Profile of Charley Patton on Famous Like Me

Charlie Patton (May 1, 1891–April 28, 1934), or Charley Patton ("Charlie", according to his full-length biography, but Web sites and album covers show no consensus on the spelling) was an American Delta blues musician, and one of the first mainstream stars of that genre. Patton, who lived most of his life in Sunflower County, in the Mississippi Delta, was extremely popular across the U.S. South, and (in contrast to the itinerant wanderering of most blues musicians of his time) was invited to perform at plantations and taverns. He is considered by many to be the "Father of Delta Blues".

He is credited with creating an enduring body of American music and personally inspiring just about every Delta blues man (Palmer, 1995). Palmer considers him among the most important musicians that America produced in the twentieth century.

Patton was born in Southern Mississippi, near Edwards at an uncertain date. In 1887, however, his family moved to the Dockery Plantation sawmill and cotton farm. It was here that both John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf fell under the Patton spell.

Although a small man at about 5 foot 5 and 135 pounds, the sound of his whiskey-and cigarette-scarred voice was rumored to be carried for over 500 yards without amplification. This gritty voice was a major influence in the singing style of one of his students, Howlin Wolf.

Long before Jimi Hendrix he was the entertainer's entertainer with dazzling showmanship, often playing guitar on his knees and behind his head, as well as behind his back.

Patton died on the Heathman-Dedham plantation near Indianola from heart disease in early 1934 and is buried in Holly Ridge (both towns are located in Sunflower County).

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