Charlie Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), more often spelled Charley Patton, was an American
Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of American music and inspired most Delta blues musicians. The musicologist
Robert Palmer considered him one of the most important American musicians of the twentieth century.
Patton (who was well educated by the standards of his time) spelled his name ''Charlie'',
but many sources, including record labels and his gravestone, use the spelling ''Charley''.
Biography
Patton was born in
Hinds County, Mississippi, near the town of
Edwards and lived most of his life in
Sunflower County, in the
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazo ...
. Most sources say he was born in April 1891, but the years 1881, 1885, and 1887 have also been suggested. Patton's parentage and race also are uncertain. His parents were Bill and Annie Patton, but locally he was regarded as having been fathered by former
slave
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
Henderson Chatmon. Several of Chatmon's children became popular Delta musicians, as solo performers and as members of groups including the
Mississippi Sheiks. Biographer
John Fahey described Patton as having "light skin and Caucasian features."
Patton was considered African-American, but because of his light complexion there has been much speculation about his ancestry over the years. One theory endorsed by blues musician
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...
was that Patton was
Mexican or
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
. It is generally agreed that Patton was of
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
, White, and Native heritage. Some believe he had a
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
grandmother; however, it is also widely asserted by historians that he was between one-quarter and one-half
Choctaw
The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...
. In 1897, his family moved north to the
Dockery Plantation, a cotton farm and
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
near
Ruleville, Mississippi. There, Patton developed his musical style, influenced by
Henry Sloan, who had a new, unusual style of playing music, which is now considered an early form of the blues. Patton performed at Dockery and nearby plantations and began an association with
Willie Brown.
Tommy Johnson,
Fiddlin' Joe Martin,
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...
, and Chester Burnett (who later became famous in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
as
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...
) also lived and performed in the area. Patton served as a mentor to these younger performers.
Robert Palmer described Patton as a "jack-of all-trades bluesman", who played "deep blues, white
hillbilly
''Hillbilly'' is a term historically used for White people who dwell in rural area, rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in the Appalachian region and Ozarks. As people migrated out of the region during the Great Depression, ...
songs, nineteenth-century ballads, and other varieties of black and white
country dance music with equal facility". He was popular across the southern United States and performed annually in Chicago; in 1934, he performed in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Unlike most blues musicians of his time who were often itinerant performers, Patton played scheduled engagements at plantations and taverns. He gained popularity for his showmanship, sometimes playing with his guitar down on his knees, behind his head, or behind his back.
Patton was a small man, about 5 feet 5 inches tall (1.65m), but his gravelly voice was reputed to have been loud enough to carry 500 yards without amplification; a singing style which particularly influenced Howlin' Wolf (even though
Jimmie Rodgers
James Charles Rodgers ( – ) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Country Music", he is best known for his di ...
, the "singing brakeman", has to be cited there primarily). Patton settled in
Holly Ridge, Mississippi, with his common-law wife and recording partner,
Bertha Lee, in 1933. His relationship with Bertha Lee was a turbulent one. In early 1934, both of them were
incarcerated in a
Belzoni, Mississippi jailhouse after a particularly harsh fight. W. R. Calaway from
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is an American record label, originally founded by the Aeolian Company, a piano and organ manufacturer before being bought out by Brunswick in 1924.
History
The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pi ...
bailed them out of jail and escorted them to New York City, for what would be Patton's final recording sessions (on January 30 and February 1).
They later returned to Holly Ridge and Lee was with Patton in his final days.
Patton died on the Heathman-Dedham plantation, near
Indianola on April 28, 1934. He is buried in Holly Ridge (both towns are in Sunflower County). His death certificate says that he died of a
mitral valve
The mitral valve ( ), also known as the bicuspid valve or left atrioventricular valve, is one of the four heart valves. It has two Cusps of heart valves, cusps or flaps and lies between the atrium (heart), left atrium and the ventricle (heart), ...
disorder. The death certificate does not mention Bertha Lee; the only informant listed is one Willie Calvin. Patton's death was not reported in the newspapers. A memorial headstone was erected on his 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 composed the epitaph.
Recognitions
''
Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton'', a
boxed set collecting Patton's recorded works, was released in 2001. It also features recordings by many of his friends and associates. The set won three
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s in 2003, for Best Historical Album, Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, and Best Album Notes.
Another collection of Patton recordings, ''The Definitive Charley Patton'', was released by
Catfish Records in 2001.
Patton's song "
Pony Blues" (1929) was included by the
National Recording Preservation Board in the
National Recording Registry of the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
in 2006. The board annually selects recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
In 2017, Patton's story was told in the award-winning documentary series ''
American Epic.'' The film featured unseen film footage of Patton's contemporaries and radically improved restorations of his 1920s and 1930s recordings. Director
Bernard MacMahon observed that "we had a strong feeling that the music of Patton and his peers reflected the local geography, and I was struck by the extent to which that belief was already shared by people who were living in the Delta back then, when it was a center of musical innovation. Listening to interviews with
H. C. Speir, who owned a furniture store in
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...
in the 1920s and was responsible for virtually all the recordings of early Delta blues, he clearly linked the music to its surroundings." Patton's story was profiled in the accompanying book, ''
American Epic: The First Time America Heard Itself''.
In May, 2021, the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
posthumously inducted Patton into the 2021 class as an Early Influence.
Historical marker
The
Mississippi Blues Trail placed its first historical marker at the cemetery where Patton's grave is in
Holly Ridge, Mississippi, in recognition of his legendary status as a bluesman and his importance in the development of the blues in Mississippi. It placed another historic marker at the site where the Peavine Railroad intersects Highway 446 in
Boyle, Mississippi, designating it as a second site related to Patton on the
Mississippi Blues Trail. The marker commemorates the lyrics of Patton's "Peavine Blues", which refer to the branch of the
Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad which ran south from
Dockery Plantation to Boyle. The marker notes that riding on the railroad was a common theme of
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
songs and was seen as a
metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
for travel and escape.
Discography
Paramount recordings
≠ Vocals and guitar by Patton with
Henry "Son" Sims on fiddle.
† Willie Brown on accompanying guitar
;1929; Henry "Son" Sims (vocals), Patton accompanying on guitar
Vocalion recordings
‡ Vocal duet with Bertha Lee
;1934; Bertha Lee (vocals), Patton accompanying guitar
Citations
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
Relevant literature
*Sacré, Robert, ed. ''Charley Patton: Voice of the Mississippi Delta''. 2018. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi
External links
*
*
*
History of Charley Patton recording on Paramount Records*
Charley Patton Biography(
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
)
The bluesman – Charley Patton(by
Cub Koda
Michael John "Cub" Koda (né Uszniewicz; October 1, 1948 – July 1, 2000) was an Americans, American rock and roll musician, songwriter, and critic. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine considered him best known for writing the song "Smokin' in the Boys ...
)
Charley Patton – Delta Blues1980 Induction into Blues Foundation Hall of FameMilestone Charley Patton recordingsat Three Perfect Minutes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patton, Charley
1890s births
1934 deaths
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
American blues singers
American street performers
Blues musicians from Mississippi
Country blues musicians
Delta blues musicians
Gennett Records artists
Gospel blues musicians
Mississippi Blues Trail
People from Sunflower County, Mississippi
Paramount Records artists
20th-century American guitarists
Guitarists from Mississippi
People from Hinds County, Mississippi
People from Lula, Mississippi
Third Man Records artists
African-American guitarists
20th-century African-American male singers
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers