Everything SHE

Biography – KoKo Taylor – The Queen Of The Blues

“I come from a poor family,” recalls Koko. “A very poor family. I was raised up on what they call a sharecropper’s farm.” Born Cora Walton (an early love of chocolate earned her the lifelong nickname Koko) in 1928 just outside of Memphis in Bartlett, Tennessee. Koko was an orphan by age 11. Along with her five brothers and sisters, Koko developed a love for music from a mixture of gospel she heard in church and blues she heard on radio stations beaming in from Memphis. Even though her father encouraged her to sing only gospel music, Koko and her siblings would sneak out back with their homemade instruments and play the blues. With one brother accompanying on a guitar strung with baling wire and another brother on a fife made out of a corncob, Koko began her career as a blues woman. As a youngster, Koko listened to as many blues artists as she could. Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie were particular influences, as were Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. She would listen to their songs over and over again. Although she loved to sing, she never dreamed of joining their ranks. Read More>>>

Could not find a descent piece of footage for “I Cried Like A Baby.” So, please, excuse the bootleg version of this song as you witness bodies moving  here and there in front of the camera. It’s really not the image that’s important, it’s the lyrics. Enjoy!