Memphis-blues to produce her unique country-blues sound; along with Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red, she took country blues into electric urban blues, paving the highway for giants like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Little Walter and Jimmy Rogers to travel from the small towns of the south to the big cities of the north. An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Big Bill Broonzy ( 26 June 1898 &ndash 14 August 1958) was a prolific American Blues Singer, songwriter Tampa Red ( January 8 1904 - March 19 1981) born Hudson Woodbridge but known from childhood as Hudson Whittaker, was an influential For the album by Redman, see Muddy Waters (album. For the college football coach see Muddy Waters (football coach. Bo Diddley ( December 30 1928 &ndash June 2 2008, born Ellas Otha Bates) was an original and influential American For the radio personality see Little Walter DeVenne. Little Walter (born Marion Walter Jacobs in Marksville LA and raised For other uses see James Rogers (disambiguation. Jimmy Rogers ( 3 June 1924 &ndash 19 December She was married three times, and each husband was an accomplished blues guitarist: Kansas Joe McCoy (a. Kansas Joe McCoy ( May 11 1905 – January 28 1950) was an African American Blues Musician and Songwriter k. a. "Kansas Joe") later of the Harlem Hamfats, Casey Bill Weldon of the Memphis Jug Band, and Ernest "Little Son Joe" Lawlers. The Harlem Hamfats was a Chicago Jazz band formed in 1936 Initially they mainly provided backup music for jazz and Blues singers such as Johnny Casey Bill Weldon (July 10 1909&ndash196? was an African-American Blues Musician who lived and worked in Chicago, best known for his his The Memphis Jug Band was an American musical group in the late 1920s and early to mid 1930s Ernest "Little Son Joe" Lawlers ( May 18 1900 in Hughes Arkansas – November 14 1961 in Memphis Tennessee [1]
After learning to play guitar and banjo as a child, at the age of thirteen she ran away from home to Memphis, Tennessee, playing guitar in nightclubs and on the street as Lizzie "Kid" Douglas. Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The next year, she joined the Ringling Brothers circus. The Ringling Brothers Circus was a Circus founded in the United States in 1884 Her second marriage and recording debut came in 1929, both with Kansas Joe McCoy, when a Columbia Records talent scout heard them playing in a Beale Street barbershop in their distinctive "Memphis style", and their song "Bumble Bee" became a hit. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company "Talent scout" redirects here For talent scouting in the music industry see A&R Professional sports scouts are trained talent Beale Street is a street in downtown Memphis Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street a distance of approximately. [2] In the 1930s she moved to Chicago, Illinois with Joe. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. She and McCoy broke up in 1935 and by 1939 she was with Little Son Joe Lawlers, with whom she recorded nearly 200 records. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the 1940s she formed a touring Vaudeville company. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s From the 1950s on, however, public interest in her music declined and in 1957, she and Lawlers returned to Memphis, Lawlers died in 1961. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [3]
Death
After her health began to fail in the mid-'50s, Minnie returned to Memphis and retired from performing and recording. She spent her twilight years in a nursing home, where she died of a stroke in 1973. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. [4] She is buried at the New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery in Walls, DeSoto County, Mississippi. Walls, is a town located in northwest DeSoto County Mississippi near the Mississippi River, part of the larger region DeSoto County is a County located in the US state of Mississippi.
Headstone markers: Lizzie "Kid" Douglas Lawlers aka Memphis Minnie
- "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. "[5]
Selective discography
| Year | Title | Genre | Label | Songs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Pickin' the Blues w/Kansas Joe Mccoy | Blues | Culture Press | "Bumble Bee", "When The Levee Breaks", "Joe Louis Strut", "Crazy Cryin' Blues", "Picking The Blues", "Ma Rainey", and more | |
| 1997 | Me & My Chauffeur 1935-1946 w/Little Son Joe | Blues | Epm Musique | "Hoodoo Lady", "Hot Stuff", "My And My Chauffeur Blues", "My Baby Don't Want Me No More", and more |
Legacy
Memphis Minnie lived to see her reputation revive in the 1960s as part of the general revival of interest in the blues. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 In 1980, she was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation headquartered in Memphis Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 135 Blues organizations [6]
Songs
"When the Levee Breaks", a 1929 Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy song,[7] was later covered (with slightly altered lyrics and a different melody) by Led Zeppelin and released in 1971 on their fourth album 
. " When the Levee Breaks " is a Blues song written and first recorded by husband and wife Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929 Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Kansas Joe McCoy ( May 11 1905 – January 28 1950) was an African American Blues Musician and Songwriter Led Zeppelin were Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. The same song was used by Bob Dylan for his song "The Levee's Gonna Break", on the 2006 album Modern Times. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Modern Times is Bob Dylan 's 32nd Studio album, released on August 29, 2006 by Sony BMG.
Other songs by Memphis Minnie include: "Bumble Bee Blues", "Hoodoo Lady", "I'm Gonna Bake My Biscuit" and "I Want Something For You". A 1948 song Shout the Boogie contained the line "cool as a fool from Liverpool"
References
- ^ Memphis Minnie. allmusic. Retrieved on 2007-07-31. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently
- ^ Garon, Paul. Woman With Guitar: Memphis Minnie's Blues, Da Capo Press, page 25, (1992) - ISBN 0306804603
- ^ Memphis Minnie. cr. nps. gov. Retrieved on 2006-10-23. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC -
- ^ Santelli, Robert. The Big Book of Blues, Penguin Books, page 335, (2001) - ISBN 0141001453
- ^ Find a Grave: Memphis Minnie
- ^ 1980 Hall of Fame Inductees. The Blues Foundation. Retrieved on 2006-10-23. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC -
- ^ Marvin, Elizabeth West. Concert Music, Rock, and Jazz Since 1945: Essays and Analytical Studies, Boydell & Brewer, page 330, (1995) - ISBN 1580460968
External links
- Listen to "When the Levee Breaks" at the "Internet Archive" (archive.org)
- Delta Blues Bio and Samples of "Bumble Bee Blues" and "Soo Cow Soo"
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