"Me and My Chauffeur Blues" is a song written and recorded by blues singer and guitarist

Memphis Minnie Lizzie Douglas (June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973), better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "Wh ...

in 1941. It was added to the U.S.

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...

in 2019. A number of other musicians have recorded the song, or adaptations of it, often under shortened titles.

Memphis Minnie's song

Memphis Minnie recorded "Me and My Chauffeur Blues" in Chicago on May 21, 1941, for Okeh Records, with her husband Ernest "Little Son Joe" Lawlars on additional guitar. She used the tune of "

Good Morning, School Girl "Good Morning, School Girl" is a blues standard that has been identified as an influential part of the blues canon. Pre-war Chicago blues vocalist and harmonica pioneer John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson first recorded it in 1937. Subsequently, a ...

", recorded by John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson in 1937. The 78 rpm record listed "Lawlar" as the songwriter, but it is thought Minnie wrote the song herself.Garon, Paul; Garon, Beth (1992). ''Woman With Guitar: Memphis Minnie's Blues''. New York: Da Capo Press. pp. 51ff. . Performing rights organizations show both Minnie and Ernest Lawler as the writers. The song was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

in 2019 for preservation in the

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Adaptations by other musicians

Big Mama Thornton recorded a version of the song as "Me and My Chauffeur" backed by guitarist Johnny Talbot and his band in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

, in March 1964 for producer James C. Moore. It was released that year as a single with "Before Day", the only record ever issued on Moore's Sharp label. Moore leased the two tracks to the

Bihari brothers The Bihari brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American businessmen of Hungarian Jewish origins. They were the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries, such as Meteor Records, based in Memphis. The Bihari brothers w ...

, who issued them on a

Kent Records Kent Records was a Los Angeles-based record label, launched in 1958 by the Bihari brothers. It was subsidiary of Crown Records Corporation. Kent was a follow-up to Modern Records which ceased operations in 1958. The label reissued Modern's singles, ...

single in 1965. Thornton also recorded it with backing by Mississippi Fred McDowell on slide guitar in the recording session for the ''Big Mama Thornton – In Europe'' album in London on October 20, 1965. The track was omitted from the original album, but added as a bonus track titled "Chauffeur Blues" on the 2005 CD reissue.

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

first heard the piece sung by Thornton. Andy Stroud, Simone's husband and manager, adapted it for her and she recorded it as "Chauffeur" on her ''

Let It All Out ''Let It All Out'' is an album by Nina Simone, released by Philips Records in February 1966. The song "Chauffeur" is an adaptation of Memphis Minnie's " Me and My Chauffeur Blues" (1941), which Simone first heard Big Mama Thornton sing. Thornt ...

'' album, released in February 1966. Jefferson Airplane recorded a version as "Chauffeur Blues" on the album ''

Jefferson Airplane Takes Off ''Jefferson Airplane Takes Off'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band Jefferson Airplane, released on 15 August 1966 by RCA Victor. The personnel differs from the later "classic" lineup: Signe Toly Anderson was the female vocali ...

'', released in August 1966, with Signe Anderson as the lead vocalist. The album lists

Lester Melrose Lester Franklin Melrose (December 14, 1891 – April 12, 1968) was a talent scout who was one of the first American producers of Chicago blues records. Career Lester Franklin Melrose was born in Sumner, Illinois, the second of six children ...

, the influential early blues record producer, as the songwriter. It is performed at a faster tempo than Minnie's version and uses only three of her four verses. Anderson performed the song with strong

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...

vocals. According to Jeff Tamarkin, author of ''Got a Revolution! The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane'', Jorma Kaukonen brought in "Chauffeur Blues" for Signe to sing. It was not included in the repertoire of Jefferson Airplane's early gigs and was performed only occasionally. It was last performed by the Airplane on October 15, 1966, at the concert recorded as ''Signe's Last''. An extended version of the song is included in the remastered version of ''Jefferson Airplane Takes Off''. The blues writer and historian Thomas Millroth claims Memphis Minnie received no royalties from Jefferson Airplane. Versions of the song have been recorded by a number of other artists.

References

{{authority control Songs about occupations 1941 songs 1941 singles Blues songs Big Mama Thornton songs Jefferson Airplane songs Nina Simone songs Okeh Records singles United States National Recording Registry recordings