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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Charlie Patton| image =| caption =| background = solo_singer| birth_name =| birth_date = birth date|1891|4|28|mf=y| birth_place = Edwards, Mississippi , United States | death_date = death date and age|1934|4|28|1891|5|1|mf=y| death_place = near Indianola, Mississippi , United States| origin =| instrument = Guitar , slide guitar | genre = Delta blues Country blues Gospel blues | occupation =| years_active = 1916–1934| label = Paramount Records|Paramount Vocalion | associated_acts = Son House Willie Brown (musician)|Willie Brown The Mississippi Sheiks Henry "Son" Sims | alias = The Masked Marvel Elder J. J. Hadley| notable_instruments = Charlie Patton (between April 1887 and 1891 & ndash; April 28, 1934), better known as Charley Patton , was an United States|American Delta blues musician . He is considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", and is credited with creating an enduring body of American music and personally inspiring just about every Delta blues man (Palmer, 1995). Musicologist Robert Palmer (author/producer)|Robert Palmer considers him among the most important musicians that America produced in the twentieth century. Many sources, including musical releases and his gravestone, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi? page=gr& GRid=5340 Gravestone of Charley Patton spell his name “Charley” even though the musician himself spelled his name "Charlie.""Patton himself, who could neither read nor write, spelled his first name orally as 'Charlie.'" Wardlow, G., & Komara, E. M. (1998). ''Chasin' that devil music Searching for the blues . San Francisco, Calif: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-552-5 p. 97.
Biography
Patton was born in Hinds County, Mississippi near the town of Edwards, Mississippi|Edwards , and lived most of his life in Sunflower County, Mississippi|Sunflower County in the Mississippi Delta . Most sources say he was born in 1891, but there is some debate about this, and the years 1887 and 1894 have also been suggested.
Patton's parentage and race have been the subject of debate. Although born to Bill and Annie Patton, locally he was regarded as having been fathered by former Slavery in the United States|slave Henderson Chatmon, many of whose other children also became popular Delta musicians both as solo acts and as members of groups such as the Mississippi Sheiks .Fahey (1970), p. 18 Biographer John Fahey describes Patton as having "light skin and Caucasian features."Fahey (1970), p. 26 Though Patton was considered African-American, because of his light complexion there have been rumors that he was Mexican people|Mexican , or possibly a full-blood Cherokee , a theory endorsed by Howlin' Wolf . In actuality, Patton was a mix of white, black, and Cherokee (one of his grandmothers was a full-blooded Cherokee). http://www.newyorkguitarfestival.org/cgi/show.cgi? db=content& uid=default& view_records=1& Group=archive& ID=201& mh=1 dead link|date=December 2011 Patton himself sang in "Down the Dirt Road Blues" of having gone to "the Nation" and "the Territo'"—meaning the Cherokee Nation portion of the Indian Territory (which became part of the state of Oklahoma in 1907), where a number of Black Indian s tried unsuccessfully to claim a place on the tribal rolls and thereby obtain land.
In 1900, his family moved convert|100|mi|km north to the legendary convert|10000|acre|km2|adj=on 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 (musician)|Robert Johnson played and was given 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, had become an accomplished performer and songwriter in his own right, having already composed "Pony Blues," a seminal song of the era.
Robert Palmer describes Patton as a "jack-of all-trades bluesman" who played "deep blues, white hillbilly songs, nineteenth-century ballads, and other varieties of black and white country dance music with equal facility". Robert Palmer (author/producer)|Palmer, Robert , Deep Blues, 1981 page 133 Penguin Books ISBN 0 14 00.6223 8 He was extremely popular across the Southern United States and also performed annually in Chicago, Illinois and, in 1934, New York City . In contrast to the itinerant wandering of most blues musicians of his time, Patton played scheduled engagements at plantations and taverns. Long before Jimi Hendrix impressed audiences with flashy guitar playing, Patton gained notoriety for his showmanship, often playing with the guitar down on his knees, behind his head, or behind his back. Although Patton was a small man at about 5& nbsp;foot 5,Wardlow, G., & Komara, E. M. (1998). ''Chasin' that devil music Searching for the blues''. San Francisco, Calif: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-552-5 p. 30. his gravelly voice was rumored to have been loud enough to carry 500 yards without amplification. Patton's gritty bellowing was a major influence on the singing style of his young friend Chester Burnett, who went on to gain fame in Chicago as 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, Mississippi|Indianola on April 28, 1934 and is buried in Holly Ridge (both towns are located in Sunflower County). Patton's death certificate states that he died of a mitral valve disorder. Bertha Lee is not mentioned on the certificate, the only informant listed being one Willie Calvin. His death was not reported in the newspapers.Cite book| last = Palmer| first = Robert | title = Deep Blues | place = Penguin Books Ltd. | publisher = Middlesex, Eng. | year = 1981 | page= 89 | isbn = 0-14-006223-8| postscript = 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.
Recognitions
'' Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton '' (2001) is a boxed set collecting Patton's recorded works. It also featured recordings by many of his friends and associates. The set won three Grammy Award s in 2003 for Best Historical Album, Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, and Best Album Notes.cite book | first= Paul | last= Du Noyer | year= 2003 | title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music | edition= 1st | publisher= Flame Tree Publishing | location= Fulham, London | isbn= 1-904041-96-5 | page= 159 Another collection of Patton recordings, released under Catfish Records is titled The Definitive Charley Patton .
