*In The Back Streets Of The Blues- Life On The "Chittlin' Circuit"

Click On Title To Link To YouTube's Film Clip Of Jesse Mae Hemphill Doing "You Can Talk About Me".

DVD REVIEW

Deep Blues, commentary by musicologist Robert Palmer and performances by various artists, directed by Robert Mugge, Shout Factory, 1993

Over the past year or so I have spent some time in this space addressing the question of why various male folk performers like Jesse Winchester, Tom Rush, and Chris Smither, from the folk revival of the 1960's, did or did not become "king of the hill" in that genre. (I am in the process of doing the same for female folk singers as "queen of the hill"). I have also addressed that same question, although not as extensively, concerning the various 1950's rock `n' roll artists who were left behind when rock exploded on the scene. I thought I had covered so many of the artists from the blues scene that I did not think that I needed to pose the question in that genre. Apparently I was wrong as this well done blues documentary, "Deep Blues", directed by Robert Mugge and narrated by the famed blues musicologist Robert Palmer poses that very question point blank at those left behind down at the lesser levels of the blues pantheon.

This film spends no little time on setting the framework for its above-mentioned premise. That question, as the documentary unfolds, keeps honing in on who has kept the blues tradition alive back down at the roots-mainly in the rural South among the black agricultural laborers, small town black entertainment entrepreneurs and others who want to continue the blues tradition of the Saturday night "juke joint". In short this film is a labor of love by Mugge and Palmer in honor of those who have kept the blues tradition alive, mainly as a labor of their love. Although this film was produced in 1991 in the year 2009 the same question could be fruitfully posed about has kept the faith down home. Although there are periodic revivals of the blues around such events as Martin Scorsese's six-part PBS blues documentary of 2003 the hard truth is that the blues, as a genre, is not generally a paying proposition these days. So it has to be love of this art form that drives the work.

A number of lesser known blues performers performing their work, some that I had heard of previously others that I have not, form the core of this film. After viewing the performances I come way, once again, with that nagging question about why some artists "made it" and others did not. All blues aficionados are familiar with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Son House, Memphis Minnie, Etta James,"Big Mama" Thornton and the like. But what about those on the "chittlin' circuit"- the likes of Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Roosevelt Barnes, Big Jack Johnson and Lonnie Pitchford? I thought not. Some decided for personal reasons to stay put, some were in the wrong place at the wrong time, some are merely imitative of greater artists and some are just flat out not good enough for the "bigs". Nevertheless this is their story. Kudos to Mugge and Palmer for telling it.

Jesse Mae Hemphill - Standing In My Doorway Crying Lyrics

Oh baby
I'm standing in my doorway crying
Oh baby
I'm standing in my doorway crying

Oh baby
Oh baby

You know I love you baby
But you treat me so lowdown
You know I love you baby
But you treat me so lowdown yeah

When you left me baby yeah
you left me ring in my hand and crying
when you left me baby yeah yeah
you left me ring in my hand and crying

Oh yeah yeah
you know love you baby
wont you come back home to me
You know I love you baby yeah
wont you come back home to me yeah
you left me darling

I never loved a man yeah
like I love you before
I never loved a man baby
like I loved you before yeah
you left me darling

The man love yeah yeah
he treat me so mean yeah
the man I love yeah
he treat me so mean
some day baby
some day baby
you'll want from me

Oh home yeah come home
come home yeah come on home yeah
come on home baby
come on home baby
I got love for you baby

Junior Kimbrough - Done Got Old lyrics

Well, I done got old
I caint do the thangs I used to do;
I'm a old man

Well, I done got old
I caint do the thangs I used to do;
I'm a old man

Remember the day, Babe
Now dead and gone
Days I could love you
So many times
Now things have changed
And I done got old
I caint do the thangs I used to do;
I'm a old man

I don' look like I used
Can't walk like I used
Cain't love like I used
Now things have changed
And I done got old
I caint do the thangs I used to do;
I'm a old man


Junior Kimbrough - Meet Me In The City lyrics

Meet me over in the city
And I see everything is so fine

We'll get together now, Darling
Oh yeah, we will
We'll make everything all right

Oh Honey, don't
Please, please don't leave me right now
Right now

You got me, Baby
You got me, Girl
You got me where you want me, Baby
Now Girl, I know you are
Satisfied

You got me, Baby
You got me, Girl
You got me where you want me, Baby
Now Girl, I know you are
Satisfied

Yeah but there's one more thing I wanna tell you right now, Baby
Don't leave me, Girl
Please, please don't leave me right now
Right now

Sometimes I think I will, Baby
And then again my my my my my my my mind'll change

Yeah, sometimes I think I will, Baby
And then again my my my my my my my mind'll change

Ah tell me don't do it right now
Please, please don't leave me right now, right now

Ah ha, I love you, Girl
Yeah a yeah yeah yeah yeah
I love you, Babe
Please, please don't leave me right
Right now

Junior Kimbrough - Sad Days Lonely Nights lyrics

My momma told me
I was a child
She said, "Son,
You're gonna have hard days"
My daddy told me too
He said, "Son,
You're gonna have sad days
Lonely nights
Setting alone
Head hung down
Tears runnin' down"

Done got old
Sad days, lonely nights
Done overtaken me

Sometimes I set alone
I wonder about the things
My mum and daddy told me
Sad days, lonely nights
come overtaking me