Willie Brown: Make Me a Pallet on the Floor

Willie Brown (August 6, 1900 -- December 30, 1952)
Born Willie Lee Brown in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Brown played with such notables as Charley Patton, and Robert Johnson. He was not known to be a self-promoting frontman, preferring to "second" other musicians. Little is known for certain of the man whom Robert Johnson called "my friend-boy, Willie Brown" (in his prophetic "Cross Road Blues") and whom Johnson indicated should be notified in event of his death. Brown is heard with Patton on the Paramount sessions of 1930, playing "M & O Blues," and "Future Blues." Apart from playing with Son House and Charlie Patton it has also been said that he played with artists such as Luke Thomson and Thomas "Clubfoot" Coles. At least four other songs he recorded for Paramount have never been found.

"Rowdy Blues", a 1929 song credited to Kid Bailey, is disputed to have Brown on backup, or Brown himself using the name of Kid Bailey. Both "M & O Blues" and "Future Blues" appear on the album Son House & The Great Delta Blues Singers (1994), recorded between 1928 and 1930, on the Document Records label. They also appear on JSP's Charlie Patton box set.

David Evans has reconstructed the early biography of a Willie Brown living in Drew, Mississippi, until 1929. He was married by 1911 to a proficient guitarist named Josie Mills. He is recalled as singing and playing guitar with Charley Patton and others in the neighbourhood of Drew. Informants with conflicting memories led Gayle Dean Wardlow and Steve Calt to conclude that this was a different Willie Brown.Evans rejects this, believing that the singing and guitar style of the 1931 recordings is clearly in the tradition of other performers from Drew such as Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, Kid Bailey, Howling Wolf and artists recorded non-commercially.

Alan Lomax added further confusion in 1993, suggesting that the William Brown he recorded in Arkansas in 1942 was the same man as the Paramount artist. The recording was for a joint project between Fisk University and the Library of Congress documenting the music of Coahoma County, Mississippi in 1941 and 1942. Writing over fifty years later, Lomax forgot that he had actually recorded Willie the previous summer with Son House, Fiddlin' Joe Martin and Leroy Williams. Brown played second guitar on three performances by the whole band, and recorded one solo, "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor".

The later biography is clear. Willie Brown, the Paramount artist, lived in Robinsonville, Mississippi from 1929 and moved to Lake Cormorant, Mississippi by 1935. He performed occasionally with Charley Patton, and continually with Son House until his death. After this, House ceased performing until his "rediscovery" in 1964.

Brown died of heart disease in Tunica, Mississippi in 1952, at the age of 52.

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[Joe96220]

then Willie Brown after the song sung by William says he has written a new piece,''A Jap Girl For Next Christmas From Santy Claus ''(?)

Goodbye, goodbye, i got to leave, girl

Uncle Sam done Call,

I got to fight for you

America and God

I got to fight for you

America and God.

????

[Joe96220]

I read in a book by Alan Lomax, who when he went to Memphis around 1942, there were William Brown and Willie Brown. I also note that the record as Make Me A Pallet On th Floor, Mississippi Blues, Ragged And Dirty that the voice is not like the recordings of 1930: M & O Blues and Future Blues. I do not know if you've read also The Land Where The Blues Began, William Brown sang ragged and dirty...

[Sheindie]

Kid Bailey was NOT Willie Lee Brown - excellent guitar player - taught by Charlie Patton but his skills exceeded his teacher's  - Best friend of Son House

[luvthatzeppelin]

I have the two seperate interviews that record the two seperate accounts of Will Brown(Kid Bailey) and Willie Brown on my page

[explosivejohnny]

what key is this in? i wanna see someone play this version!!

[MrDogrose]

Thanks for posting. Fantastic voice and guitar. I'll keep my eyes open for recordings.

[MyMoppet52]

What a fantastic presentation of this song! WOW. I am blown away. I don't know who sang it, but I'm in love with this voice. The playing and singing are so fantastic. It is just timeless. As I mentioned on some song, I personally like Skip James, Charley Patton & others better than Robert Johnson. I think they all were playing about the same time & all are great. I think Mr. Johnson got a boot-up in reputation when modern artists named him as 'the best'. He was great, but so were others! Thanks.

[jmoneysin]

I cant tell if this is the same verrsion I heard or not..the one from Lomax's Son House Session sounded a lot like he was playing in a Greenwood (Mississippi John Hurt) style..its been so long that I cant remember how that recording matches up with this.

[jmoneysin]

I know willie brown recorded this song in 1942 for the library of congress because I went there and hear it for my self. Was this released commercially. let me know if they put this on a cd or i-tunes

[gusset08]

@Alkali64 I agree, listen to the vocal timbre and inflections. The Willie Brown who recorded Ragged and Dirty also recorded Mississippi Blues. The guitar style is also is a clue - M&O and Future blues are more a Delta style while Ragged and Dirty and Mississippi Blues have an alternating bass - a country blues technique.