Charley Patton's song " Pony Blues " (1929) was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress ' List of recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry|National Recording Registry in 2006. http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/nrpb-2006reg.html 2003 National Recording Registry choices The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Historic marker
The Mississippi Blues Trail placed its first historic marker on Charlie Patton's grave in Holly Ridge, Mississippi in recognition of his legendary status as a bluesman and his importance in the development of the blues in Mississippi.cite web |url= http://home.nestor.minsk.by/jazz/news/2006/12/1303.html |title=Haley Barbour Unveils First Marker of Mississippi Blues Trail |publisher=Jazz News |accessdate=2007-02-09 It placed another historic marker at the site where the Peavine Railroad intersects with Highway 446 in Boyle, Mississippi , designating it as a second site related to Patton on the Mississippi Blues Trail . The marker commemorates the original lyrics of Patton's "Peavine Blues" which describes the railway branch of Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad which ran south from Dockery Plantation to Boyle. The marker emphasizes that a common theme of blues songs was riding on the railroad which was seen as a metaphor for travel and escape. cite web|url= http://www.visitmississippi.org/press_news/BolivarCountyPressReleaseFeb2007.pdf |title=Mississippi Blues Trail Markers To Be Unveiled in Bolivar County |publisher=Mississippi Development Authority |accessdate=2008-05-29 |last= |first= |format=PDFDead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot
Tributes
Bob Dylan dedicated his song " High Water (For Charley Patton) ", on his 2001 album "Love and Theft" , to Patton.
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band internationally touring American country blues recording/touring artists, fronted by Kentucky Colonel , The Reverend Peyton, produced a tribute recording to Charley Patton: "Peyton on Patton" which was released July 19, 2011. The album entered the Billboard Blues Album chart at #7.
French singer-songwriter Francis Cabrel refers to Charley Patton in the song "Cent Ans de Plus" on his 1999 album Hors-Saison .
Indie rock band Gomez (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 used for The White Stripes ' album Icky Thump . It can be seen in the background of the short demo video on their website
Jule Brown http://www.julebrown.org Julebrown.org website recorded an updated arrangement of Patton's "Green River Blues", on their 2006 release Smoke and Mirrors .
Robert Crumb narrated Patton's life in a comic book. http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/patton1.htm Charlie Patton by R.Crumb at www.celticguitarmusic.com
The 1980s NYC Punk/Blues band Hi Sheriffs of Blue cite web|url= http://hisheriffsofblue.com/ |title=Hi Sheriffs Of Blue |publisher=Hi Sheriffs Of Blue |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30 (which included visual artists Mark Dagley , George Condo and Elliot Sharp ) was named after the Patton song "High Sheriff Blues".
cite book | last = Calt | first = Stephen | authorlink = | coauthors = Gayle Wardlow | title = King of the Delta Blues, The Life and Music of Charlie Patton| publisher = Rock Chapel Press | year = 1988 | location = Newton, NJ | pages = | url = | doi = | isbn=0-9618610-0-2 | lccn = 87072899
cite book | last = Fahey | first = John | authorlink = John Fahey | coauthors = | title = A textual and musicological analysis of the repertoire of Charley Patton. (Thesis (M.A.)--University of California, Los Angeles.) | publisher = | year = 1966 | location = Los Angeles | pages = | url = | doi = | lccn = 67003863
cite book | last = Fahey | first = John | authorlink = John Fahey (musician) | coauthors = | title = Charley Patton | publisher = Studio Vista | year = 1970 | location = London | pages = | url = | doi = | isbn = 0-289-70030-2 | lccn = 70548903
cite book | last = Palmer | first = Robert | authorlink = Robert Palmer (writer) | coauthors = | title = Deep Blues | publisher = Penguin Books | year = 1981 | location = New York | pages = | url = | doi = | isbn= 0-14-006223-8 | lccn = 82000382
External links
commons categoryPortal|Biography
http://www.paramountshome.org History of Charley Patton recording on Paramount Records
http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/patton1.htm Charlie Patton by R. Crumb
http://www.archive.org/search.php? query=creator:%22Charley%20Patton%22 Songs by and featuring Charley Patton on The Internet Archive
http://www.blues.org/halloffame/inductees.php4? YearId=25 1980 Induction into Blues Foundation Hall of Fame
Find a Grave|5340|accessdate=August 28, 2010
http://mtzionmemorialfund.org/site/memorials/charlie-patton/ Mount Zion Memorial Fund
http://www.threeperfectminutes.com/search/label/Charley%20Patton MilestoneCharley Patton recordings at Three Perfect Minutes
Worldcat id|lccn-n87-113954
Persondata | NAME = Patton, Charlie | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Patton, Charley | SHORT DESCRIPTION = United States|American Delta blues musician | DATE OF BIRTH = April 28, 1891 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Edwards, Mississippi , United States | DATE OF DEATH = April 28, 1934 | PLACE OF DEATH = near Indianola, Mississippi , United States
DEFAULTSORT:Patton, Charlie Category:1891 births Category:1934 deaths Category:People from Hinds County, Mississippi Category:African American musicians Category:American blues guitarists Category:American blues musicians Category:American blues singers Category:American male singers Category:American buskers Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:Blues Hall of Fame inductees Category:Blues musicians from Mississippi Category:Country blues musicians Category:Delta blues musicians Category:Gennett recording artists Category:Gospel blues musicians Category:Mississippi Blues Trail Category:Sunflower County, Mississippi Category:Ragtime composers Category:Deaths from heart failure
