Thankfully, we have a series of excellent records (over 90 sides) made between 1923 and 1935, to which we can refer to for some possible clues to fill in at least a part-sketch of the woman and blues singer known as Lucille Bogan and also as “Bessie Jackson”. While looking for facts based on blues lyrics can sometimes be of dubious value, nevertheless a part of the singer’s character and personality comes across to the listener; indeed some blues lines can be taken literally as the truth.

One of the recurring subjects in Bogan’s blues was prostitution. The most famous of these being “Tricks Ain’t Walking No More”. Mistaken by U.S. black feminist writer, Michele Russell in 1982, as a moral stand on the part of the singer, who refuses to further degrade herself even though she’s ‘broke an’ hungry’; in fact “Tricks” is clearly a prostitute’s lament because of a dwindling supply of customers or ‘tricks’. Poor blacks were hit by the Great Depression long before it became ‘official’ as Bogan moans:

“Times done got hard, money’s done got scarce,
Stealin’ an’ robbin’ is goin’ to take place.
Ref: ‘Cos tricks ain’t walkin’, tricks ain’t walkin’ no more.
I said tricks ain’t walkin’, tricks ain’t walkin’ no more.
An’ I’m goin’ to rob somebody if I don’t make me some dough.”

“I’m goin’ to learn these walkin’ tricks what it’s all about,
I’m goin’ to get them in my house and ain’t gonna let them out.
Ref: ‘Cos tricks ain’t walkin’, tricks ain’t walkin’ no more.
I said tricks ain’t walkin’, tricks ain’t walkin’ no more.
An’ I can’t make no money, don’t care where I go.”

“I got up this mornin’, with the risin’ sun,
Bin walkin’ all day an’ I ain’t caught a one.
Ref: ‘Cos tricks ain’t walkin’, tricks ain’t walkin’ no more;
I said tricks ain’t walkin’, tricks ain ‘t walkin’ no more.
An’ I can’t make a dime, don’t care where I go.” (3).

Bogan recorded this song three times during 1930 and she obviously felt a strong affinity with poor, black women driven by desperate social and economic conditions to the “oldest trade in the world” only to find that the Depression had hit that too. Things didn’t seem much better by 1935:

“I credit one man, it was to my sorrow,
It’s cash today, credit tomorrow.” (4).

But even in those hard times there was an alternative to being a street-walker in the South; selling illicit booze or being a bootlegger. This was another popular theme in Bogan’s repertoire, as titles such as “Sloppy Drunk Blues” ,“Bootlegger’s Blues” and “Cravin’ Whiskey Blues” testify. On another of her blues “Whiskey Selling Woman”, she wants to set up her own “booze society” which quite naturally excludes policemen!

“I feel superstitious, something’s goin wrong , (x2)
I ‘ve got my house full of beer, and my backyard full of corn.”

“I’ve got four cases, tomorrow at that county jail, (x2)
And two is for my whiskey, and two is for my forfeit-bail.”

“The judge he said, ‘put a padlock on my door! (x2)
And I can’t sell whiskey, and I can’t give parties no more.”