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J“ you know some people say j“

j“ that the worried blues ain't bad j“

j“ yeah, some people say j“

j“ that the worried blues ain't bad j“

j“ but they're the worst old feelin' j“

j“ any man ever had j“

Robert Palmer: My name is Robert Palmer,

and I'm from Arkansas... That's blues country.

I worked my way through school playing blues and jazz

in juke joints and roadhouses,

and in 1966, I was the founder of the Memphis blues festival.

For the next 20 years, I lived in New York City

where I wrote my book "deep blues"

and covered music for the New York times and rolling stone.

Then, about three years ago,

I decided to return to the south.

I was living in olive branch, Mississippi,

just across the state line from Memphis,

when Dave Stewart of eurythmics

and the spiritual cowboys got in touch with me.

Stewart said he wanted to pay tribute

to the Mississippi blues that had inspired him

when he was first learning to play the guitar.

He asked me to help him locate and record

some of Mississippi's best blues artists

and took time off from a concert tour

to meet me in Memphis and work out the details.

J“ yeah, blues and trouble j“

j“ they walk hand in hand j“

Palmer: We met on beale street,

where Mississippi blues musicians

have been congregating since the early 1900s.

Palmer: So, this is really kind of a dream project for me,

because I don't feel like most of these musicians

have been recorded right since the '505

and early '60s, you know?

Yeah, I understand what you mean,

because the whole recording industry went through

a kind of polishing process where it was a race

to see who could make like the perfect recording,

and the essence of a lot of fantastic music

got lost amongst all of that.

Great. Well, shall we have a look around,

- and you show me some of the places... - Palmer: Yeah.

This used to be a real neighborhood,

when I first came here in 1965.

There were blues singers living

just around the corner off beale, and furry Lewis,

who was one of the great blues singers here,

was actually a street sweeper here on beale for like 30 years.

The city considered it an eyesore and came in and bulldozed it

and just left desolation for a number of years,

until they finally built this sort of stage,

set, 19th century mall type thing

that doesn't look anything like beale street used to look like.

You know, every little store, and barber shop,

and so forth, was very individual.

But there was one guy... One store owner on the street...

Who refused to sell out, and they tore down everything

around his store for blocks.

It's a dry goods store,

but it's the only dry goods store I've ever seen

that has a very large voodoo section.

And it's a very well -patronized voodoo section.

Voodoo's like a kind of... High John the conqueror roots...

Which are dried roots and voodoo charms...

Incense, candles, all sorts of magical paraphernalia.

Right. Let's have a look at that stuff.

Yeah.

A. Schwab: That's the high John the conqueror root.

Robert Palmer: And what about a mojo hand?

Schwab: Mojo hand?

Well, what is a high John the conqueror root?

I don't know what the plant. I don't know that.

But they carry this with them,

and it gives you the power to overcome something.

- You can conquer something. - Oh, I see.

It's high John the conqueror root.

And this is a mojo hand here.

This is a bag, and in that bag

are a little piece of lode-stone,

a little piece of John the conqueror root.

Was this place thronged with people trying to buy blues records?

Schwab: Yeah, right where we're standing right now,

there's about eight foot across these steps right beside us.

And this would be packed with people standing here,

buying records and also just listening to records.

The records were 35 cents... Three for a dollar...

And a person would just stand there listenin'

until he'd get three records that he liked,

and then he'd pay for them and leave.

The crowd would get so big here

that you couldn't get down the steps.

So, we don't want to make anybody mad,

'cause these were all customers.

So, to get them away from here...

Open this up a little bit... We'd put on a spiritual record.

There ain't nothing worse, when you're listening to the blues,

- than to play a spiritual record. - Both: Mm-hmm.

And this would thin the crowd out.

We'd tell all the buying customers, "just wait a minute."

And as soon as everybody leaves,

we'd go back to playing the blues.

These people that are buying the blues records

are also users of the mojo or candles and incense...

This is part of their lifestyle. That brings luck to you.

The musician... He's usually down on his luck.

Very few of 'em are up. They, most of them, got problems.

And so, they use the different forms of the mojo.

Basically, the use of this is not evil.

It is good or to help yourself...

To promoting yourself in some way, either through gambling, or luck,

or good fortune in business.

And a musician... His business is music.

And so, that's when "he's got his mojo workin'" means

he's putting all the power he can get behind his problem, or whatever it is.

And blues is usually problems,

and you have to solve it with singing about it

or using that mojo... Which means voodoo... on it.

Stewart: He's got his "mojo working, but it just won't work on you."

- So, there's his problem already. - Schwab: That's right.

Schwab: And he has to come up with something else.

Yeah.

- Appreciate havin' you all in. - Palmer: Glad to meet you.

- Have a good day. - Palmer: All right.

- Palmer: Okay, you, too. - Stewart: Okay, thanks.

Palmer: The first artist that we found

to do is this gentleman here.

