Hey, you know some of them?
All of 'em.
What happened?
Me and my buddy Rice, we was hustlin' back and forth up the delta, we got busted for vagrancy. Them white sheriffs take us down to the jailhouse... that was empty. I thought for sure they was gonna kill us that night. But they gave us our instruments back, and they tell us to play. Stack, we played. Preacherboy, we played, you hear me? Music was comin' out the windows. People on the street was stoppin' to come in. Next day, one of them sheriffs got the bright idea they gonna take us on the road now. They cover us and throw us in the paddy wagon. They take us to this big house. I mean, it's full of white folks. Pass around their hats and have us to play. See, them white folks we playin' for, they had real money.
Had y'all playing them old ragtime songs?
We played a fair amount of blues too. See, white folks, they like the blues just fine. They just don't like the people who make it. Them peckerwoods was noddin' their heads, stompin' their feet. Some of 'em was almost in rhythm, Stack. And then Rice and me, we changed it up, confuse 'em.
What y'all do with the money?
Drank it.
