Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The Best of Memphis Minnie - In My Girlish Days

Lizzie Douglas, better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues singer & guitarist, born in 1897 and working from the 20's through the 50's. A strong woman, she married several times, traveled with and without her men, performed and recorded with and without them, supported herself as a prostitute when needed and had a helluva powerful voice and played a mean blues guitar!

This collection of tunes spans her career and she is often supported by piano, sometimes bass, drums and even a second guitar. But it is Minnie's voice and guitar that really stands out - her vocals are often loud and brash but are also capable of crooning when called for and her guitar lines are fluid, stinging and pretty darn original.

Some of her more famous songs are included, such as "Bumble Bee", "In My Girlish Days",
"I'm Talking About You" and "Me and My Chaffeur Blues", which Chuck Berry re-wrote (barely) for his "I Want to Be Your Driver". But everything here is superior, raw, early blues done by one of the best. This was the time when women dominated the blues and before they became slick. Anything by this woman is highly recommended!