20. Bukka White: Parchman Farm Blues
Bukka White (Booker T. Washington White) was born in Mississippi in 1906 and began his musical education on fiddle. He took up the guitar as an early teen, but his grandmother forbade him from having one; fortunately his father was in his corner. He didn't seem destined for music at first; prior to committing to music, he seemed to be headed for a sporting career, first as a baseball player in the Negro Leagues, and then as a boxer. In 1930, he was discovered by a talent scout and recorded a mix of gospel and blues as Washington White. The recordings didn't go anywhere, and he didn't get his next shot until 1937 when Big Bill Broonzy invited him to Chicago. White was facing trial for a non-fatal shooting he claimed was in self-defense; he jumped bail and headed for Chicago. He only got to record two songs before he was apprehended; "Shake 'Em On Down", his most well-known, became a hit while he was serving time at Parchman Farm prison. He was released in 1940, and returned to Chicago where he finally was able to record a body of work, including "Parchman Farm Blues", a melancholy sounding rhythmic blues with a soulful gravel in his voice that Richie Havens may have listened to a few times. Unfortunately, World War II broke out, and White spent most of the 1940's working in a factory; while he returned to music in the 1950's his moment had passed him by. He remained active, but never quite got the acclaim others did during the blues rediscovery. "Parchman Farm Blues" was covered by Blue Cheer and Cactus. White died in 1977.
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Article comments
1 - Jones Violet
Perfect for a Sunday morning. Great stuff here, uao.
2 - uao
Thank you Jones Violet. I put a lot of effort into this one; I appreciate the kind word. :-)
3 - Phillip Winn
Wow, there's so much here it is hard to know where to even begin!
Blind Lemon Jefferson is worshipped around these parts, with a historical marker in downtown Dallas and a club (Blind Lemon) named after him.
Leadbelly is another amazing artist. I didn't know about his personal history, but I love his "King of the 12-string" album.
It's also nice to see Big Mama Thornton given some recognition here; she deserved more acclaim than she ever got.
You've got a couple of albums on here I don't think I've ever heard. Thanks for the recommendations; I'm going to spend a lot of time going through this.
4 - Taloran
An excellent read. You've covered some daunting ground here, and as you said, have barely scratched the surface. I look forward to future installments.
5 - hayduke
howlin wolf was named chester burnett, not arthur.... wasn't arthur the prez? Shoot wolf should of been president...
also willie dixon wrote songs for wolf and muddy. i thinks he gave them to the first one interested, not necessarily for one person in particular. He was an astute man who made alot of money in publishing, and holding a track for one person in particular, seems unlikely.
great records all that you cite. well done....
6 - uao
Thanks much guys. You're right hayduke, Chester Arthur was a president; my mind sometimes confuses names like that; good catch.
Now that you mention it, Dixon probably didn't write that tune "specifically" for Waters; like you said, it's more likely it was in his bagforthe first comer.
I do think that Dixon may have written stuff specifically for Koko Taylor, whose career he shepherded, but I may be wrong.
Thanks everyone for the thoughts and comments. I had a lot of fun writing this one, and even more fun listening to it along the way.
7 - TJ
Great article!
One question, though: I thought Mose Alison wrote "Parchman Farm?" Is this a different song entirely, or did Mose just "borrow" it?
8 - uao
Hmmm. Good question, TJ. I double checked it; "Parchman Farm Blues" is credited to Bukka White, although Mose Allison is listed as composer for "Parchman Farm" I haven't heard Allison's version, so I'm not sure if it is the same song. White's version would have predated Allison's by at least a decade, so White seems to indeed have written his version.
On Howlin' Wolf's name; turns out, I wasn't completely off. His full name was Chester Arthur Burnett, and he was named after Chester Arthur, the President.
9 - Joanie
Excellent dip into rock's historic link to the blues.
I'd love to see a part two!