Mattie Delaney

Mattie Delaney
Birth name	Mattie Doyle
Born	ca. 1905 south of Tchula, Mississippi, United States
Died	Unknown
Genres	Delta blues
Occupation(s)	Singer, guitarist, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	Early 1930s
Labels	Vocalion

Mattie Delaney (ca. 1905 – unknown) was an American delta blues singer and guitarist. She was active in the 1930s with only two known recordings: "Down the Big Road Blues," and "Tallahatchie River Blues."

Career

Mattie Delaney was probably born Mattie Doyle south of Tchula, Mississippi. Around 1927 she may have moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Contemporary witnesses remember seeing her perform at Swan Lake, Mississippi. She recorded two songs for the Vocalion Records label in February 1930. Her song "Down The Big Road Blues" was a variant of Tommy Johnson's "Big Road Blues". One music journalist noted "Delaney issuing a matter-of-fact report in "Tallahatchie River Blues". She was unusual for a female performer of the time, in that she played guitar accompaniment and sang topical songs. Nothing is known of her life after the recordings.

Two of Delaney's songs were featured on the Mississippi Girls (1928-1931) compilation album, issued in September 1991.

Cover versions

Several cover versions of Delaney's songs have been recorded over the years. These include:

• "Travelin' Blues" - Rory Block (High Heeled Blues) (1981)
• "Tallahatchie River Blues" - Rory Block (When a Woman Gets the Blues) (1995)
• "Down the Big Road Blues" - Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road) (1998)

See also

• List of blues musicians

External links

• Works by or about Mattie Delaney in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Illustrated Mattie Delaney discography