Jessie Mae Hemphill - Some Delta Boogie! (mix)

Songs: Shake It, Baby – Shame On You – Streamline Train
Jessie Mae Hemphill was born October 18, 1923 (near Como and Senatobia, Mississippi) and died July 22, 2006 in Memphis, Tennessee.
She specialized in the North Mississippi hill country blues tradition — a more rhythmic, modal style of blues distinct from the more widely known Delta blues.
She was a singer, guitarist, percussionist (she sometimes strapped a tambourine to her leg, used ankle bells, and combined drumming with her guitar.
Jessie came from a deeply musical family. Her grandfather, Sid Hemphill, was a prominent multi instrumentalist and bandleader who had recordings made by folklorists like Alan Lomax.
As a child and young adult, her performances were mostly local — with family fife and drum bands, at picnics, local dances, or informal musical gatherings.
Her first field recordings were made in 1967 by George Mitchell and in 1973 by David Evans, though many weren’t released immediately. In 1979, David Evans (then at Memphis State University) recorded more formal sessions, helping launch her recording career.
Her first full-length album, She Wolf, was released in 1981 through a French label (Vogue)
In the U.S., her album Feelin’ Good (1990) earned her acclaim and awards.
She won the W.C. Handy Award (later rebranded as the Blues Music Award) as “Best Traditional Female Blues Artist” in 1987 and 1988. Her work Feelin’ Good also received a Handy award for “Best Acoustic Album.”
Hemphill’s blues often employed repetitive, hypnotic rhythms (rather than elaborate chord changes), and her integration of percussive elements (tambourine, bells, foot rhythm) gave her performances a distinct groove.
In 1993 she suffered a stroke which left her unable to play guitar with both hands, effectively curtailing her blues career. However, she continued to perform in more limited capacity (e.g. singing, playing tambourine) and later recorded a gospel album Dare You to Do It Again (2004) under her foundation’s guidance.