Post by Admin on Mar 2, 2019 19:25:32 GMT
"Parchman Farm" or "Parchman Farm Blues" is a blues song first recorded by American Delta blues musician Bukka White in 1940. It is an autobiographical piece, in which White sings of his experience at the infamous Mississippi State Penitentiary, known as Parchman Farm. Jazz pianist-vocalist Mose Allison adapted it for his own "Parchman Farm" and "New Parchman", which are among his most popular songs. Early in his recording career in 1937, Bukka White was arrested and convicted for a shooting incident and was sentenced to Parchman Farm prison in rural Sunflower County, Mississippi. The institution was operated as a hard-time prison labor work farm, which was notorious for its harsh conditions and use of the trusty system.[1] His recording of "Shake 'Em On Down" became a hit while he was there and as a result, White became somewhat of a celebrity at the prison.[2] While incarcerated, he recorded two songs for John Lomax, who was conducting field recordings for the Archive of Folk Culture at the U.S. Library of Congress.[2] When White was released two and one-half years later in 1940 (the circumstances of his early release have been questioned),[3] he resumed his recording career with producer Lester Melrose in Chicago