Musician born in 1800s sings haunting and authentic blues song
Music itself has made evolutions of change throughout time. Kind of like people, music was very different from place to place around the world.
Then of course, with people coming together and the world getting smaller, styles of music came together to influence new genres.
Those new genres of music are what we know today but- what happened to some of the pure forms of indigenous music? Most have been lost or minimalized to small areas around the world.
One example of a pioneer of blues-country music from its inception is multi-instrumentalist Sam Chatmon.
Sam Chatmon was born in 1897 in Bolton, Mississippi.
Chatmon came from a family well-known for their talents. He claims he started playing the guitar when he was three-years-old and would play it by laying it flat on the floor and crawl under it.
He played in the family string band while growing up. Chatmon played the banjo, mandolin, and harmonica in addition to the guitar.
His young music career didn’t amount to a whole lot, playing on street corners and parties for very little pay. Mostly just tips.
Chatmon eventually moved to Hollandale, Mississippi in the early 1940s and worked on the plantations there.
During the next 20 years, he gained a lot of life experience, which carved stories and lyrics into his music and eventually sparked him into the spotlight in the 1960s.
He had made his way back into the country-blues scene and toured extensively during the 1960s and 70s.
The 1970s is when Chatmon collaborated and recorded some of his most popular music.
His popularity soared, and he was asked to play many of the largest folk festivals around the United States.
In the video below, Chatmon graces us with his musical talent and his charming personality.
Sam Chatmon performs “Make Me A Pallet On the Floor,” vocals and guitar.
The video was shot by Alan Lomax, John Bishop, and Worth Long at Sam Chatmon’s home in Hollandale, Mississippi, in August 1978. Only five years before his death.
In the first half of the video, Chatmon exclaims that the song he is going to share, he first had started playing it when he was four years old.
Alan Lomax, who is interviewing him, laughs and says, “How could you play the guitar at 4?”
Chaton responds, “I could!”
Chatmon wants to play the song “Make me a pallet on the floor” for the film crew.
He jumps into song with the guitar slightly of tune but, I think that fact makes the song a bit more perfect.
His voice is full of honesty and it has just enough grit to believe he’s lived the song.
The performance has been viewed over 2.7 million times over the last nine years.
So, it’s safe to say his music and legacy has lived on.
Enjoy this gem of a performance in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Source: Alan Lomax Archive, See it Live, Wikipedia