Candice Ivory – When The Levee Breaks – The Music of Memphis Minnie
12 Tracks – 46 minutes
Lizzie “Memphis Minnie” Douglas was born on June 3, 1897, in either Tunica County, Mississippi or New Orleans, the latter location being her unsubstantiated claim. At age 10, she learned to play the banjo and by age 11, she had learned the guitar and started performing at parties. By age 13, she had run away from home to live on Beale Street in Memphis. From 1916 to 1920, she toured the South as part of the Ringling Brothers Circus after being found busking the Memphis streets. In 1929, Minnie began performing with her second husband, Kansas Joe McCoy. They were again discovered while busking by a Columbia Records talent scout. The duo recorded together until their divorce in 1935. By that time Minnie had become well established in Chicago. She toured throughout the south, imbuing many of her songs with double entendres. By 1941, she started playing electric guitar and helped influence the electric urban blues coming out of Chicago. She continued recording and playing concerts into the 1950’s, but times and tastes for younger musicians slowed down her demand. But she never laid down her guitar until she could no longer perform on it following a series of strokes. She died on August 6, 1973, in Memphis. Memphis Minnie was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Hall of Fame in Memphis in 1980 and in 2007 was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Walls, Mississippi where she was buried. Buried in an unmarked grave, Bonnie Raitt paid for a headstone on her grave unveiled in a ceremony in 1996.
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the passing of Memphis Minnie, Candice Ivory has stepped forward to celebrate her music. Candice was born in Memphis, but currently resides in St. Louis. She is currently a professor at Washington University in St. Louis where she teaches voice. Candice has previously released three jazz albums. Her music has been heavily influenced by jazz and blues guitarist Charlie Hunter. A young, impressionable Candice Ivory had been present at the 1996 headstone ceremony and made a strong impression on her as she sought strong women role models in a male-dominated field. But it was Charlie Hunter’s encouragement that led her to record this current album.
Charlie Hunter produced and played guitar and bass behind Candice Ivory’s vocals on the album. The remaining band members are DeShawn Hickman on pedal steel, George Sluppick on drums, and Brevan Hampden and Atiba Rorie on percussion. The songs are all originals from Memphis Minnie, but Candice brings a modern vibe to them. Minnie recorded over 200 songs in her career, surpassing any other female blues artist in her era. Candice says she sought songs that provided some optimism focusing on a few well-known songs but also diving deep into the catalog for some deep cuts. Candice is referenced as the Queen of Avant Soul, a reference to Clarence Avant, who was known as the Godfather of Black Music.
The album opens with one of Minnie’s biggest hits, “Me and My Chauffer” which was recorded by Jefferson Airplane on their debut album with original singer Signe Anderson performing the song. Candice introduces a unique percussive beat to the song that gives it an Afro sound. Hickman provides a nice slide interlude into the song. The title song “When the Levee Breaks” may be best known from the reworking of the song for the blues rock of Led Zeppelin. Candice’s version is again very primal with the driving percussion the rhythmic focus.
“You Can’t Rule Me” starts with the percussion in the lead, but quickly branches out into the full band with Hickman’s slide underscoring the song and leading into the guitar from Hunter. “When You Love Me” features the acoustic guitar of Hunter backing Candice’s vocals, which is certainly reminiscent of Minnie’s own approach to songs when she performed as a duo. “Blues Everywhere” continues the acoustic approach and is certainly a throwback to the intended era. Candice’s vocals bring the needed emotional approach to her finding blues in everything around her but concludes if “I find my good man, I won’t have blues anymore”.
Candice finds a wailing voice with a gospel overtone on “Crazy Crying Blues”, on which she expresses her pain as she “…is going crazy, just can’t help myself” with Hickman’s slide and the percussion punching bullets into her expressive cries. “World of Trouble” finds her “out in the cold, cold weather…with no place to go.” and cries “Lord, have mercy on me”. Hickman’s slide and Sluppick’s drums provide the rhythm for this one. “Pile Driving Blues” is one of Minnie’s not-too deeply hidden double entendres. Hunter’s electric guitar provides the lead.
“Hole In the Wall” is a soulful blues with an easy rhythmic beat. “Hard Down Lie” is the most straight-forward blues number on the album. Candice’s vocals ring out with the slide offering an almost Hawaiian style to the backing. “Hoodoo Lady” starts with a duo approach with Hunter’s guitar and Candice’s vocals, but slowly builds to bring in the rest of the band. The album concludes with “New Bumble Bee”, a re-imagining of another one of Minnie’s double entendre songs as “he has all the stinger I need…and when he makes his honey, oh how he makes me scream.” Here the song is given a sort of reggae beat.
Candice certainly has the proper voice and reverence for Minnie’s music. As noted, the songs vary from a straight traditional approach to a style unique to Candice. But I feel certain that every song would meet the approval of Minnie.