High water everywhere: Blues and gospel commentary on the 1927 Mississippi River flood
Jackson, (2006)Abstract
Unedited The great flood of the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the spring of 1927 provoked an outpouring of song, especially among African-American blues and gospel singers. This paper identifies these songs and places them in the context of events of the time, the lives of the singers and composers, and other songs of this era on river and flood themes. It contains the complete lyrics of 19 blues and portions of others, one gospel song, and one sermon about the flood by African-American artists recorded between 1927 and 1930. It also explains the lyrics of Alice Pearson’s “Memphis earthquake,” about another event that occurred during the period of the flood, and of Bessie Smith’s “Back-water blues", a song long thought to be about the 1927 flood but actually about a flood that struck Nashville, Tennessee, on Christmas 1926.