Song: Back-Water Blues written by Bessie Smith | SecondHandSongs When it's . Back-Water Blues Bessie Smith (Columbia, 1927) Adds to the blues feel as the music is seen to reflect the realities of her situation. Its musical composition entered the public domain on January 1, 2023. Her lyrics aid the audience in understanding why she is down. Includes 1 print + interactive copy with lifetime access in our free apps. Nonetheless, when she recorded it in 1927 "Backwater Blues" became an anthem for the great Mississippi River Flood. Kevin Young was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nonetheless, when she recorded it in 1927 Backwater Blues became an anthem for the great Mississippi River Flood. This incident gave birth to an important blues era, now known as the Delta Blues era. [Verse 5] And I went . Of course, we Americans have historical amnesia. The song has long been associated with the great flood of the lower Mississippi River in 1927. The flood was a devastating ordeal. Almost half a million homes were destroyed. View all Google Scholar citations The Cumberland River, which flows through the city, rose 56 feet (17m) above its normal level, still a record as of 2014[update].[4]. [2], The song has long been associated with the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Discuss Bessie Smith's performance of "Back Water Blues" as an example of both. ). The flood from The Cumberland River that struck Nashville, Tennessee on Christmas Day 1926, AAB e.g. When it rains five days and the skies turn dark as night, when it rains five days and the skies turn dark as night, then trouble's takin' place in the lowlands at night. However, I recommend practicing the classic form (first line repeated in the second line, third line responds to the second, entire poem at least three tercets long) to fully grasp blues aesthetics. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bessie-Smith, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXShOJVwaM, https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/bessie-smith, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go6TiLIeVZA, 1980: Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, 1989: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1989: Received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 1994: Face was placed upon a US Postage Stamp, 2001: Down Hearted Blues was named one of the Songs of the Century by the National Endowment for the Arts, 2002: Down Hearted Blues was listed on the National Recording Preservation Board by the Library of Congress, 2006: Down Hearted Blues listed in the Grammy Hall of Fame. The beat is easy to tap along to, making it easier to focus on her lyrics. She manages to escape her flooding home, only to look back and see that she will never be able to go back to it. The melody is conjunct, making it easy to follow the lyrics of the song and the instrumental portions at the same time. The third line either comments or reverses the first two lines. Backwater blues done caused me to pack up my things and go, / Backwater blues done caused me to pack up my things and go, / 'Cause my house fell down and I can't live there no more. This is a song poem. This personal depression by extension is about the depression of an entire people, marginalized in the back waters, stricken with poverty, homelessness, suffering social injustice, discrimination, and now hit with this catastrophic natural disaster. She made almost 200 recordings, including duets with Louis Armstrong and Joe Smith. However, the blues utility in our everyday language signifies to me that the blues are ingrained into US culture. Chris Fisher-Lochhead. I cant do justice to this poem, to Backwater Blues, by just reciting it myself. Blues on Yellow Marilyn Chin from Rhapsody in Plain Yellow. 7 available keys. Backwater Blues by Bessie Smith Chords, Melody, and Music Theory The first two verses are unique and do not have any repetition. The beat does not change because each verse follows the same AAB pattern, which results in the same rhythm continuing on. View Official Scores licensed from. The call and response between vocals and piano does what? She is considered by many as one of the most successful African-American females of all time. Smith continued on to become very successful with hits like St. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. She earned her title by displaying her powerful voice to the public for everyone to hear. Dinah Washington - Back Water Blues - YouTube Smith is believed to be one of the highest paid black performers of her time. Please use a recent version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, or Opera instead. :)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Title: Backwater BluesLevel: BeginnerCom. "When it rains five days, and the skies turn dark as night (x2). Listening Guide to Backwater Blues by Bessie Smith - YouTube The piece has a homophonic texture due to the supplementation of the instruments to the vocalization of Smith. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 5th most popular key among Major keys and the 5th most popular among all keys. The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard written by Bessie Smith. Este es un disco muy bueno; una gran voz, la Reina del Blues Dinah Washington, y unos temas espectaculares, las canciones de la gran Bessie Smith. "useRatesEcommerce": false "Backwater Blues" (Song) - Song Meanings and Facts Bessie Smith- Back Water Blues. Youtube, uploaded by TravelerIntoTheBlue, 9 Oct 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXShOJVwaM. It was originally composed by Joe "King" Oliver and is largely performed as an instrumental, although lyrics were . The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard written by Bessie Smith. Hier geht's zu meiner Musik auf Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/1EV1CjZHtzJGK5SZyEyKst?si=ya1BsYRcTpSlZeVFtMKekAMeine Musik auf