Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Episode 127: "Mind Reader Blues"


I'm going to continue on with my "Ladies Who Sang The Blues" series...plus it's "Black Music Month" (who came up with that whole notion?) so I plan on sharing some musical episodes with y'all throughout June. Now this episode is one catchy tune...I really like this one. "Mind Reader Blues" is a short but powerful song about a woman who knows just what her man is up to. Bertha Lee sang her heart out on this one, and apparently she was singing about her then common-law husband, blues legend Charlie Patton. It is noted that in the fourth verse Lee sings:

"I remember a day when I were livin' at Lula town,
I remember a day when I were livin' at Lula town,
my man did so many wrong things 'til I had to leave the town."

Lee was from Lula, Mississippi and Patton lived there with her for a period of time.I kinda makes you wonder what ol' Charlie was up to. Some good blues right here. Peace.

P.S. There doesn't seem to be any photo of Bertha Lee that exists, and this photo is one of the only ones of Charlie Patton that seems to have survived the years.

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