Sam Chatmon biography

Sam Chatmon Born: January 10, 1897, Boltmon, Mississippi

Died: February 2, 1983, Hollandale, Mississippi

Chatmon was born into a highly musical family — reportedly there were 11 sons, all of them musicians. As a boy Sam often played with the Chatmon Family String Band, and when three of his brothers formed the Mississippi Sheiks, who became very popular, he sometimes played with them as well. But Chatmon was a multi-instrumentalist in his own right — playing mandolin, bass, guitar and banjo — and worked as a traveling musician with a wide repertoire that included blues until the early 1940s. He became a plantation worker until the 1960s blues revival, at which point, like many of his contemporaries, he embarked upon a second career as a musician, performing and recording until his death in 1983.

Sam Chatmon on Record

Essential listening: “My Little Woman,” “Shake ‘Em All Down,” “God Don’t Like Ugly,” “Hollandale Blues,” “Sitting on Top of the World”

Who gonna love you tonight lyrics

Well, you told me, woman,
once upon a time,
if I would be yours, you would sure be mine.
But that’s all right.
I know you love another man.
But that’s all right.
Every now and then I get to wonder: who gonna love you tonight?

Yes, baby, that’s all right.
Every now and then I wonder, who’s loving you tonight?

You told me, baby, your love for me was strong.
When I woke up, little girl, half of this big world was gone,
But that’s all right.
{I know you don’t love me no more}
{I guess I’ll never be the same}, but that’s all right.
Every now and then I wonder, who’s loving you tonight?