14
Ike Zimmerman – More Details Around the Legend
More Details About Ike Zimmerman Are Revealed
An Alabama based radio station recently uncovered more clues about Ike Zimmerman. They even interviewed his daughter. And yes, the last name is Zimmerman – finally that issue can be put to rest. Ike, as it turns out, was a pretty great guy…..
Isaiah “Ike” Zimmerman was born in Grady, Alabama in 1907. In his early years, Ike was a farmer in Alabama. He came from a farming family. His brother, Herman, was also a farmer in the area. Even then though, Ike was into music. Music, it turns out, was the absolute love of Ike’s life. It was what he lived for. Even at an early age, Ike was remembered as playing blues in juke joints around not only the Grady area, but surrounding towns as well, including Montgomery.
It was in Montgomery that Ike met his soon to be wife, Ruth. Ruth worked in a hotel in the city as a cook. She lived under the hotel, in quarters provided for the workers. She would ride the street cars of Montgomery, and on a chance meeting, met and fell in love with Ike. Of course, the rest is history.
Ike would eventually leave Grady with his brother Herman. He would end up following Route 80 out of Montgomery, and connecting with Highway 51 near Jackson, where he headed south. He ended up in a place called “The Quarters”, in Beauregard, MS. The Quarters, as described by Ike’s youngest daughter Loretha Smith, was a small enclave located by the Beauregard Cemetery and a crossroads. She said there were only about 5 or 6 houses there. Of course, the Quarters no longer exists, but we believe this was located on East Ave, just south of Beauregard Road. This is where Ike would eventually settle. It was a cozy, 2 bedroom, 1 kitchen house with a front porch. It pretty much was a shotgun house as we know them today. Ike worked as a road constructor, but barely ever put down the guitar.
Ike, it turned out, loved music so much, he taught quite a few people. Most of his students were women. In Fact, one of his most gifted students (other than Robert Johnson) just recently died – and she was quite skilled on the guitar as well. In fact, some locals say she was just as good as old Robert. Ike, it would seem, was a loving man who not only had a gift for music, but had a unique gift to be able to successfully teach it to others who wanted to learn.
Where Ike and RJ Met - Martinsville, MS
All the while Ike was in Mississippi, he never stopped playing the guitar at Juke Joints all around the area. His brother Herman, who also still lived in Mississippi, lived near Martinsville, MS. On one trip to see his brother, Ike would stop into a store/juke and ended up meeting Robert Johnson. Often times, this area is referred to as “One Stop”, because at the time, the area had one stop. They used to have two buildings on the corner, but only one remains. This area now sits on the corners of Martinsville Road and Highway 51. Robert explained to Ike, upon them meeting, that he had just come from Hazlehurst, which was just a few miles north. This lends to the rumor that Robert had traveled to Hazlehurst to learn guitar for over a year. Partly true – he would travel on, as it turns out, from Hazlehurst stopping in Martinsville. Here he met Ike, and his life changed forever.
Robert – known at that time in that area as R.L. – would follow Ike back to his home to stay with him. How this happened is still unclear – it is possible Robert just needed a bed for the night, and Beauregard was not far away – or perhaps he had a chance to hear Ike play and was offered the chance to learn. Either way, Robert went home with Ike. Ike’s wife, Ruth, made room for Robert to sleep in the house. Robert would come to be treated like a member of the Zimmerman family. Ike, and his wife, were quite fond of Robert. Robert was so eager to learn, that Ike literally taught Robert everything he knew. Robert ate it up, and practiced diligently.
We’ve all heard the story of Robert and Ike practicing in a nearby cemetery atop the tombstones. This cemetery, The Beauregard Cemetery, is still there today. Robert and Ike would leave Ike’s home in The Quarters, take a small dirt road through the woods, cross over a crossroads, and walk right into the then white-onwned cemetery to play. The occupants who lived around the cemetery remember being able to hear them play, both at night, and during the day. This path they traveled to the cemetery also lends a lot of credence to Crossroad Blues. If Ike represented the devil, the song takes on new meaning. Going down to the crossroads all seems to just make more sense. Of course, the song Crossroad Blues does not mention the devil by name, but it still lends credence to the “selling your soul” to the devil, and the song itself.
