Sam Chatmon

Sam Chatmon was born in Bolton, Mississippi in 1897, coming up in a musical family that included his fiddler father and uncles Charlie and Aaron Patton. He started performing locally in the 1920s and made his way to Memphis for his first recordings in 1928. That session produced 'I Have To Paint My Face,' a song that became closely associated with him.

Chatmon developed a distinctive stage presence by painting his face white with flour or ashes, a practice that gave his performances an unusual visual element. While the exact reason for it remains unclear, it became part of his identity as a performer. He kept playing through the decades, mostly in smaller venues and at festivals.

His recordings from that 1928 session and later work include songs like 'Sittin' On Top Of The World' and 'That's My Gal,' which show his place in the broader Mississippi blues tradition of that era. Chatmon's voice had a particular quality that worked with both the straightforward material and his more personal songs.