The road to me hearing and loving this song involved the first several months of the pandemic and a Bitter Southerner podcast episode on the blues. Listening to the artists and songs mentioned in the episode led me to Last Kind Words. I can't fully explain why it grabbed me and would not let go--part of it is Wiley's incredible voice and the expressive, rhythmic, and complex guitar accompaniment. The lyrics are part of it too--transcriptions vary but the story haunts.
Wiley, with guitarist and singer L.V. (Elvie) Thomas, recorded six songs for Paramount Records, in Grafton, Wisconsin, in 1930.
Last Kind Words, in particular, is widely regarded as one of the great classics of early American blues, and a number of blues historians, musicologists, and music critics have written about it. I would recommend the following two pieces to anyone who wants to learn more:
- AnneMarie Youell Cordeiro's 2011 MA Thesis Geechie Wiley: an exploration of enigmatic virtuosity; which offers a transcription and analysis of the songs, as well as historical context and information about the recording process.
- The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie, a 2014 New York Times Magazine article by Jeremiah John Sullivan, an intriguing account of working with blues historian Robert 'Mack' McCormick and researcher Caroline Love to find out more about the lives and stories of both women.
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