This man's an encyclopedia of blues piano

from all over this whole area.

Palmer: Booker t. Laury, Dave Stewart.

Booker t. Laury: Nice to have met you, Mr. Stewart.

- Nice to meet you. - It's been a pleasure.

J“ woman I love j“

j“ lives in Memphis, Tennessee j“

J“ woman I love j“

j“ lives in Memphis, Tennessee j“

J“ she buys me these long, tail shoes j“

j“ she sure is good to me j“

J“ little girl, she works j“

j“ down at... j“

j“ little girl, work everyday j“

j“ down at... j“

J“ lord, we go out Saturday and Sunday j“

j“ and have a good time j“

j“ Monday mornin' she rise and shine j“

this is north Mississippi hill country

up in here, and there were never big plantations here

at any time... it's always been

small farms... A lot of 'em black-owned,

a lot of counties almost entirely black.

And the music up here hasn't changed as much as the music in the delta.

It's really stayed very much the same for generation after generation.

And there's whole families of music makers here

that go back three, four generations.

This is r.L. Burnside's house up here.

R.I. Used to run his own juke joint down in cold water, Mississippi,

which is not too far from here. And he plays a real,

real hard north Mississippi style,

which is quite different from the delta.

Palmer: How you doin'?

- Fine. How ya doin'? - Good, man.

This is Dave Stewart. This is r.L. Burnside.

- Nice to meet you. - You as well.

I'm looking foward to hearing you play.

Gonna be a little "jumper on the line."

J“ see my jumper, lord hangin' out on the line j“

J“ see my jumper, lord hangin' out on the line j“

J“ know that there's somethin' on my mind j“

J“ well, now, wouldn't have been your baby, lord j“

j“ if it hadn't have been for you j“

J“ wouldn't have now been your baby, lord j“

j“ if it hadn't have been for you j“

J“ way down here way you wanna do j“

J“ fix my supper, baby j“

j“ lord, let me go to bed j“

J“ fix my supper, baby j“

j“ lord, let me go to bed j“

J“ this white lightnin' done gone to my head j“

J“ this white lightnin' done gone to my head j“

What was that tuning for "long haired doney"?

It seemed different tuning on that.

Yeah, you have to kind of change the tunin' on the guitar.

What's this one?

Yeah.

Burnside: Just keep goin' with what you're doing now.

I'm gonna play one there.

J“ well, wanna see my long-haired j“

J“ well, I wanna see my longhairj'

J“ well, I'm gonna tell her about my troubles j“

what's that?

You've got it now.

J“ well, I'm gonna get up early in a j“

You're doing it right.

J“ well, I'm gonna get up early in a j“

J“ well, I'm gonna see my long-haired done y j“

you're doin' great.

All right, ahnghfl

Palmer: Blues, as we know it, is a 20th century creation,

but it incorporates a number of earlier styles.

Here, in north Mississippi,

fife and drum music provided a rhythmic foundation

for the developing local blues idioms.

You can still hear fife and drum music in these parts,

especially in the summer at country fish fries and picnics.

You play that music at picnics still?

Yeah, we still play at picnics,

and we play at Greenville at the blues festival,

hot Springs blues festival.

And we go everywhere playing,

west Berlin, overseas, playing drums.

How far does that music go back in your family?

Oh, it goes back to the fifth or sixth generation

back there, way before I was started.

- Mm-hmm. - Yeah.

My granddaddy, and his daddy, and his daddy all played music...

Drums, and, uh, violins...

You know, all kinds of instruments.

Was sid hemphill youn"?

- Granddaddy. Yeah. - Granddaddy, okay.

He was recorded for the library of congress

in 1942, playing some of that music.

But you know, when I hear that music,

I hear all kinds of blues

- in that rhythm, you know? - Yeah.

That rhythm is real basic to the blues,

and they've been playing that music longer than blues.

Longer than the blues, I think so.

A lot longer than blues, yeah.

- Yeah. - And that fife is just like,

that's like he's singing.

That's like, you know, that's like some blues singin'

or some field holler singin' with, you know, transfers of fife.

When he's doing the calling thing...

J“ da-da-da-da da-da-da-da j“

you wanna hear me put the blues down?

- Both: Yeah. - I can put 'em down now.

I can put 'em down. I can put 'em down.

I can make you put on your walkin' shoes...

Your blues, and put on your walkin' shoes.

- Let's go. - All right.

Thank you!

