|
 Jelly roll Morton left New Orleans
Before he was 17, to travel along the gulf coast
Through Gulfport, Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola
Playing piano in gambling joints & nightspots
& hustling pool between sets, during which
he paid strict attention
to the prowess of his potential competitors
Jelly was a one-man army
leading the charge from New Orleans
to make a place for the cities new music
 all over the south & the Los Angeles,
Chicago, New York City,
Washington D.C. (where he recorded his life story
at the Library of Congress) –
But now it’s a grey day
in New Orleans
early in the 20th century, & Jellyroll
won’t be in today
they told Mr. Lomax,
Jellyroll’s got the blues today
& he just caught the train for Memphis
Photo by:
A.J. Marik
-John Sinclair |
