BABY WE GOT TO HAVE US A LITTLE TALK. I'M GONNA PACK U P MY BAGS I'M GONNA WALK......
I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A WEE ONE I HEARD THAT SONG ON ONE OF THOSE OLD COLUMBIA 33 1/3 RPM RECORDS MY MOTHER USE TO GET FROM THE COLUMBIA HOUSE RECORD CLUB ( SHE HAD BEEN A MEMBER SINCE THEY WERE SENDING OUT THOSE BIG ASS 78RPM RECORD SETS ( ISN'T THE ADVANCE OF TECHNOLOGY WONDERFUL!) .
WE STILL HAVE A JAMES BROWN AND THE FAMOUS FLAMES 78 IN THE HOUSE SOMEWHERE ALONG WITH A STACK OF THOSE BRIGHT YELLOW AND RED 16 RPM RECORDS THAT AUNT JOY WOULD GIVE OUT ON HER SHOW!) AUNT JOYA WASN'T A RELATION SHE WAS A FRIEND OF MY MOTHERS. SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN TO HAVE HER OWN TV SHOW HERE IN NY. IT WAS CALLED JOYA OR SOMETHING HER NAME WAS JOYA SHERILL IT WAS LIKE A AFRICAN AMERICAN VERSION OF THE MAGICAL GARDEN OF MAKE BELIEVE ( WHICH EVERYONE LIKED BETTER) IT HAD THE CHUCKLE PATCH BUT JOYA DIDN'T NO CHUCKLE PATCH SO I ONLY LIKED HER TO SHOW OFF TO MY FRIENDS IN 1ST GRADE THAT I "KNEW" A TV PERSON" LOL!!
MY MOTHERS OTHER FRIEND WAS JOYCE BRYANT WHO HAD BEEN A SINGER OF SOME NOTE IN THE 50'S SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST SINGERS TO USE RADIATOR PAINT TO DYE HER HAIR SILVER A POPULAR TREND. SHE WENT BALD AND ENDED UP WORKING AS A SALES WOMAN AT SAKS IN GARDEN CITY OR MINEOLA AND MOM WOULD DRAG US OVER THERE FOR A HAT OR SHE WOULD COME TO THOSE DINNER PARTIES MY PARENTS HAD AND I WOULD HEAR HISTORY OF MUSIC VERBATIM FROM PEOPLE LIKE AUNT JOYCE OR AUNT JOYA ( WHO ALSO HAD BEEN A PIANO PLAYER) ! MAMA ALWAYS HAD. HAD THE TYPE REC RECORDS THAT PEOPLE FORGOT ABOUT ( IF THEY BOTHERED BUYING THEM AT ALL) ,.YOU KNOW, THE ONES BEFORE PEOPLE BECOME BIG STARS OR THE ECLECTIC ONES LIKE PETE SEEGER OR ARTHUR PRYSOCK. ( BY THE WAY I WAS JUST LOOKING AT A VERVE RECORD BY ELLA FITZGERALD WITH A 1950 DATE ON IT AND SHE WAS LIKE "AW WHY DO I KEEP THESE?" AS SHE PUT IT BACK IN ITS "SPECIAL PLACE"
THIS RECORD I REMEMBER WAS PRODUCED BY A&R GURU JOHN HAMMOND AND HE WAS STYLIZING ARETHA VERY EARLY IN HER CAREER AFTER BILLIE HOLIDAY ON THIS ALBUM SHE DID A LOT OF THOSE OLD SONGS SUCH AS "THEIR IS NO GREATER LOVE" "GOD BLESS THE CHILD" AND SOME OTHER TUNES THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH HOLIDAY. THIS WAS THE LATE FIFTIES OR VERY EARLY 60'S I WOULD IMAGINE. I REMEMBER THE RECORD BEING VERY HEAVY. AS THOSE OLD OLD 33'S SEEMED TO BE AND THICK!
I REMEMBER THINKING HOW ODD THIS WAS . I WAS ABOUT MAYBE 8 OR 9 BUT I LOVED MUSIC I COULD PLAY SONGS, NOT WELL BUT BY EAR AND HER VOICE WAS SO POWERFUL, MAJESTIC. REMINDED ME OF THOSE SMALL CHURCHES THAT PEOPLE GO TO THAT REALLY SHOULD BE CANDY STORES BUT THEY TURN EM INTO CHURCHES AND WHEN YOU PASS IN THE SUMMER THESE STRONG VOICES COME BARGING OUT ASSAULTING YOUR EARS WITH THE RHYTHM THAT HAS ENRAPTURED THE PEOPLE INSIDE INTO A FRENZY OF DANCING AND WORSHIP AND PRAISE.
MUDDY WATER WAS ALWAYS MY FAVORITE. I NEVER COULD GET THE LYRICS RIGHT. I ALWAYS THOUGHT SHE WAS SAYING " ID RATHER DRINK MUDDY WATER SALIVA OUT OF A HOLLOW LOG" WHICH I FIGURED WAS GROSS AS WELL AS WEIRD BUT HELL, THE SONG WAS SO OLD MAYBE THAT IS WHY I DID NOT QUESTION IT. HOWEVER, SOME YEARS LATER I HEARD JOHNNY TAYLOR SINGING THE SONG IN A PLACE CALLED THE BEER TAVERN, A LITTLE CLUB, OR IN SOUTHERN VERNACULAR JOOK JOINT THAT SAT ON 5TH AVE IN GAINESVILLE, FLA IT HAD A SMALL JUKEBOX THAT PLAYED ALL THESE OLD SONGS.
THE CLUB OR JOINTS ONLY ALLURE IT WAS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE A 9TH GRADER COULD GO AND HAVE A NICE DRINK ( THEY SOLD MADDOGG 20/20 , ORANGE JUBILEE, RIPPLE AND THAT DAMN WHITE LIGHTNING HOME MADE CORN LIKKER! )0 AND BE A .....ADULT! PLUS, THEY HAD A MISS. PAC MAN MACHINE WHICH WAS THE RAGE THAT YEAR.
FRIDAY NIGHTS THOSE OLD PEOPLE USE TO DANCE SO HARD TO MUSIC FROM THOSE BLUES SINGERS LIKE ZZ HILL, KOKO TAYLOR, J BLACKFOOT ETC THE FLOOR WOULD LITERALLY SHAKE! WHAT A PLACE! I HAVEN'T BEEN ANYWHERE LIKE THAT SINCE! ITS ALL BUT GONE NOW ( DAMN URBAN RENEWAL BUT ITS ALIVE IN MY MEMORIES AND OFT TIMES WHEN I'M ON MEMORY LANE I VISIT FOR A MINUTE OR TWO)
I WAS BRAND NEW TO THE SOUTH. I LASTED ONE YEAR BEFORE I CAUGHT TRAILWAYS BUS BACK TO NYC( IT WAS ONLY 99 DOLLARS AT THE TIME! I ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT CLUB AND IT WAS THERE THAT I LEARNED THE LYRICS TO THIS SONG.
BABY WE GOT TO HAVE US A LITTLE TALK
I GOT TO PACK UP MY THINGS I'M GONNA WALK
THEY SAY A FLOWER GOES FROM HAND TO HAND
BUT BEFORE I SEE YOU GO FROM WOMAN TO WOMAN
ID RATHER DRINK MUDDY WATER
SLEEP OUT OF A HOLLOW LOG
I LOVE YOU BABY
BUT YOU JUST WONT BE FAIR
I DON'T BELIEVE YOU KNOW HOW TO BE ON THE SQUARE
NOW HAVE ALL YOUR FUN IF YOU MUST
BUT BEFORE I BE WITH A MAN I DON'T TRUST
ID RATHER DRINK MUDDY WATER
SLEEP OUT OF A HOLLOW LOG!
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