Charley Patton's Death – The Mystery

It is still a mystery how Charley Patton died. His death certificate lists his death as a mitral valve disorder that finally killed him. However, the issue probably began when he was a young man, and contracted syphilis.

However, in his later years, Patton reverted back to being a man of God. Like other bluesmen of his time, he started off as a preacher and later became a musician. Towards the end of his life, he did both – he sang gospel songs and blues related to God, death, and more.

Patton’s niece has also said that on his death bed, Patton spent most of his time preaching his favorite sermon over and over again. It was a sermon which combined several chapters of Revelation. I have the actual sermon on hand, but am not going to post it at this time. Maybe upon request or at a later time.

At the time of his death, Patton was living with his long time love, Bertha Lee. He was living with her in Indianola, a town in Mississippi (the birthplace of BB King). He died there, but his death certificate doesn’t mention a Bertha Lee. Instead it lists a name of Willie Calvin, a name that means nothing to Son House or any of Patton’s other relatives and friends. Being that there is no mention of Bertha Lee, it is questioned where he died.

Did he leave Bertha Lee (as he was prone to do) at the last moment, and end up dying alone or with other family? Or did Bertha Lee just decline to get involved in the postmortem, perhaps because her and Patton were never legally married? Bertha Lee did say in an interview shortly before her own death that Patton had died in her arms, whispering the last words of “Honey, from now on you’re gonna have it tough”.

The death went unreported nationally, and we will never know what really transpired.

Who is Willie Brown, from the song "Crossroads"?

Despite the popular movie “Crossroads” with Ralph Machio, Willie Brown is not a harmonica player that traveled and played with Robert Johnson. Instead, it is most likely that Robert learned a little from WIllie.

Willie Brown is an accomplished guitarist from the Delta. Best known for his fierce string picking style (it is often said he plucked the strings so hard, he tore quite a few strings right off the guitar), he played along side Charley Patton the most.

He was born in 1890-95 probably around Robinsonville, in the upper Delta. By the time he hit his teens, he was living near drew, and was learning guitar from Patton. It is often said that before long, Willie became a better musician and guitarist than Charley Patton ever was. He never really made a name for himself as a creator and singer of the blues, though, and the few solo recordings he did make sound like him imitating Patton. Willie was far more content being an indispensable sideman than going it alone, so he often remained in the background with Patton and other musicians.

Robert Johnson began following Willie Brown from job to job picking up pointers in as early as 1926. Although by this time Robert Johnson was listening to phonographs, his main influences at this time were Patton and Brown (this was in the Robinsonville area). Patton and Brown reamined Johnson’s main influences until 1930, when Son House moved to the area.

P.S. – Son House also learned from Patton, ans would buy and listen to his recordings.

So WIllie Brown was, in some way, an influence to Robert Johnson, and not a sideman for the him. Willie Brown also influenced Tommy Johnson, a bluesman who first came up with the story of selling his soul to the devil, a story most believe Robert Johnson adopted from Tommy. Thus the reason WIllie is mentioned in the Crossroads song. Some even believe Willie was one of Robert’s closest friends, and an ex-employer of Johnson said Willie was the person listed to be contacted in the event of Johnson’s death.

Willie Brown is buried in an unmarked grave, in a run down church lot, Good Shepard Church, Prichard, Mississippi.

If you want to fact find, go ask my friend Willie Brown.