Living up to Ma Rainey’s version of a song is no small feat. But Wee Bea Booze did just that, so much so that it earned her the nickname “The See See Rider Blues Girl” after this 1943 recording. Ok, it’s not the most imaginative nickname, but the song reached number one on the “Harlem Hit Parade” charts. Bea would play guitar on her recordings and on stage; pretty rare for a female at the time.
The song has been recorded by scores of other performers you might have heard of…Elvis, Ray Charles, Janis Joplin and the Who, to name a few.