Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part I
Son 5
Hay Wire 10
Give and Take 14
Skin 16
The Beautiful Gifts 21
Sing It Again, Daddy 23
Something in the Soil 27
The Money of Nature 29
Mule Hustle 32
Joe Jesus 34
New 36
Sherrill 37
Just a Boy 41
Pictures in My Head 43
Trust and Choices 46
Enormous Energy 49
Leaving Home 52
What's Left Unsaid 53
Shot 54
A Drive to Tutwiler 56
You Gotta Git 60
What a Life 63
The Way In 66
I've Gotta Name 71
Going to a House Party 73
Juke 75
Mud, Waiter, and Jimmy 79
The Kid 81
Benefits of Being a Bullshitter 83
Part 2
Chicago, by Way of Memphis 87
Cityfied 89
My Fake Cousin Otis 91
Hazel 92
Howlin' from the Heavens 93
Chitlins 95
White Devils, Green Money 98
Heard and Not Seen 101
Sober Living 102
The Bottle, Papa Charley, Daddy, and Me 104
Integrate? What's That? 106
JB 109
The Little Rock Talk 112
Little Walter 115
Muddy 120
Respect the People 122
Hot Dog 124
Rock Island 126
Someday 130
Barber Shop Mud 133
Oh Lord, What Am I Gonna Do? 136
Didn't Even Start Her Race 141
Vee-Jay 143
The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me 145
MLK 147
Bobby's Barbecue House 149
Bobby Rush's Gotta Brand-New Dance 152
Hope, Dead or Alive 154
Ray 159
Thrashin' 160
Close 164
My Kinda Song 167
When We Lost the Ladies 169
Embarrassed and Embraced 171
Please, Lord, Not My Face 173
Exposure of a Whole Nother Color, Brother 176
I'm Sure-I Hope-I Believe 178
Rush Hour 179
Little Milton's Word to the Wise 181
A Different Yardstick 183
Sue 185
Down-Home Smash 188
Ghost of Mississippi 190
The Big Girls 193
Eye for Eye, Tit for Tat 195
A Joyful Blues 197
What's Poured into Your Pitcher? 199
I Ain't Studdin' Ya 200
Oakdale Prison 202
Old Friends 205
New Friends 208
The Blues We Keep 210
Wichita Mercy 212
Century's End 214
Part 3
My People 217
Dustin' Off the Harp 220
Misery and the Miles 222
Simple Things 224
Brighter Lights, Same Cities 225
The King of the Chitlin Circuit 228
Folk Funk 229
Bobby Rush Inc. 231
Southern Energy 233
Pride and Joy 236
Katrina 238
Honors of the Heart 240
China 242
Missed Rufus 245
Last Train Home 247
Jeff 249
Blinddog and Dr. John 251
Haunted 253
Big-Pond Vision 255
Magic Bag 258
Champagne 261
Denise 263
Home Again 264
Sitting on Top of the Blues 266
Down-Home Love 267
Last Men Standing 269
But I Didn't Cross Out 271
Hey, Bobby Rush 273
My Way and the Way of Patience 275
Junior 278
Acknowledgments 281
Discography, Awards, and Honors 283
Index 291