The Quarters, where Robert lived with Ike, and the Cemetery the practiced in
In fact, it is common knowledge among the Zimmerman family that 4 recorded songs of Robert Johnson should actually be credited to Ike Zimmerman. His children claim they heard 2 of the songs well before Robert ever came to stay with them. As Ike often would play his kids to sleep, 2 of the songs were common tunes in the Zimmerman household. These were Walking Blues and Ramblin’ on my Mind. According to them, Dust my Broom and Come on in my Kitchen were tunes Ike wrote while Robert was there, writing them to assist in his teaching the blues to Robert. So maybe we could say they were co-writtien, but in all honesty, it sounds like those 4 songs were written by old Ike himself.
On top of all these cemetery sessions, they played a lot at the Zimmerman home. Ike actually had a fireplace in his home, and a lot of music was played in front of the fire. Some say Robert stayed with the Zimmermans’ close to two years – but no one really knows. One little kept secret is that the guitar was not all Ike would teach Robert. He also taught him how to play the harmonica. Robert, who was already decent at the instrument, would learn to master it as well – confirming stories later told by Johnny Shines that Robert was a proficient harp player. Eventually, after Robert had been taught all he could, he told Ike he was ready to go out on the road. Ike told Robert he was ready – and just how proud of him he truly was. Ike, however, went one step further – and they headed out on the road together.
While on the road together, the two more competed with each other than played duets. They would follow each others acts in jukes, and compete on street corners for attention. They played Hazlehurst and some surrounding areas. Eventually, they ended up in Texas together. From there, they would go their separate ways.
Robert would return north to wow his fellow musicians with his amazing new skills. He told Ike at the time he was headed for Memphis. Ike, on the other hand, would eventually leave Beauregard from LA to meet up with his brother Herman. In later years, Ike would become a pastor in Compton, California. Though he eventually (mostly) gave up the blues, he never gave up guitar. He played spirituals, and his family and friends often say he died playing the guitar. He played his whole life – and his youngest daughter said that even during her wedding in 1948 Ike was still playing those blues. Ike would die around 1974 at the age of 67.
Everyone who knew Ike loved him. He was an honest, kind man who went the extra mile to help everyone he could. He was a loving, caring father who took good care of his family. He loved his life, his family, and music. He never was much of a spotlight kind of guy, but in the end, he shaped music forever.
He could truly be the Father of the Blues.
Author: Jason Rewald
Jason is an avid blues musician, scholar, and fan based out of the Tampa Bay area.38 Comments to “Ike Zimmerman – More Details Around the Legend”
Leave a comment
Excellent story. You’ve just added proudly to the Delta lore.
Jason, this story is quite interesting and amazing.
When I concluded in my book, Finding Robert Johnson, in 2006, that it was Ike Zinermon (Zimmerman) who taught Robert Johnson his incredible guitar playing technique, I got ridiculed pretty badly for making that assumption, since Zimmerman made no recordings of his playing. Eventually, the truth always comes out.
Rick/Gene,
As always, I appreciate having you guys post on the site. It is a real honor to have people of such hugh caliber in the blues world take notice of my site and my articles.
Ike is indeed a fascinating character. Gene, to your point, someone had to teach him. Unless we all are going to believe he actually sold his soul…. I am glad I can contribute to the blues – it is my way of giving back to the music that has given me so much.
Hope to see you on here again!
Jason, since you cite no details regarding the information you’ve put together in your article, it’s little more than a story. What radio station in Alabama are we talking about? Who from the radio station gathered this information? Who talked with Zimmerman’s daughters? When and where did these interviews/discussions take place? In the real world of Blues Research, documentation and provenance are crucial elements. These elements have been left out of your article, and without them, what you’ve written is little more than fiction. Mind you, I’m not claiming you made this up, but it certainly shouldn’t be looked at as concrete Blues Research without citing some of the details I’ve outlined.
Thanks.
Craig
Craig,
Want details? here you go.
The interviews were sponsored by The Alabama State Council on the Arts, and the Director, Al Head. They were conducted by Alabama Arts Radio Series, a weekly show about artists from Alabama. More specifically, the interviews were conducted by Grey Brennan, Marketing Manager at the Alabama Department of Travel and Tourism and Steve Grauberger of ASCA. They interviewed two daughters of Ike Zimmerman, Loretha Z. Smith and Nelly Ruth Brown with their sons James Smith and Oscar Brown. These interviews took place in June 2011. They station is located in Montgomery Alabama. The dicussions took place in Montgomery.
The information in my article came mostly from ther information provided directly by Lorentha Smith. Some of the maps and other data was gathered by me from other information.
