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Show 37: The Blues in the Mississippi Night Tradition

This chapter leans on blues as testimony: music tied to fear, segregation, memory, and the lived facts of Southern Black life. The tracks belong together because they hear the blues not just as entertainment, but as spoken social truth set to rhythm.

Host Narration

For today's 37th episode of the CC Blues Show, we'll be listening to Blues in the Mississippi Night as well as field recordings from southern prison farms and levee camps during the 1930s and '40s. We'll start with a field holler sung by C.B., an inmate at Parchman Farm Penitentiary recorded in the early 1940s. Here's "Whoa Buck," followed by a collection of work songs sung by inmate men with axes. Here's C.B.

45Tracks

19Artists

5Theme Tags

5Genre Tags

SeriesCommunity

Tagsoral historyMississippisocial historyblues themesdocumentary

Genresbluestraditional bluesacoustic bluescountry blueschicago blues

Tracklist

Order	Track	Artist	Segment	Bridge	Story
1	Whoa Buck	C.B.,Alan Lomax	1		-
2	O 'Berta	Bull	1		-
3	Don't You Hear Po' Mother Callin'?	Hollie Dew,Bull	1		-
4	Rosie	C.B. And Ten Others With Axes,Alan Lomax	1		-
5	Murderer's Home	Jimpson	1		-
6	Lining Hymn	Unknown Artist	1		-
7	Early in the Mornin'	22, Little Red, Tangle Eye & Hard Hair,Alan Lomax	1		-
8	Jumpin' Judy	Tangle Eye,Fuzzy Red,Hard Hair,Others,Alan Lomax	1		-
9	Black Woman	B.B And Six Others,Alan Lomax	1		-
10	Old Alabama	B.B And Six Others,Alan Lomax	1		-
11	No More, My Lawd	Jimpson And Men With Axes,Alan Lomax	1		-
12	Ham and Eggs	Lead Belly	1		-
13	Life Is Like That	Big Bill Broonzy,Memphis Slim,Sonny Boy Williamson II	1	Yes	-
13	Life Is Like That	Memphis Slim	1	Yes	-
14	Conversation Begins	Big Bill Broonzy,Memphis Slim,Sonny Boy Williamson II	2	Yes	-
15	Conversation Continues - #1	Sonny Boy Williamson II	2		-
16	I Could Hear My Name A Ringin'	Memphis Slim,Sonny Boy Williamson II,Big Bill Broonzy	2		-
17	Conversation Continues - #2	Big Bill Broonzy,Memphis Slim	2		-
18	44 Blues	Roosevelt Sykes	2		Story
19	32-20 Blues - SA.2616-2	Robert Johnson	2		-
20	Levee Camp And Prison Songs / Conversation Continues - #3	Big Bill Broonzy,Memphis Slim	2		-
21	Conversation Continues - #4	Big Bill Broonzy,Memphis Slim	2	Yes	-
22	Conversation Continues - #5	Big Bill Broonzy,Memphis Slim	3	Yes	-
23	Conversation Continues - #6	Big Bill Broonzy,Memphis Slim	3		-
24	Slow Blues	Memphis Slim	3		-
25	Fast Boogie	Memphis Slim	3		-
26	Black, Brown And White Blues	Big Bill Broonzy	3		Story
27	Long Tall Mama	Big Bill Broonzy	3		-
28	Too Too Train Blues	Big Bill Broonzy	3		-
29	I Can't Be Satisfied	Big Bill Broonzy	3		-
30	Night Time Is The Right Time	Big Bill Broonzy	3		-
31	New Shake 'Em On Down	Big Bill Broonzy	3		-
32	Just A Dream	Big Bill Broonzy	3		-
33	Mean Old World (Tk. 1)	Big Bill Broonzy	3	Yes	-
34	Got the bottle up and gone	Sonny Boy Williamson II	4	Yes	Story
35	Susie Q	Sonny Boy Williamson II	4		-
36	War Time Blues	Sonny Boy Williamson II	4		-
37	You´ ve Been Foolin Round Tow	Sonny Boy Williamson II	4		-
38	Bad Luck Blues	Sonny Boy Williamson II	4		-
39	Insurance Man Blues	Sonny Boy Williamson II	4		-
40	Mother Earth	Memphis Slim	4		-
41	Lonesome	Memphis Slim	4		-
43	Let the Good Times Roll Creole	Memphis Slim	5	Yes	-
	Key to the Highway	Big Bill Broonzy			Story
	Stackalee	Big Bill Broonzy,Memphis Slim,Sonny Boy Williamson II			-