J“ I said you can talk about me j“

j“ you can say what you please j“

J“ you can talk about me j“

j“ you can say what you please j“

J“ nothin' that you say j“

j“ sure don't worry me j“

J“ you run around here lyin' and talkin' j“

j“ you ought to try to get a man like mine j“

J“ you run around here lyin' and talkin' j“

j“ you ought to try to get a man like mine j“

j“ that man of mine j“

j“ sure is nice and kind j“

J“ I don't care how far you go, babe j“

j“ I don't care how long you stay j“

j“ I don't care how far you go, babe j“

j“ I don't care how long you stay j“

J“ spend good time dreamin' j“

j“ bring you back home someday j“

J“ I said long time comin', baby j“

j“ but you're sure welcome home j“

j“ you's a long time comin', baby j“

j“ but you're sure welcome home j“

J“ now that I know, babe j“

j“ I won't treat you wrong j“

J“ I said, good-bye, babe j“

j“ if I never see you no mo' j“

J“ I said, good-bye, babyj'

j“ if I never see you no 'mo j“

J“ hope you think about me j“

j“ every place you go j“

J“ I say, I'm so happy j“

j“ trouble don't last always j“

J“ I say, I'm so happy, baby j“

j“ trouble don't last always j“

J“ I'll be looking baby, on you someday j“

J“ you can talk about me j“

j“ you can do what you please j“

J“ you can talk about me j“

j“ you can do what you please j“

J“ nothin' that you do j“

j“ sure don't worry me j“

J“ nothin' that you do j“

j“ sure don't worry me j“

yeah!

All right!

Palm er: Junior kimbrough and his friend Sam operate

a country juke joint near Holly Springs, Mississippi.

It's open Friday and Saturday nights,

and Sunday afternoons,

and attracts a lively crowd of regulars

who get together to eat barbecue, drink,

and dance to the blues. Junior was a formative influence

on local country and rockabilly singers like Charlie feathers,

and he's a highly-original singer and guitarist himself.

Yet, he's never made an album of his own.

If you want to hear his music, you have to go out jukin '.

J“ all night long j“

J“ junior, I heard you j“

j“ callin' my name j“

J“ junior, I love you j“

J“ junior, I love you j“

j“ I hope you love me j“

J“ all night long j“

j“ girl, I heard you j“

j“ callin' my name j“

j“ junior, I love you j“

j“ junior, I love you j“

j“ hope you love me j“

j“ yes, I'm gonna love ya j“

j“ yes, I'm gonna love ya j“

J“ girl, ineed you j“

j“ baby, ineed you right here, baby j“

j“ by my side j“

j“ baby, I need love j“

j“ baby I need love j“

j“ all night long j“

j“ yes, I'm gonna love ya j“

j“ yes, I'm gonna love ya j“

J“ girl, I heard you j“

j“ baby, I heard you calling my name j“

j“ junior, I love you j“

j“ junior, I love you j“

j“ hope you love me j“

j“ yes, I'm gonna love ya j“

J“ girl, I love you j“

j“ girl, I love you j“

j“ do you love me, girl? J“

j“ do you love me, babe? J“

j“ junior, I love you j“

j“ yes, I'm gonna love ya j“

j“ yes, I'm gonna love ya j“

J“ all night long j“

j“ girl, I heard you j“

j“ calling my name j“

j“ junior, I love you j“

j“ junior, I love you j“

j“ all night long j“

Robert, it's been a really amazing experience,

and you've been a mine of information.

I just hope that you can keep

the same amount of, well, the standard

of everything that you've been recording.

But I have to go, 'cause I'm in the middle of a tour.

It's been brilliant meeting you, and I'll meet up with you again

- when we go through all the tapes. - Palmer: Great.

- All right, see ya. - I'm looking foward to it.

Yeah, we'll keep it hot.

- Stewart: Okay, bye. - Palmer: Okay.

Palmer: Memo to Dave, too bad you had to leave

just when we were starting to cook,

but I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Right now, we're leaving the north Mississippi hill country

and driving south into the delta.

The pattern and pace of life in north Mississippi

don't seem to have changed very much in the last hundred years,

and the music there is steeped in tradition.

Spending time in those hills

can be like visiting another country, or another time.

In the delta, the landscape is flat as a table top.

The soil, deposited by the Mississippi river

during centuries of alternating drought and flood,

is rich and so dark it's almost jet black in places.

The land is divided into huge plantation tracts

of prime cotton country,

owned by a handful of wealthy families.

Fifty years ago, each plantation employed hundreds,

sometimes thousands of black laborers

who lived on the land they farmed.

Often, they were unwelcome in the nearby towns,

so they created their own weekend entertainment

on the plantations... In their cabins

or in the rooming houses provided

for single adults and transients.

Their music, delta blues,

evolved from the loosely structured,

rough-textured cotton field blues of the early 1900s

to the precise, virtuosic music of men

such as Robert Johnson and muddy waters

in the 1930s and '40s.

By the end of world war ii,

automated agriculture had replaced

many of the plantation workers,

and they migrated north in droves.

Those who stayed in the south

were as progressive musically

as their peers in Chicago and Detroit.

So, today's delta blues

is thoroughly modern electric music.

Still, there's a rural point of view in this music,

and an awareness of tradition

that differentiates today's delta blues

from the blues of the big cities.

We got to Greenville today...

The delta's biggest Mississippi river port...