Thanks for posting.
“In fact, it is common knowledge among the Zimmerman family that 4 recorded songs of Robert Johnson should actually be credited to Ike Zimmerman. His children claim they heard 2 of the songs well before Robert ever came to stay with them. As Ike often would play his kids to sleep, 2 of the songs were common tunes in the Zimmerman household.These were Walking Blues and Ramblin’ on my Mind.”
So Zimmerman taught Son House “My Black Mama”? Since that song is the origin of “Walking Blues” this is what you are inferring, yes?
“According to them, Dust my Broom and Come on in my Kitchen were tunes Ike wrote while Robert was there, writing them to assist in his teaching the blues to Robert.”
Zimmerman also taught the Mississippi Sheiks “Sitting On Top Of The World” as well? Wow, he sure got around! So which members of Zimmerman’s family were present when he was coaching Johnson on how to play these alleged compositions of his, in order for this to be “common knowledge”?
“…it sounds like those 4 songs were written by old Ike himself”
Really? What do you base this on?
Sir Loins,
First let me clarify it is not common knowledge – but common knowledge amongst the Zimmerman family. A big difference there. But let’s try to look at this.
My Black Mama was recorded May 28, 1930. Who knows when the song was written, but we know this to be the recording date. Son House moved to Robinsonville June 1st, 1930 – right after the recording session. In March of 1931 Robert leaves Robinsonville in search of his father, where he wound up meeting Ike Zimmerman. So yes, the timeline would suggest that My Black Mama obviously came before Walkin’ Blues in that regard. However, I can do you one better. It is more than likely that Son House wrote Walkin’ Blues. In fact, a test pressing of this song with House singing being accompanied by Willie Brown was discovered in an attic in 1985. This was recorded during the same session as My Black Mama. However, my article is merely trying to state that according to Ike’s daughter, she heard this song long before Johnson arrived. I am in no way inferring Ike taught Son House – let’s be real.
As far as the Mississippi Sheiks go, that is a whole other controversy as far as I am concerned. The slide guitar lick in Dust my Broom and Come on in my Kitchen was a standard lick played by a wide variety of guitarists in the Delta, even in 1930. According to Walter Vinson, the song was written and recorded in 1930. Patton also recorded a version in May of 1930. Basic research kind of shows though that this song was derived from How Long How Long, recorded in 1928. Some even say Tampa Red wrote the melody to Sitting on Top of the World. So obviously Ike didn’t teach the Sheiks – but I doubt the song was an original composition. Also, as these songs were recorded, it is possible Ike owned the records.
I appreciate you challenging the research of this site, I honestly do. But blues forms, chords, riffs, and lyrics were borrowed all the time from each other. Ask an old blues guy and he’ll tell you – he changes one line of a well known song, and all of a sudden “he wrote it.” They often thought changing lyrics and a few little things made the song an original.
Also, regardless of what songs other songs were “based on”, it does not make the claims by Ike’s daughter untrue. If you think Dust my Broom and Come on in my Kitchen sound similar to Siting on Top of the World, that’s cool – but SOMEONE had to write the lyrics for Dust my Broom and Come on in my Kitchen. Even if the songs are close in sound, they are, in actuality, different songs. So Lorentha’s claims may still be valid.
Ike was also an avid Juke Joint player. So as far as Walking Blues goes, how do you know? Ike was born in 1907, close to the time Son House was born in 1902. How do we know Son House wrote Walking Blues or My Black Mama? Maybe he heard Ike playing at a juke. Or maybe Ike heard him playing at a juke, changed the words, and kept the song as his own. We may never know. That still does not make her claims invalid.
At the end of the day, we may never know – but at least we have a different perspective here, which is all I am trying to share.
Rock on.
~ Jason
I’m still curious how Zimmerman’s daughters could be credible witnesses to Ike’s creative process, presumably prior to their own birth.
While I applaud ANY new research in the blues field, I’m afraid that on a purely academical level you invalidate your own research with phrases such as “it sounds like those 4 songs were written by old Ike himself” – particularly when the witnesses you are interviewing can only offer second-hand information. So were they “written” by Ike, or were they based upon earlier pieces by older musicians?
“I doubt the song was an original composition” and “it sounds like those 4 songs were written by old Ike himself” are two contradictory statements which invalidate one another.
Which one will it be?
