Good Morning Blues! My grandmother used to tell me about the Blue Monday's of her youth in the 1920's; a gathering of the "good time" crew that included some of the local teachers, preachers, day workers and laborers. I don't know exactly why they called these gatherings "blue" because all the carryings-on I heard about were anything but depressing. Or maybe it was the Monday blah's that they were trying to get through until Hump Day! And once they got over Wednesday they could coast until Saturday night when they might hear old Hanna Brown from way 'cross town hollerin' about a pig foot and bottle of beer.
Or maybe Clara Ward might start moanin' from her table with "Lord, Lord, Lord. I said Lord Lord Lord. If I go to church on Sunday and talk about all my friends on Monday - ain't nobody's bizness if I do." Everybody would start screaming & hollerin' and you know 'ol big mouf Della Reese would get in there with "Well, I went to bed last night and I kept turning from side to side - don't you get me wrong I wasn't sick - my soul was just dissatified." And then somebody would jump on the organ and rock the house with a low-down blues and everybody would be snappin' & handclappin' and waiting for Miss Ree, and right on cue she come in with "I keep me one man in the valley and another one up on the hill 'cuz when my valley man ain't workin' I'm cool because I know my hill will."
And then Ted White wouldn't be smilin' so wide no more! He'd cut his eyes at Ree Ree and then all hell would break loose FOR REAL!
And maybe somebody knows who the couple on the end is?
(L-R Aretha Franklin, Clara Ward, Ted White and Della Reese, circa 1963)
Good job, Corey. I am speechless!
Salima
Posted by: Salima Masud | May 02, 2011 at 11:03 AM
Im taking this photograph lol. Love it!
Posted by: Brandon | May 02, 2011 at 01:20 PM