'A Spoonful Blues' by CHARLEY PATTON (1929) Classic Delta Blues Guitar

[515742617000027]

this is by far out of ALL the blues artists my favorite. Its amazing how his career was only 5 short years from 1929 to 1934 and yet he recored like 70 (i ithink around 76 or something) songs. Only recorded four times in 1929 in Richmond, in 1929 in Grafton in 1930 in Grafton and finally in 1934 in New York City.

[diazsinger]

I'm amazed with the complex vocal pattern's he does on this and how he bounces back and forth in singing to talking. Wow seems ahead of our time even. So glad you post all of these videos.

[LadyofWar1980]

Okay so what is this song REALLY about? I've heard cocaine and I've heard sex. Anybody?

[tripnixon]

@LadyofWar1980 From what I've dug up on this, this song "Spoonful/Spoonful Blues/etc", was performed by many Delta Blues musicians. It is about a spoonful of cocaine. Back then, well, from what my Grandparents/Great-Grandparent­s/Parents told us was that it was used for headaches, etc... The thing is... they really didn't know how addictive it was. Kinda like Loritabs, etc in our day. I love how he sings the line, but leaves out "a spoonful" :-) "What I need is...."

[curio222]

I never head guitar cry like that before...pure heaven.

[jms8220]

this guy pwns justin beiber

[matebary]

@jms8220 how dare you think of justin bieber while listening to roots of blues?

[stolenusername4]

@treysyt "a spoonful" refers to a lot more than a woman

[SRone45]

Without Patton, no Clapton, Page, Gilmour, Richards, Hendrix...the list goes on and on...

[inkydoug]

Yes I will! this is just about the most unique and ENIGMATIC song ever recorded in my opinion.

[webcityguy]

...the darkest skinned slaves lived farthest away from the plantation home...do the math. I heard he has Irish in him as well, and it shows.

[milascave]

I had to google the lyrics to get it.

The last word of every sentance is left off, but the implied word is "spoonful."

This is totaly a song about IV drug adiction.

From 1929.

[ToastmachineIdiot]

Hmm... If I remember right, I think this is what Howlin' Wolf's "spoonful" is derived from. Man, this is great!

[ButcherGod]

@ToastmachineIdiot You are correct! :)

[Grayling57]

This is so good - Thanks again Dorian. Every time I hit your site I find my love of blues music grows stronger.

[thedarklingthrush]

i feel like i have heard this song before... but i cannot remember where.

[Clepto202]

Though he was considered African-American, In actuality, Patton was a mix of white, black, and Cherokee (one of his grandmothers was a full-blooded Cherokee).

[RagtimeDorianHenry]

right

[Diomedes22]

In that time and place part black people were considered by everyone to be black. That means he faced brutal constant discrimination from white people. He was one of the few bluesman to openly call the south, hell. He's considered African American because he was. He had no connection to white people. Neither of his parents were white and he grew up with blacks on a plantation.

[busessuck1]

@Clepto202 I guessed that he wasn't fully black

[Clepto202]

@busessuck1 ok..?

[GrigoriZhukov]

@Clepto202 so? only racist care about shit like that...yeah I am sick as hell of read hearing shit like you posted 2 years ago. Been sick of that racist shit since I could vote. Ain't no such damn thing as race you stupid people.

[Mansley28]

What an incredible song! Thanks for posting.

[RagtimeDorianHenry]

you're welcome my friend :)