Mattie Delaney

Mattie Delaney
Birth name	Mattie Doyle
Born	1905 Tchula, Mississippi, United States
Died	Unknown
Genres	Delta blues
Occupations	Singer, guitarist, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	Early 1930s
Labels	Vocalion

Mattie Delaney (1905 – unknown) was an American delta blues singer and guitarist.^[1] She was active in the 1930s with only two known recordings: "Down the Big Road Blues," and "Tallahatchie River Blues."

Career

Born Mattie Doyle in Tchula, Mississippi, she recorded two songs for the Vocalion Records label in February 1930.^[2] Her song "Down The Big Road Blues" was a variant of Tommy Johnson's "Big Road Blues".^[3] She was unusual for a female performer of the time, in that she played guitar accompaniment and sang topical songs.^[1] Nothing is known of her life after the recordings.^[4]

Two of Delaney's songs were featured on the Mississippi Girls (1928-1931) compilation album, issued in September 1991.^[5]

Cover versions

Several cover versions of Delaney's songs have been recorded over the years. These include:

• "Travelin' Blues" - Rory Block (High Heeled Blues) (1981)
• "Tallahatchie River Blues" - Rory Block (When a Woman Gets the Blues) (1995)
• "Down the Big Road Blues" - Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road) (1998)^[6]

See also

• List of blues musicians

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Layne, Joslyn. "Mattie Delaney". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p330474/biography. Retrieved January 23, 2010. 
2. ^ NME.com - accessed January 2010
3. ^ Sundayblues.org - accessed January 2010
4. ^ Susan Sliwicki, Discover the mystery of Mattie Delaney, Goldmine magazine
5. ^ "Allmusic ((( Mississippi Girls (1928-1931) > Overview )))". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r90012. 
6. ^ "Allmusic ((( Mattie Delaney > Songs > Songs Composed By )))". http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p330474/songs/songs-composed-by. 

External links

• Works by or about Mattie Delaney in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Illustrated Mattie Delaney discography

Persondata
Name	Delaney, Mattie
Alternative names	Doyle, Mattie
Short description	American delta blues singer and guitarist
Date of birth	1905
Place of birth	Tchula, Mississippi, United States
Date of death	unknown
Place of death