EVEN WHITE GIRLS GET THE BLUES.
I MISS MY FRIEND HELEN. SHE HAS PASSED ONE LIKE SO MANY OF MY OTHER FRIENDS. SHE WAS A GREAT PIANO PLAYER...LOVED TO PLAY THE BLUES. SHE WAS BORN IN GEORGIA AT A TIME WHEN IT WAS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR NICE WHITE GIRLS TO BE HANGING OUT IN JOOK JOINTS AND PLAYING THE BLUES. BUT SHE DID IT ANYWAY.
SHE ALSO PLAYED THE PIANO AT THE TOWN MOVIE HOUSE WHEN THEY SHOWED SILENT MOVIES. SHE DIDN'T PLAY POPULAR SONGS BUT ACTUALLY COMPOSED MUSIC TO FIT THE ACTION ON THE SCREEN. THAT WAS O.K.
WITH HER DAD AND MOM. BUT THEY DIDN'T LIKE IT AT ALL WHEN SHE WANDERED DOWN TO THE JOOK JOINT TO LISTEN TO MUSIC ON SATURDAY NIGHT...AND EVEN WORSE WHEN SHE JOINED IN TO PLAY. THEY TOLD HER SHE WOULD GO TO HELL, BUT SHE WAS WILLING TO GO THERE IF THAT'S WHERE THE GOOD MUSIC WAS BEING PLAYED.
I DON'T THIN\K SHE'S IN HELL.
SHE COULD PLAY CHURCH MUSIC, TOO. AND DID. THAT'S HOW I MET HER. SHE USED TO COME ONCE A YEAR UP TO MARYLAND TO VISIT HER TWIN DAUGHTERS. WHEN SHE CAME ONE OF THE DAUGHTERS WOULD FIND AN OLD HYMAL AND WE WOULD HAVE A PRAYER MEETING, HELEN WOULD FIX US A REAL SOUTHERN DINNER...BLACK EYED PEAS, FRIED CHICKEN, COLLARDS. AND THEN SHE WOULD PLAY FROM THE HYMNAL....AND WE WOULD ALL SING, EVEN THE CATHOLICS...OR THEY DIDN'T EAT.
YEAR AFTER YEAR, SHE WOULD RETURN AND FIX ME A SOUTHERN DINNER. WE BECAME GREAT FRIENDS,.
SHE TOLD ME WHEN SHE FIRST MARRIED SHE WOULD PLAY THE PIANO AT HER BIG HOUSE AND A BLACK WOMEN WOULD COME ONCE A WEEK TO DO THE WOODEN FLOORS. HELEN WOULD PLAY BLUES AND THE BLACK WOMAN WOUILD DANCE AND CLEAN. THE BLACK WOMEN REFUSED TO TAKE ANY MONEY SHE AND HER HUSBAND MOVED TO WASHINGTON, D.C. SHE SOON HAD TWIN GIRLS TO PLAY THE PIANO FOR. IT STILL WAS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR WHITE WOMEN TO PLAY THE BLUES BUT HELEN CONTENTED 'EVEN WHITE GIRLS GET
THE BLUES.' AND INDEED THEY DO.
YEARS PASSED AND HELEN MOVED BACK TO GEORGIA ON HER OWN. SHE HAD A ONE ROOM APARTMENT
IN A MANSION THAT HAD BEEN CONVERTED TO APARTMENTS. IT WAS ABOUT TEN BLOCKS FROM THE TOWN LIBARY. SHE LOVED TO READ AND I TOLD HER ABOUT BIG PRINT BOOKS BECAUSE SHE WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH HER EYES. THEN I CONVINCED HER SHE SHOULD START GIVING CONCERTS AT THE LIBRARY. SHE WAS A BIG HIT, EVEN PLAYING THE BLUES.
SHE HAD A BLACK MAN WHO WAS A TAXI DRIVER TO COME TAKE
HER TO THE LIBRARY AND TO BRING HER HOME. SHE TIPPED HIM EVERY TRIP. BUT THEN AT CHRISTMAS, HE HAD TIED UP ALL THE TIP MONEY IN A NICE HANDKERCHIEF AND GAVE IT BACK TO HER AS A GIFT. SWEET MAN.
THE LAST TIME I SAW HELEN SHE WAS VISITING THE TWINS IN S.C. SHE MOTIONED ME OVER WHERE SHE WAS SITTING AND SAID, "COME SIT BY ME.' I SAT THERE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND
SHE FINALLY SAID, 'YOU ARE THE CRAZIEST PERSON I KNOW.' I ASKED HER, ' IS THAT A COMPLIMENT?' HELEN SAID, 'YES, YES OF COURSE.' \
IT IS ONE OF THE NICEST THINGS ANYONE HAS EVER SAID TO ME.
HELEN DIED SOON AFTER THAT. HER DAUGHTERS WERE VISITING AN OLD BLACK GRAVEYARD AND HAPPENED TO SEE A
WREATH MADE UP LIKE A GRAND PIANO. THE FLOWERS HAD DIED
BUT THE FRAME SHAPED LIKE A GRAND PIANO WAS STILL THERE.
THEY DECIDED TO TAKE IT AND RECYCLE IT FOR THEIR MOTHER'S
MEMORIAL SERVICE. THEY SAID IT WAS THE HIT OF THE GRAVEYARD AND THAT YOU COULD ALMOST HEAR HER BLUES MUSIC BEING PLAYED.
SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT. COMING FOR TO CARRY ME HOME,.
JOE ADAMS