I am confused. How is Ike’s daughter, who lived in the house before, during, and after Robert Johnson stayed with them, not a creditable witness? Do you know someone alive who knows better? I would love to speak to them if you do.
According to the interview, it does sound like those 4 songs were written by Ike himself. I’m sorry that scares you. How is she offering second hand information if she was there and witnessed it? That doesn’t even make sense. If I witness a car crash, am I providing second hand information to the cop on the scene? Did you not read my previous response? Some older musicians considered rewriting one verse made the song their own. So…. they could have been written by Ike and based off of earlier pieces by older musicians. Both. As is almost all music of today. Doubting the song was original refers to Sitting on Top of the World. I do indeed doubt that song is original. That has nothing to do with believing if Ike wrote the songs or not.
Believe what you want to believe. Better yet, write an article about it. Share it. Get it published. Instead of arguing for argument’s sake, write a rebuttal and back it up with facts and dates.
Alright, how old were Zimmerman’s daughters when Ike was teaching Johnson, if they were even actually born at the time? If you do not see why witness credibility of of paramount importance in any academic research, so be it – I must just be “arguing for argument’s sake” right?
If you want your opinion pieces to be taken seriously as academic work, you will need to abide by a modicum of academic research criteria. Until then, you’re just another well-meaning enthusiast with a blog site.
I am not going to argue anymore with you. You are welcome to do the research, and formulate your own opinion. I have nothing against that. You can listen to the interview yourself. Witness credibility is not the issue here. You are trying to argue one point of the article, where I stated it “SOUNDS LIKE old Ike wrote those 4 songs.” I am not presenting that as fact. I am presenting that as a claim made by a daughter of Ike Zimmerman.
If you don’t want to take the piece seriously, go ahead. Your call. But if you want your trolling opinion to be taken seriously, just point me in the direction of your published work (not blog) and we can discuss it. Until then, you are just anther troll looking for attention on the internet.
Good day.
Jason, you are invited to join us on “The Real Blues Forum” on Facebook, where over 350 authors, discographers, musicians, researchers, record company folks, long-term enthusiasts going back to the 60′s at least…and more-who all love & know about the blues, including some who have discussed your Zimmerman work here- will be pleased to greet you; we are not trolls, we are deadly serious
Thank you for the invite!
I am family – and friends – with some of your members. I look forward to joining the discussions.
Just to be fair though, it’s not just MY work, per se…. It is also the work of Al Head and the state of Alabama. But I get what you mean.
See you there.
Jason,
Quoting from one of your previous statements,
“The slide guitar lick in Dust my Broom and Come on in my Kitchen was a standard lick played by a wide variety of guitarists in the Delta, even in 1930.”
Did you really mean to include Dust My Broom as an example of Johnson’s “slide guitar lick”? Robert Johnson didn’t use a slide on I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom, at least, according to my ear. Perhaps, you were thinking of Elmore James’ Dust My Broom. Please clarify.
Thanks
Gene,
I’m sorry. I was not inferring the lick was by Johnson. I was saying the slide lick in those two songs were common. But I should have been more clear….
Yes, the slide guitar lick in Dust my Broom I was referring to is Elmore James’s lick.
Thanks!
Jason: I misread one letter of your last sentence very quickly — “I was referring to is Elmore James’s lick” – and almost had a heart attack! I guess all that reference to “Johnson” was working in my subconscious.
The exchange on this article is fabulous. Now, I have to take yet another trip and find that cemetery.
There’s never a dull moment on this site.
Rick
the blues
invented,created&barely developed by
dirt poor black southern folks.
the blues
a priceless collection of
black history&art.
the blues
moans,born beyond the 14thcentury
treated like cattle&ticked,traded,stolen,bought&sold
the blues squeezed from black souls like pus over time.
we all owe thanks for the many black folks that struggled
to get away the legal mistreatment(that many ehnic groups suffered too)that
reigned before the jim crow south&after.
the blues
i suppose anyone
can claim to have the blues,sadness,thats fine,
but these blues
were invented,created by dirt poor black folks.
credit where credit is due.
to say otherwise would be shortsighted,senseless,
like declaring that blacks invented yiddish…and that just woudlnt be true.
thew blues
a priceless collection of
black history&art
blackbullblues
Interesting article. Thanks for doing it. And for establishing where the cemetery is where Johnson took lessons from Zimmerman! Great info.