Got to the motel, turned on the tap,

the water came out dark brown.

But there's a little card in the room,

on the desk, that may help to explain a lot

about the origins of the blues. It's kind ofjivey.

In fact, it's almost a blues song.

I'll read it to you.

J“ we at this hotel j“

j“ welcome our guests j“

j“ to delta hospitality j“

j“ you'll find at its best j“

j“ we know you are wondering why j“

j“ the water's so brown j“

j“ it's the muddy Mississippi j“

j“ that runs through our town j“

j“ you can drink our water j“

j“ and bathe without fear j“

j“ oh, yeah j“

j“ for no one lives longer j“

j“ than the folks around here j“

unless they go to the wrong juke joint

and get shot on Saturday night.

But at least we have one theory

about why so much blues came out of this area:

There's definitely something in the water.

Greenville's Nelson street has been notorious

for its danger, excitement, and street action

since the 1930s, when blues records

telling of the street began to appear.

Today, crack houses and other modern amenities

have sprung up alongside

Nelson street's traditional vice dens.

The blues and Nelson street are old friends.

The street's contemporary blues hot spot

is the playboy club, operated by, and featuring,

the performances of Greenville bluesman

Roosevelt "booba" Barnes.

We're here at booba Barnes's playboy club,

in the middle of a show, with booba Barnes...

The performer and owner of the club...

And frank self... who's the mayor

of Greenville, Mississippi, here where we are.

Booba, how long have you been playing?

How long have you had this place open?

This is my sixth year, goin' on my sixth year.

And were you dissatisfied

with the other places that you had to play,

or did you just more want your own club?

I just wanted my own club.

I used to help my friend,

bartender Perry Payton at the flowing fountain,

and I just decided to go and get me a club

and have my own live entertainment...

So I could play when I get ready, heh, keep in practice.

Mayor self, do you think that people 'round Greenville

generally are aware of the whole history

of Nelson street and the blues? 'Cause you know, there's been songs

about Nelson street coming out on records

since the 1920s and 19305,

and people all over Europe and england that know about it.

But I just wondered how many people here

are aware of what a rich source of music it's been.

The blues is the heart of the delta here

and Nelson street...

We're starting very busy to clean up Nelson street

and to put it as a tourist attraction.

- We sponsor, the blues festival here... - Mm-hmm.

Which booba's a very big part of, and a star.

And we appreciate booba here for what he's done for this city,

and for this Nelson street...

The area that he's set up here.

And I just want to say to you, booba...

We really appreciate you, and for what you're doing here.

- Thank you, mayor. - We really do.

Barn es: "Heart broken man..."

I know ya'll been heartbroken before.

So, I don't need 'em iaughin' at me.

J“ my baby done left me j“

j“ ain't it a shame j“

j“ my baby done left me j“

j“ you know that's a shame j“

j“ won't you hurry on home? J“

j“ yeah, yeah, babyj'

j“ I'm a heartbroken man j“

j“ I cried so hard j“

j“ I couldn't see a thing j“

j“ I cried so hard j“

j“ I couldn't see a thing j“

j“ won't you hurry on home? J“

j“ yeah, baby j“

j“ yeah, baby j“

j“ come on, baby j“

j“ uh, don't you know that I love you? J“

j“ I place no one above you j“

j“ need you j“

j“ I need you by my side j“

j“ I want you to kiss j“

j“ uh, keep me satisfied j“

j“ come on, baby j“

j“ yeah, baby j“

j“ yeah, baby j“

Now, look-a here.

J“ in my hometown j“

j“ where llive j“

j“ the name of the town j“

j“ they call it Greenville j“

j“ ain't no pity j“

j“ it ain't no shame j“

j“ my woman done left me j“

j“ and I'm a heartbroken man j“

j“ come on j“

j“ yeah, baby j“

j“ yeah, baby j“

j“ yeah, baby j“

j“ come on j“

J“ I wanna get married j“

I'm goin' crazy now, ya'll.

J“ I wanna get married today j“

j“ I might as well j“

j“ I might as well j“

j“ I might as well j“

j“ I don't love nobody no way j“

j“ I'm gonna get married j“

now, look-a here.

J“ the other day, I was walkin' down the street j“

j“ and I met a little old girl j“

j“ and I asked her to marry me j“

J“ she put her hand on her hip, she say j“

j“ "you must be a fool j“

j“ "you don't have no job j“

j“ what can you do for me?"J'

j“ I looked at her and laughed j“

rlsayj“

j“ I'll take you in my arms and hold you j“

j“ I'll take you in my arms and squeeze you j“

j“ I'll take you in my arms and love you every night j“

j“ I'll make everything all right, all right j“

j“ come on j“

j“ and baby, let me j“

j“ baby, let me j“

j“ love you, baby j“

j“ I 'ii wipe-a your tears away j“

j“ I 'ii wipe-a your tears away j“

j“ I 'ii wipe-a your tears away j“

j“ I 'ii wipe-a your tears away j“

j“ cry, baby j“

J“ come on j“

j“ yeah j“

j“ yeah, baby j“

j“ yeah, baby j“

j“ yeah, baby j“

j“ I'm a heartbroken man j“

Thank you.

