“Backwater Blues”
Alternate titles:
“Backwater Blues”
Author: Bessie Smith?
Earliest date: 1927 (recording, Bessie Smith)
Found in: US(SE)
Description
"Well, it rained five days and the sky was dark (x2), There's trouble in the lowlands tonight. "I got up one morning, I couldn't even get out of my door." The storms and floods drive many poor people from their homes
Historical references
- 1927 - Mississippi River floods, devastating the Delta region and leaving thousands homeless
Cross references
- cf. "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues" (subject)
Recordings
- Big Bill Broonzy, "Backwater Blues" (on Broonzy01)
- Lonnie Johnson, "Backwater Blues" (King 4251, 1948)
- Bessie Smith, "Back Water Blues" (Columbia 14195-D, 1927)
References
- Silber-FSWB, p. 73, "Back Water Blues" (1 text)
- DT, BACKWATR*
- BI, FSWB073A
The Traditional Ballad Index is copyright ©2008
by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.
The Digital Tradition is copyright The Mudcat Cafe.