Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

Apr. 4 – 1929

I bought a record of the St. Louis Blues (as sung by Mills Serenaders) the other day. It fills me with great satisfaction to be living in an age when such music is being born. As sung by these negroes the piece has the feeling of a great human epic. I seem to see a group – a mass of people on the west bank of a great river at dawn – the kind of dawn that precedes a rainy day – on the east bank are long lines of railroad trains freight cars. The people are about to depart on some great emigration.

Apr. 27, 1929

Last night I dreamt I was in the Grand Central Station; a negro woman was cleaning the floor. Suddenly she commenced singing the St. Louis Blues. One by one all the people around started to join in until the whole station resounded. My sister Frances was standing with me; she knew the words & explained them to me.