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Author Topic: Re: Charlie Patton Photo?  (Read 16407 times)

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mississippijohnhurt1928

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« on: February 05, 2007, 04:57:02 PM »
This is on the cover of a Charlie Patton complete recordings album

Is this him? It doesn't look like it to me.

« Last Edit: February 07, 2007, 10:24:23 AM by Johnm »

Offline banjochris

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2007, 05:09:19 PM »
It's supposed to be a heavily retouched photograph of a painting done by one of Charlie's girlfriends of him when he was young (somewhere in the 1910s, I think). The story behind it is in the Calt/Wardlow bio, which is where the picture first appeared, I believe.

That said, I'm not sure I buy it either, although the hair and the general shape of the head seem right. It could have been a really bad painting.
Chris
« Last Edit: February 07, 2007, 10:31:37 AM by Johnm »

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2007, 11:26:28 PM »
It's the frontispiece facing the title page, although there it's larger, a whole deal lighter and one can actually see the left side of the face.  ;D

I think this has been discussed here before.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2007, 10:32:23 AM by Johnm »

Offline Richard

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2007, 02:27:01 AM »
Wouldn't like to meet him on a dark night  :-X
« Last Edit: February 07, 2007, 10:33:07 AM by Johnm »
(That's enough of that. Ed)

mississippijohnhurt1928

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2007, 04:05:42 AM »
Yeah, Charlie Patton seems like an imposing figure.

Does anyone know how tall he was?
« Last Edit: February 07, 2007, 10:33:45 AM by Johnm »

Offline GhostRider

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2007, 08:39:05 AM »
As I recall, he was reported to be quite short, 5'2''ish.

Alex
« Last Edit: February 07, 2007, 10:34:19 AM by Johnm »

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2007, 11:28:31 AM »
"He was frail and short (perhaps 5' 7'', if that) and walked with a limp; his open mouth disclosed some missing back teeth." [Calt/Wardlow page 13 King Of the Delta Blues] the impression given is it's derived from a H.C. Spier recollection.

Offline Coyote Slim

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2007, 11:31:56 AM »
I think the face is a completely different shape.  Th eyes in the "painting" are closer together (probably because the nose is narrower) than the photo and the mouth is a different shape.
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Offline Richard

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2007, 12:18:22 PM »
Well if that's the case, he isn't quite the giant on the man one would expect from his recordings  ;D
(That's enough of that. Ed)

mississippijohnhurt1928

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2007, 12:47:31 PM »
Indeed, well I pictured him as a much taller man.

Well perhaps if he was his blues nickname would have been "Big" Charlie Patton

Offline dj

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2007, 01:23:19 PM »
From David Evans' essay in Screamin' And Hollerin' The Blues:

"Charley Patton was about five feet and seven inches in height and weighed between 135 and 160 pounds in adult life."

Offline Coyote Slim

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2007, 01:29:48 PM »
Tommy McClennan was little guy too.

It's the short guys you got to watch out for...They got to make up for what they ain't got in size with attitude and nastiness.
Puttin' on my Carrhartts, I gotta work out in the field.

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mississippijohnhurt1928

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2007, 02:33:03 PM »
Well 5'7 seems like a better estimate than 5'2. So he was a decent size for a man of his time.

Offline dj

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Re: Charlie Patton Photo?
« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2007, 02:57:11 PM »
By the way, clicking on the "Charley Patton" tag at the bottom of the page and then on the "Book review of Cohn, Lomax, Calt & Wardlow, et al" topic (currently first on the resulting tag list) will get you to the other recent discussion of the photograph in question, including a better reproduction of the photo.   

Offline Blues Vintage

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Charley Patton Album Cover Document Records
« Reply #14 on: March 04, 2011, 06:41:09 AM »
Who is this guy? It's not Patton right?

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