1. Charlie Patton, more often spelled Charley Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter.
15 Facts About Charley Patton
1. 2.
Charley Patton's parents were Bill and Annie Patton, but locally he was regarded as having been fathered by former slave Henderson Chatmon.
3.
Charley Patton was considered African-American, but because of his light complexion there has been much speculation about his ancestry over the years.
4.
One theory endorsed by blues musician Howlin' Wolf was that Charley Patton was Mexican or Cherokee.
5.
Charley Patton performed at Dockery and nearby plantations and began an association with Willie Brown.
6.
Charley Patton was popular across the southern United States and performed annually in Chicago; in 1934, he performed in New York City.
7.
Unlike most blues musicians of his time who were often itinerant performers, Charley Patton played scheduled engagements at plantations and taverns.
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Howlin' Wolf 8.
Charley Patton gained popularity for his showmanship, sometimes playing with his guitar down on his knees, behind his head, or behind his back.
9.
Charley Patton was a small man, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, but his gravelly voice was reputed to have been loud enough to carry 500 yards without amplification; a singing style which particularly influenced Howlin' Wolf.
10.
Charley Patton settled in Holly Ridge, Mississippi, with his common-law wife and recording partner, Bertha Lee, in 1933.
11.
Charley Patton's relationship with Bertha Lee was a turbulent one.
12.
Charley Patton died on the Heathman-Dedham plantation, near Indianola on April 28,1934.
13.
The spelling of Charley Patton's name was dictated by Jim O'Neal, who composed the epitaph.
14.
Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton, a boxed set collecting Patton's recorded works, was released in 2001.
15.
The Mississippi Blues Trail placed its first historical marker at the cemetery where Charley Patton's grave is in Holly Ridge, Mississippi, in recognition of his legendary status as a bluesman and his importance in the development of the blues in Mississippi.