Do you find any differences in the audiences,

like when you go to New York, to play in New York?

Do you find a difference in the way

that the audiences react, compared to here?

I used to say that, up until tonight.

There's not much difference, after I found out

what happened here tonight.

They applaud and everything else.

That's what they do up there.

I used to say that, really.

And I really didn't think they appreciated music

like they do away from home.

- Mm-hmm. - But they appreciate it here,

because they miss me when I be out of town.

They be missin' me then, see.

But they would always, would sit quiet.

They never applaud like I would expect for 'em to do

up until tonight, and they did.

And I appreciate that, too. I love 'em for it.

J“ gonna leave in the mornin' j“

j“ ain't goin' to worry about tomorrow j“

J“ I'm gonna leave in the mornin', ya 'ii j“

j“ ain't goin' to worry about tomorrow j“

J“ I'm gonna find me someone new j“

j“ and drown away all of my sorrow j“

J“ I know I've got a good little girl j“

j“ somehow she don't understand j“

J“ I know I've got a good little girl j“

j“ somehow she don't understand j“

J“ well, I heard her tell a friend j“

j“ that "booba" was one no-good man j“

I said I wasn't gonna do this no more.

J“ I'm goin' leave you j“

j“ and your cryin' won't make me stay j“

J“ I'm goin' leave you j“

j“ and your cryin' won't make me stay j“

J“ well, the more you cry for me j“

j“ the further you're gonna drive j“

j“ little ol' booba away j“

Palmer: Our second stop in the delta is clarksdale,

a town in coahoma county that a remarkable number

of blues heavyweights have called home.

In the town itself, Wade walton's barbershop

has long been a gathering place for blues musicians.

Walton, a guitarist and singer who made records

during the blues revival of the '60s,

has also been recorded playing

his barber's razor and leather strap

as a kind of percussion instrument.

His memory is a living repository

for the history of clarksdale blues.

Who are some of the people that you've given haircuts to

over the years... Some blues musicians, blues singers?

Wade walton: Well, there's been Sonny boy Williamson and, um...

Um, ike Turner.

And there's been...

Uh, howling wolf... I cut his hair.

There's been a fellow by the name of mantan moreland

- which has played in the movies. - Mm-hmm.

- Mantan moreland? - Sure.

I've cut his hair back...

About, um, 40 years ago.

Is there anybody in particular

that was hard to give a haircut and a shave to?

I mean, I heard Sonny boy

could be kind of crotchety sometimes.

I was just wondering.

Well, if he was deep in his liquor...

You know, in his liquor.

- He was a liquor lover. - Uh-huh...

Yeah, I played quite a bit with Sonny boy,

like tryin' to do a little guitar,

while he'd do the harp,

and I'd do the harp, and he'd do the guitar.

Sonny boy could play some guitar, too.

- Could he really? - Yeah.

J“ won't you rock me, baby j“

j“ rock me all night long j“

J“ want you to rock me, baby j“

j“ rock me all night long j“

J“ I want you to rock me j“

j“ like my back ain't got no bone j“

Palmer: Well, this is ajukejoint

in clarksdale, Mississippi.

The word juke came to america from west Africa,

where it was a word meaning "to have a good time."

And first, it got attached

to juke joints orjuke houses,

and then it got attached to juke boxes

and passed into general American slang.

Down in this part of the country,

a juke joint is just a place

where people go to have a good time,

and it's associated with the blues.

It could be live music... It could have a juke box in it.

This particular place, smitty's red top lounge...

Jack Johnson and Sam carr and frank frost

played here every weekend for about 10 years.

In clarksdale, they call him big Jack Johnson.

Out in the country,

his deliveries of heating oil

to out-of-the-way locations

inspired his nickname...

The oil man.

Jack's music is as raw

and powerful as howling wolf in his prime.

But Jack utterly transforms

the familiar themes and devices he employs,

charging them with the energy of his hyperactive imagination.

Here, he's the guest of clarksdale's veteran blues deejay early Wright.

Early Wright: Ladies and gentlemen, I've got a very extinguished guest here

in the studio with me tonight...

One of our big-time stars of Mississippi and other places as well.

It's no other than Mr. Jack Johnson.

We all call him big Jack

because of that famous record that he got out there,

talkin' about, "you better treat your woman right."

And everybody knows big Jack at that...

I've played it so often, and get so many requests for it.

Let me ask you this: You work at the oil mill, don't you?

Jack Johnson: No, I work for Mr. Rutledge at shell.

- All right. Shell. - Johnson: Mm-hmm.

That's the reason they call you the oil man?

That's why they call me the oil man.

