Biographies

Charlie Patton 1891- 1934

One of the most influential blues artists of all, Charley Pattons spirit and essence extend into many other branches of music. Blues writer Robert Palmer claims Patton is among the most important musicians twentieth-century America has produced. Known for his all-powering gravelly vocals and rhythmic guitar playing Patton became the first great star and original king of the delta blues. Robert Johnson may generate more myth and mystery, but a fierce devotion stands by Pattons monumental influence to this day. Pattons gruff, barking baritone vocals call to mind Tuvan throat singers. Listen closely and you will hear plenty more going on. There is expressiveness in his vocals that catches the listener off guard with effects that are emotionally packed. His singing incorporates vaudeville-style vocal asides, the effect of two people talking to each other. The result imbues the performances with drama and comedy, conveying a sense of involvement with the material and with the audience. As a guitarist, Patton was just as distinctive. He varied his attack with propulsive beats and syncopated rhythms (a direct link to John Lee Hooker boogie style). His right hand playing was especially fluid and featured impressive thumb work. Sometimes he accented the playing by banging his guitar, clapping hands, stomping feet, or popping bass strings (a technique which preceded funk bass players by 40 years). His slide playing was also prominent, used to emphasize vocal phrasings and influenced such other blues notables as Son House and Robert Johnson. Unlike other itinerant blues musicians of his era and region, Patton was a bona fide celebrity. His reputation as a barrelhouse entertainer became larger than life, tearing up juke joints and local functions. Such theatrics as playing the guitar behind his head or tossing the instrument in the air and catching it without missing a beat would later affect other blues and rock and roll musicians. This aggressiveness transcended to his lifestyle as well. Charley epitomized the typical bluesman as a heavy drinker, womanizer, and brawler. Patton spent most of his life on the Dockery plantation near Ruleville, Mississippi. There he learned to play blues guitar from an older musician named Henry Sloan. Fellow blues players like Tommy Johnson, Son House, and Willie Brown often came to listen and learn from Patton. Though he quickly became popular in the Delta, he did not get a chance to record until 1929 when Paramount talent scout H.C. Spier sought him out. His first and most popular record was Pony Blues. Other songs like Mississippi Boll Weevil Blues and Screamin and Hollerin the Blues were good sellers. Many of Pattons songs were of crafty social commentary akin to traveling the back roads of the Delta, witnessing local incidents of drought, insect plague, a mill fire, or a personal night in jail. His music embraced everything from blues, ballads, ragtime, to gospel. Patton made close to 60 recordings. Some feature Willie Brown on second guitar, others with Henry Sims on fiddle. Unfortunately, the original quality of the master recordings has been lost forever, sold off as scrap metal in the late 30s. All that remain are the original 78s made of inferior materials, putting noise reduction technology to the test. Some of the blues musicians Patton influenced most were Bukka White, Tommy Johnson, Big Joe Williams, and Howlin Wolf.

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