The part of the article you should delete or change, however, is the part about the crossroads and the devil. Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” contains NO reference to the devil. Please listen to the song and then reread your reference to it. Thanks. Cheers, SC
The only question that I have about the interview is the timing of her age…
She was married at 14 years old in 1948.
That means she was born in 1934. Which works out physically, but barely.
Thanks,
RSKKZ
I went to Beauregard, Ms. Days after hearibng this interview…
It answers alot of questions…
There is even a grave area that resembles a “Boxing Ring”
(from the interview)
As I said months ago, She states she was married at 14 years old in 1948.
That means she was born in 1934.
If she was born when Robert was there, she was an infant.
Robert was long gone and dead by the time she was 4 years old.
So I do appreciate her testimony for what it is but I can’t take it as if she was an adult then and giving us specific facts now…
Most of what she knows was stories from the family,,, Which I am sure are true…
But just keep that fact in mind when you enjoy her sharing of her memories with us.
Thanks Jason,
RSKKZ, Randy Meadows
WEE-DOGGY,
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT OLD PHOTOGRAPH
TO SEE:THE GREAT &TALENTED ROBERT JOHNSON
ALONG WITH THE GREAT IKE ZIMMERMAN,FREIND&TEACHER.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE IKE MADE,EVOKING JOHNSONS SKILLS&TALENT,
ACCORDING TO BOOKS ON BLUES.
RE-LEARNING ABOUT BLUES HISTORY:LIFE&TIMES.
BLACKBULL
My only concern with this is. the elder daughter on the interview states she got married at 14 in 1948. How clear would their memory of certain songs be at 2 3 or 4?
Hope this interests you, if so I can give you further info in regards.
Mississippi grave marker unveiling
Through a charitable donation, Richard “Hacksaw” Harney, superlative ragtime and blues guitarist and pianist of the Golden Era, will receive posthumous recognition of his great talent with the unveiling of a simple, yet fitting headstone. The grave marker unveiling will occur at 1 pm on Saturday April 28th, at the Hinds County Cemetery in Raymond, Miss. The cemetery is located off Highway 18 West as it turns South, near the eastern city limits of Raymond.
Mr. Harney died on Christmas Day 1973 and according to his death certificate, buried in a pauper’s grave at Raymond, Mississippi, near Jackson, the State capitol. Only through research undertaken by Jackson’s Marcia Weaver, and the assistance of Lt. Dan Smith of the local Sheriff’s office, was the exact location determined.
Additional research yielded the location of Harney’s family members, who have expressed their appreciation. Rose Mary Harney, Mr. Harney’s daughter and possibly other family members are expected to attend the ceremony. Harney’s son, Richard Harney, Jr., died in an automobile accident in 1986.
Special thanks go to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors for unanimously voting in favor a resolution to honor Mr. Harney, and to Sheriff Tyrone Lewis and his staff who are assisting in the event.
Steve Salter, of the non-profit organization, Killer Blues (www.KillerBlues.net), provided help in designing the headstone. Salter has raised funds in the past to honor various blues musicians, and in this case purchased the stone on behalf of the donors. He will also be transporting the marker to the gravesite.
Richard “Hacksaw” Harney, was a sweet man with an abundance of musical talent, and hopefully this event will correct the following, an oversight of appreciation, shine a light on his contribution to American music, and provide a fitting memorial for his family and fans to pay their respects.
Fred McDowell wrote : ‘You Gotta Move’ – he rec’d royalties for this song – melody + words from a psalm …The Mississippi Sheiks used the melody, changed words and called it : ‘Sitting on Top of the World’ … Robert Johnson kept melody, changed words and called it by another name … melody goes to McDowell
Shein
Randy … yep, I went there, too
Of course all of this was revealed in my Living Blues article on Ike (#194, Vol 39 #1 Feb 2008) but you got a few things wrong… Ike died in 1967, NOT 1974. I have his funeral program to prove it, as well as his social security death index. He was 69 years old because he was born in 1898. Personally, I’d stay away from the “he said/she said” arguments about what songs Ike might have written and taught to Robert. There are interviews with other informants who claim Johnson was playing those songs as early as 1928 or 29… (Another bit of blues history that needs to be corrected: Johnson was NOT the total noise-maker that Son House claimed he was when Son met him in 1930. Johnson had already been playing semi-professionally for parties, picnics, and at a few jukes around Robinsonville by that time. As I said, he was performing at least as early as 1929. All of this will be in my forthcoming definitive biography.) If Ike taught Robert any songs I would put my money on “Last Fair Deal” since it’s a worksong in AAAB format rather than AAB, it deals with working on a highway, and it would just make sense… but even that’s only a guess.