Better known as the oil man.

Well, listen, let me tell you, how long you been working there?

Oh, 11 years now.

Wright: How do you feel working there in the daytime,

then come and do the blues at night?

That's good. When you do a hard day's work, man...

You come in, get your shower, and jump in your clothes,

and go out there and get you a good, strong drink,

and get over to the guitar... You can go on about your business.

- Wright: Hush your fuss! - That's right.

That sounds good!

In other words, when you get in it,

and go to get the house rockin'...

Everybody get with you...

You don't feel like you did no day's work.

Don't feel like it at all.

Oh, what you know about that!

J“ well, if I were a catfish j“

j“ swimmin' in the deep blue sea j“

j“ I'd have all j“

j“ all of your big-legged women j“

j“ fishin' after me j“

j“ fishin' after me j“

j“ lord, fishin' after the oil man j“

j“ oh, yes, I will j“

j“ oh, yes, I will j“

j“ well, I went j“

j“ to my baby now j“

j“ and I sat down j“

j“ on her stairs j“

j“ she said, "come on in Mr. Big Jack j“

j“ my husband just done left j“

j“ lord, my husband just done left” j“

j“ my husband just done left j“

j“ lord, my husband just done left j“

listen to this, right here.

Rlputabellj'

j“ on a buzzer j“

j“ and you know i-i-i... j“

j“ found it trollin' j“

j“ I've got a keyj'

j“ to the highway j“

j“ but I've gotta let her go j“

j“ I've gotta let her go j“

j“ I've gotta let her go j“

j“ lord, I've gotta let her go j“

j“ lord, I've got to let that big-legged woman go j“

J“ well, there's two j“

j“ two trains runnin' j“

j“ well, they ain't never j“

j“ goin' my way j“

j“ there's one run at midnight j“

j“ the other little 'fore day j“

j“ the other little 'fore day j“

j“ the other little 'fore day j“

j“ lord, little 'fore day j“

j“ that's the train j“

j“ that took my baby away j“

j“ that's the train j“

j“ that took my baby away j“

j“ baby, please don't go j“

j“ baby, please don't go j“

j“ baby, please don't go j“

j“ I beg you all night long j“

j“ got you all night long j“

j“ I've got my shackles on j“

j“ I've got my shackles on j“

j“ I've got my shackles got my shackles j“

j“ got my shackles got my shackles j“

j“ I've got my shackles on j“

j“ got my shackles on j“

j“ baby, please don't go j“

Thank you.

Wright: Let me ask you this...

- Are you married? - Yes.

- You got a family? - Yes.

How many you got in your family?

You want me to say that?

If it's all right. If it's all right with you.

I'm just kiddin'. I've got 10 kids.

- You've got 10 kids? - Yes.

Ah, good.

- Don't you have a new album out? - Yes, I do.

- A new one? - Mm-hmm.

What's the name of your record?

"Daddy, when is mama comin' home?"

All right.

Do you have any favorite number on there

that you'd like to be played...

One of your favorite numbers?

- What's your favorite number on there? - What's my favorite?

"Daddy, when is mama comin' home?"

- Wright: "When is momma comin' home?" - Johnson: Mm-hmm.

Wright: Uh-huh!

I remember...

Along, long time ago...

Me and my old lady, right there...

We were lovey-dovey, we was.

But somewhere down the line...

She got involved with another man.

She left me, she did...

With three little girls.

One named josea.

And one named melody.

And one named po' cow.

And every morning...

I would drive my old lunch bucket to work...

And I would start closin' the door.

Po' cow would walk up to me...

With tears in her eyes...

And I would look at po' cow...

And tears would get in my eyes, too.

She said, "daddy?"

I said, "yes, darling?"

She said, "when is my mama comin' home?"

And she kept right on sayin' it.

R "daddy r

j“ when is my mama j“

j“ my mama comin' home? J“

r on, daddy, daddy r

j“ when is my mama j“

j“ my mama comin' home?" J“

j“ I looked at p0' cow I did j“

j“ with tears streamin' down her cheek j“

j“ and tears streamin' down mine j“

j“ I said, "darlin' j“

j“ I'm goin' find your mother j“

j“ out here somewhere j“

j“ but I know j“

j“ just as sure as a bluebird flies in the sky j“

j“ when I find her j“

j“ she gonna tell me a lie"j'