Deezer:https://deezer. After discussing blues history, we went over Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues," then Langston Hughes' "Too Blue," and concluded our study with Jericho Brown's . Down Hearted Blues, her first recording, sold nearly 800,000 copies, firmly establishing her as a new singer in the blues genre. In the Voice and in the Deep, Blues Poetry - Poetry Foundation The first two lines are of almost equal length. Backwater Blues by Bessie Smith - Digital Sheet Music, View our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out. Smith . Log dich ein um diese Funktion zu nutzen. They relocated the white folks in an expedient manner but corralled the black folks into abysmal camps. Another way of reading classic blues lyric structure is as weighted-sonic couplets. Today, I hear phrases such as the winter blues and Blue Monday and know that they are not considering this history. When it thunders and lightnin' and the wind begins to blow. There's trouble taking place in the lowland that night, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Bessie Smith's 'Back-Water Blues': the story behind the song", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Backwater_Blues&oldid=1150358087, This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 18:17. Backwater Blues Chris Fisher-Lochhead He studied under Seamus Heaney and Lucie Brock-Broido at Harvard University and, while a student there, became a member of the Dark Room African diasporic culture and the aesthetics of the blues. The song has a homophonic texture due to the use of instruments and vocalization in unison. There aint no place for a poor old girl to go. There's thousands of people ain't got no place to go. Most of us dont remember the great Mississippi River Flood of 1927, but when I read this poem a few years ago during a gathering on the behalf of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the same issues resoundedneighborhoods destroyed, slow government response, the African American neighborhoods were hit the hardest. Notice, however, that although the form remains the same throughout, pianist James P. Johnson's accompaniment style frequently changes during different verses of the song, as he interacts musically with Smith and attempts to depict the meaning of her lyrics through his playing.\r\rBessie Smith (vocal); James P. Johnson (piano)\r\rRecorded in New York, February 17, 1927 The three most important chords, built off the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees are all major chords (E Major, A Major, and B Major). Smith's voice not only had this quality, it also possessed a rich timbre and tremendous emotive power. About a thousand people lost their lives. Furthermore, Baraka notes that Africanisms (retentions of African culture throughout the African diaspora) were not limited to US Black people but that the culture of the Americas contains and is itself influenced by Africanisms. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. What are the introductory chords that illustrate this? Published online by Cambridge University Press: The song is called "West End Blues" and was recorded by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five in 1928. Bessie Smith, commonly referred to as the Empress of the Blues, was born in 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Bessie Smith's Back-Water Blues: the story behind https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261143007001158, Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. Bessie Smith - Songs, Death & Facts Writer(s): Smith Through an examination of Smith's touring itinerary, the testimony of fellow entertainers who toured . The lyrics are in the often-used AAB blues format. And the rain begin to pour. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like backwater blues, libretto, step interval and more. It also deals with how said flood displaced several victims and led to the loss of hundreds of lives. The three most important chords, built off the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees are all major . Cause my house fell down and I can't live there no more. Teach music and songwriting in ways that keep students engaged, excited, and inspired. Third, Mamie Smith became the first Black blues singer to record a blues record in 1920. Smith performed for nearly a decade until Columbia Records signed her in 1923. 15Label: Route 16Year: 1990This CD is from my own collection. The rhythm and beat remain constant throughout the song. The beginning of Down Hearted Blues actually reminded me of Ragtime music slightly. La Bouche) [2023 Mix] [Extended Mix] Songtext. The poem moves to personal depression. Bessie Smith tabs, chords, guitar, bass, ukulele chords, power tabs and guitar pro tabs including backwater blues, careless love, nobody knows you when youre down and out, taint nobodys business . Bemoaning the fate of losing a home to flood waters after five days and nights of rain, Smith laments: 'Thousands of people ain't got no place to go.'. Bessie Smith recorded Backwater Blues in 1927, and it became an anthem for one of the most devastating national disasters in US history. Backwater Blues - The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - YouTube Once more, listen for the turnaround (the melody at the final two bars of each 12-bar progression or last line of each stanza) and hear it transform the melody of one progression/stanza into the next. Death. Brown, who alongside Langston Hughes was a pioneer of blues poetry in the 1920s. The scene is set with the terrific storm by the female speaker, so depressed that she cant even get out of the door. Lets look at the blues poem as a form. Has data issue: false The blues artists who wrote and sang in this era there are famous names in this era such as Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, and of course, Bessie Smith, who is one of my favorites.
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