Mississippi Matilda

Matilda Powell Williams (January 27, 1914 – November 15, 1978), was an American Delta blues singer and songwriter. In 1936, at her only recording session, she waxed four self-penned songs. Only three were released at the time, although all four have since appeared on various compilation albums. She is best known for her track, "Hard Working Woman".

Biography She was born Matilda Witherspoon in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States, They were married in 1935. The couple, in the company of Willie Harris, Robert Hill, and members of the Mississippi Sheiks, traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana, to record for Bluebird Records. Billed as Mississippi Matilda, she recorded four self-penned sides, including her signature song, "Hard Working Woman." The two guitar accompaniment to Mississippi Matilda's vocals were supplied by her husband Sonny Boy Nelson and Willie Harris. As Bluebird stated on their liner notes, Mississippi Matilda "is a fascinating singer, especially on her masterpiece, 'Hard Working Woman', with its deliberately breathless falsettos suddenly descending into her natural register at the end of the verses. Powell plays lilting guitar figures behind her, and Harris supplies a somewhat distantly recorded, but attractively dissonant, chordal backup". Her song, "Peel Your Banana", was unreleased at that time.

In 1942, the Powells relocated to Greenville, Mississippi, where her husband had found employment at the John Deere plant, to help support their by now large family. She and her husband separated in 1952, and she relocated to Chicago, Illinois, with their six children.

Three of her four songs were included in the compilation album, Mississippi Blues Vol. 3 Complete Recordings of Robert Petway, Mississippi Matilda, Sonny Boy Nelson, issued by Document Records.

She died in Chicago, Illinois, on November 15, 1978,

Discography Session recorded on October 15, 1936 Catalogue # TitleBluebird BS–02593"Peel Your Banana"Bluebird BS–02594"A and V Blues"Bluebird BS–02595"Hard Working Woman"Bluebird BS–02596"Happy Home Blues"