J“ and every evenin' j“

j“ I would come home I would j“

j“ I would get my old newspaper j“

j“ and I would sit down to read j“

j“ p0' cow would walk up to me j“

j“ tears still hung in her eyes j“

j“ and I would look at p0' cow j“

j“ and tears would get right back in my eyes, too j“

j“ she said, "daddy?" J'

j“ I said, "yes, sweetheart" j“

j“ said, "why did mama leave us?" J'

j“ well, I couldn't tell a child j“

j“ what I could tell an adult, I couldn't j“

j“ 80, imade a long story short j“

j“ and I told her just like this j“

J“ love can bring happiness j“

j“ and love can bring sorrow j“

j“ love can be here today j“

j“ love, you know what can be gone tomorrow j“

j“ bring it on home, girl j“

j“ bring it on home j“

j“ she know'd I couldn't iron j“

j“ and she know'd I couldn't wash j“

j“ she know'd I didn't have no business j“

j“ pinnin' no diaper j“

j“ on a little girl's behind j“

J“ she know'd I couldn't patch j“

j“ and she know'd I couldn't sew j“

j“ she know'd I didn't have no business j“

j“ scratchin' a little girl's back j“

j“ bring it on home, girl j“

j“ bring it on home j“

j“ you've got three j“

j“ three little girls j“

j“ waiting j“

j“ waiting on you j“

j“ yes, you have, darling j“

j“ you've got three little girls j“

j“ waiting j“

j“ oh you j“

j“ listen here, baby j“

j“ they need you j“

j“ and I need you, too j“

j“ bring it on home j“

j“ bring it on home, Mrs. Johnson j“

j“ whoo-hoo j“

j“ whoo, whoa, whoa, whoa j“

j“ bring it on home j“

j“ you've got three j“

j“ oh, you've got three little girls, baby j“

j“ you've got three little girls j“

j“ waiting on j“

j“ waiting on you j“

j“ yes, you have j“

Palm er: Memo to Dave:

There's something mysterious,

even a little spooky, about benton/a.

It's not just another sleepy little town in southern Mississippi.

Through the years, benton/a bluesmen

have created a style that is uniquely their own.

Of all the songs associated with benton/a,

one in particular has seeped into neighboring traditions.

It's a song called "the devil blues,"

or just "the devil."

In this song, the devil is a trickster figure,

a kind of cosmic joker or sprite,

and not the terrifying fallen angel of Christian myth.

The tradition of the blues as the "devil's music"

has to be understood in the light of this characterization.

This trickster devil strikingly resembles legba,

the trickster god of the crossroads

and opener of the path to the world of the spirits

in the religion of Nigeria's yoruba people.

Early Christian missionaries,

seeking converts among the slaves,

would have had little trouble identifying legba

with their Lucifer.

And legba is also the dark man

Robert Johnson and other bluesmen claimed

to have met at the crossroads at midnight...

The shadowy figure to whom they sold their souls

in exchange for mastery of the blues.

Bud spires: One time, a preacher...

You know, back in time,

you know, back,

way back, you know, we didn't have no cars, no...

Had to ride a horse and buggy

wherever we had to go, you know.

Preacher, he got a little horse that Sunday morning.

And he got his little horse, saddled him up, everything...

Got the horse ready, got on the horse,

got everything,

got a little whip, put it on the horse there.

He had to go through a sketch of woods, you know.

The closer he got to the woods, you know,

the old devil was sittin' over there

on a stump, wasn't botherin' nobody.

He was sittin' there takin' care of his own business.

And as he, the horse get a little closer,

the horse seen the devil,

but the preacher didn't see the devil.

"You know, there's something wrong with you."

And he hit him that time,

and the horse jumped on up a little further,

still looking at that devil, though.

And, ah, he got up a little further,

and said, "wait a minute."

The horse stopped then. He lookin' at the devil then.

The horse stopped.

Said, "wait a minute."

Got a little whip out and hit the horse.

He said, "I know what's wrong with you.

You've got the devil in you this morning!"

That time, the devil hollered out

over there on the stump.

He said, "how the hell can I be in that horse,

when I'm sittin' over here on this stump?"

The devil, he...

Like of Jack said...

He got religion.

He got religion,

and he joined the baptist church,

see, tryin' to fool all us christians

not to pray no more

and do no more.

J“ devil got religion j“

oh, he did?

J“ joined the baptist church j“

we ain't got to pray no more, ya'll...

If devil got religion.

J“ devil got religion j“ I wouldn't trust him though.

J“ joined the baptist church j“

J“ well, the Deacon told my baby j“

j“ don't have to pray no more j“

spires: Now, I ain't got to say my prayers tonight.

Owens: J“ hey there, pretty baby j“

j“ lord, ain't it a shame? J“

J“ hey there, pretty baby j“

j“ lord, ain't it a shame? J“

J“ lord knows the devil, baby j“

j“ oh, he fooled the man j“

spires: That's the old devil, you know.

J“ oh, he fooled the man j“

j“ baby gal he fooled the man j“

j“ baby gal he fooled the man j“

spires: Mercy, Mr. Percy!

J“ if I ever get off this killin' floor j“

j“ greedy floor j“

j“ I'll never get down this low no more j“

j“ oh, no, no j“

Palmer: For years now, we've been hearing

that the blues is dead,

and it's true that many veteran musicians have died,

but not without passing on their inheritance.

Young musicians in Mississippi,

who were playing funk or disco a few years ago,

have been learning and carrying on

some important blues traditions.