I kind of wish you hadn’t revealed the location of the Beauregard cemetery… I had kept that out of my article only to protect it from (perhaps quite literal) grave-robbing blues fans.
Bruce,
As always, thanks for posting on my site. I consider you to be one of the modern front-running blues scholars out there, so any input you have is always appreciated.
I read your article actually. It was a great piece and outlined a good chunk of the same information.
Your corrections are noted! Do you happen to have a copy of the funeral program that I could have? I would love to get my hands on a copy. Usually I check the Social Security Death Index myself. Missed it in this case.
Yeah, I struggled with revealing the location of the cemetery. Especially in hindsight with what happened to Rice Miller’s grave. The rationale I used is that the cemetery is just place they practiced, it is not a particular “grave” of a buried bluesman that would potentially get looted. I have learned through my research of some other buildings and locations concerning Johnson, but have intentionally omitted them from my site to prevent just that very thing. At the same time, I kind of feel that blues fans deserve to know… So it can be a struggle at times.
[...] Ike Zimmerman More Details Around the Legend [...]
[...] Ike Zimmerman More Details Around the Legend [...]
For me, everything feels right when you see certain places in person…
Like Little Zion Church in Greenood, Dockery Farms, and the Beauregard Crossroads view at the cemetary…. they make sense..
Jason,
Was “The Quarters” in Beauregard that you mention in the article actually called “HUNTER QUARTERS” ?
1940 Census
Ruth and Loretha Zimmerman
Copiah, Martinsville/Beauregard
http://blindman.15.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=45703
Harmon Zimmerman
WWI Draft Card.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60269751/USWorldWarIDraftRegistrationHarmon%20Zimmerman.jpg
Fascinating – I was following the Ike Zimmerman thread several years ago, this is news
BUT, can someone explain to me why, seeing as Ike had a house, for what possible reason would Ike & Bob go out into a cemetery at night to play? Secondly, do you know what rural nights are like? They can be pitch, so two grown men stumbling through a church yard at night with guitars, why? Thirdly, what happened to the a) early 20th century Afro-American curfew thesis and b) the fear of roaming lynch mobs which are cited as images benind some of the Cross Road Blues lyrics please?
As fascinating as this research is, it seems to beg more questions than it answers. Oh, and here comes the biggy: if Ike taught Robert, who taught Ike?
Meet you at the crossroads.
All I have to say is thank I found out about this site. It’s amazing work. It’s great to see fellow blues fans out there. I am from Sao Paulo, Brazil originally and I live in Chicago to pursue my studies of music at Columbia College. I love RJ’s music and it’s always great to find new information about it.
Keep up with the great work!
Daniel
Hi… I’m guessing Ike’s wife (lots of kids) told him to take his friend outside to play..a cemetery nearby would be perfect ..can’t disturb anyone
I think one of Ike’s children or grandkids mentioned the name of someone who taught/played with Ike =) I’m thinking the cemetery was so close to the Zimmerman home, Ike didn’t fear lynch mobs … just guessing, of course.
Best in Blues, Sheindie
Check out my Interview by thedeltablues “Who is Sheindie?” ..comments certainly appreciated :p
LINK to Interview: http://www.tdblues.com/
I wrote the article that was published in Living Blues about Ike and interviewed his family so I think I have a few valuable things to say about this:
There are at least three reasons why Ike’s family said that he went to play in the graveyard:
1) he said that you had to learn to play the blues from the haints (a not uncommon African American folklore belief that is aligned with the cross roads belief)
2) it gave him a supernatural cache within the community because:
2) no one else would disturb him in the graveyard, they’d be too afraid to go into a graveyard at midnight
Yes, I do know what rural night are like, and especially what they’re like at this location because I’ve been there and done that… there were no lights, you’re right, but the night sky was MUCH brighter then, especially if there was a moon out… one could almost read my moonlight.
Black curfews would have been hard to enforce in a cemetery… not many white men would want to go there either, PLUS
this cemetery was in an all-Black area… I never heard of any “roaming lynch mobs” in Copiah County in the 1920s or 1930s.
This area is also almost certainly where Robert Johnson learned about hoodoo… but that’s another story I’ll tell another time.