Lonnie pitchford, the youngest musician

we met in Mississippi, has mastered

one of the oldest instruments, the diddle y bow...

A single strand of wire that's played

with a slider and a pick

in the manner of African musical bows.

Many outstanding bottleneck or slide guitarists in blues

first learned the technique as children,

playing homemade diddley bows much like Lonnie 's.

This song that I'm gonna do right now

is a song that I did when I was about five years old.

It's something like a nursery rhyme song.

J“ Johnny stole an apple j“

j“ from the apple tree j“

j“ one day he went out j“

j“ into the orchard j“

j“ when he said, "mama j“

j“ I didn't mean to steal j“

j“ that apple tree " j“

j“ one day I was out j“

j“ I was playin' alone j“

j“ when I saw Johnny pla yin' j“

j'inatreej'

j“ I said "Johnny, won't you j“

j“ come on down j“

j“ and talk with me j“

j“ and talk with me" j“

Palmer: Memo to Dave:

It's midnight,

and on our way back to Memphis from the delta,

we just passed a deserted crossroads.

But the moon was full, and the crossroads

wasn't dark or forbidding.

It was luminous in the soft moonlight.

It seems incredible, but as we anticipate

the coming millennium,

the blues itself is more visible

than at any time in its history

and within the culture that created it,

here in Mississippi, blues seems to be regaining

the importance it had at the beginning

of this century when it was fresh and new.

The people who created this music

were at the very bottom of america's social hierarchy.

Even within black america,

blues was outlaw culture,

an underground art form

that decent, church-going folks stayed well away from.

But the men and women of the blues persevered

and created, out of hard times and a steely inner resolve,

a music that has enriched the lives of all of us.

Robert Johnson, a master of delta blues

whose 1930s recordings are more popular today

than ever before, displayed a determination

and sense of purpose characteristic

of all the great blues artists.

He didn't just want a woman or a terraplane luxury car...

He wanted possession over judgment day.

Instead of looking down at his feet in the mud

and dreaming of new shoes,

he looked up and dreamed of storming heaven.

When I first began to play guitar,

I was playin' pretty good.

But later on, I met Robert Johnson's stepson...

Mr. Robert "junior" lockwood...

And he taught me a lot of different tunes

of Robert Johnson.

And then, he also taught me this particular song.

J“ if I had possession j“

j“ over judgment day j“

J“ if I had possession j“

j“ over judgment day j“

J“ all these easy women that I'm lovin' j“

j“ wouldn't have no right to pray j“

j“ well, I went up on the mountain j“

j“ looked far as my eyes could see j“

J“ well, I went up on the mountain j“

j“ looked far as my eyes could see j“

j“ well, ibelieve the blues done got my lover j“

j“ and the blues done got me j“

j“ I had to fold my arms and j“

j“ walked along the way j“

J“ I had to fold my arms and j“

j“ walked along the way j“

j“ well, [knew in my mind, ya 'ii j“

j“ trouble gonna come one day j“

J“ if I had possession j“

j“ over judgment day j“

J“ if I had possession j“

j“ over judgment day j“

J“ oh, all those easy women that I'm lovin' j“

j“ wouldn't have no right to pray j“

Palm er: Final memo to Dave:

As I'm sure you can tell,

my voice is just about gone

from yelling to be heard in all those juke joints.

So, I'm going to give it a rest

and leave you with Lonnie pitchford

doing one last Robert Johnson song.

Listening to Lonnie sing "come on in my kitchen"

started me thinking about shelter from the coming storm

and a nice warm place to sleep.

J“ you'd better come on j“

j“ in my kitchen j“

j“ it's gonna be rainin' outdoors j“

J“ I know she's gone j“

j“ I know she won't come back j“

j“ she took her last nickel j“

j“ out of her nation sack j“

j“ you'd better come on j“

j“ in my kitchen j“

j“ it's gonna be rainin' outdoors j“

J“ the woman I'm lovin' j“

j“ stole from my best friend j“

j“ some joker got lucky j“

j“ stole her back again j“

j“ you'd better come on j“

j“ in my kitchen j“

j“ it's gonna be rainin' outdoors j“

J“ when a woman gets in trouble j“

j“ everybody throws her down j“

j“ lookin' for her good friend j“

j“ no, it can't be found j“

j“ you'd better come on j“

j“ in my kitchen j“

j“ it's gonna be rainin' outdoors j“

Oh, don't you hear that old wind howl?

Oh, don't you hear that old wind howl?

J“ you'd better come on j“

j“ in my kitchen j“

j“ it's gonna be rainin' outdoors j“

J“ when a woman gets in trouble j“

j“ everybody throws her down j“

j“ lookin' for her good thing j“

j“ no, it can't be found j“

j“ you'd better come on j“

j“ in my kitchen j“

j“ it's gonna be rainin' outdoors j“

j“ outdoors j“