Robert Odell, Jr.

Robert Odell Jr. is the senior video editor for the Take Me Back to Beale project, a 100-year chronicle of Beale Street history.

What Is Hoodoo?

Hoodoo is a form of folk magic that is rooted in the spiritual traditions of West Africa. Africans brought to America as slaves, adopted the herbalist practices of Native Americans, and mingled them with their customs. The added influence of Christianity, Judaism, and European folklore produced what became known as Hoodoo.

What Do They Use?

A Beale Street Hoodoo practitioner would often use roots, animal body parts, or a person’s private property to work a mojo (cast a spell). Using rootstocks in Hoodoo generated terms such as, “She put roots on me.”

A Curse Can Cause Great Fear

In the 1985 blockbuster movie The Color Purple, Celie demonstrates the fear that a Hoodoo curse can bring. She boldly puts a Hoodoo-type curse on “Mister,” her estranged husband. “Mister,” who is threatening to hit Celie, hesitates in a frightful stupor as she mystically points her fingers at him and utters a sober warning.

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In the 1985 blockbuster movie, The Color Purple, the character Celie demonstrates the fear that a Hoodoo curse can bring. She boldly puts a Hoodoo type curse on “Mister,” her estranged husband.
Source: The Color Purple

In the movie, The Color Purple, “Mister,” who is threatening to hit Celie, hesitates in a frightful stupor as she mystically points her fingers at him and utters a sober warning. Source: The Color Purple

Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett, the First Ma Rainey

Born in Columbus, Georgia, on April 26, 1886, Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett was one of the pioneering singers who performed the blues on stage and recorded the genre. Consequently, she became known as “The Mother of the Blues.” At 18, after marrying fellow Vaudeville singer William “Pa” Rainey in 1904, Gertrude became known as “Ma” Rainey. She significantly influenced younger blueswomen, such as Bessie Smith.

Ma Rainey (left) befriended Bessie Smith (right) and showed her the ways of the music, entertainment industry.
Source: Carl Van Vechten (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

This reenactment portrays a rambunctious Ma Rainey (right) and Bessie Smith (left) causing a ruckus on Beale Street. Source: Take Me Back To Beale, Book I (Before The Red Ball)

On the Other Hand

On one hand, Ma Rainey helped to make the blues that she sang on Beale Street achieve worldwide recognition. On the other hand, Rainey was a loud woman known for beating up men and possibly casting a few Hoodoo spells.

A Part of Beale Street’s History

From the early 1900s onward, Hoodoo was a part of the history of Beale Street. The street was one of the many stomping grounds of Ma Rainey, who was said to have been a practitioner of Hoodoo magic.

“Hoodoo was a part of the history of Beale Street, and Ma Rainey was one of the most popular (hoodoo ladies). You had to be careful of Ma Rainey because she could work a ‘mojo’ on you!” — Yancy-Gunn, Take Me Back To Beale Book I (Before The Red Ball)

Hoodoo in Her Song

Rainey refers to the use of Hoodoo in her song “Louisiana Hoodoo Blues,” which was recorded in May 1925. The lyrics discuss using a black cat bone to secure a lover’s affection.

Roots of Blues — Ma Rainey “Louisiana Hoodoo Blues” 1925

“Going to the Louisiana bottom to get me a hoodoo hand

Going to the Louisiana bottom to get me a hoodoo hand

Gotta stop these women from taking my man

Down in Algiers where the hoodoos live in their den

Down in Algiers where the hoodoos live in their den

Their chief occupation is separating women from men

The hoodoo told me to get me a black cat bone

The hoodoo told me to get me a black cat bone

And shake it over their heads, they’ll leave your man alone”

— Gertrude “Ma’Rainey” Pridgett

A Fighter and Feared Hoodoo Lady

Ma Rainey was well known for her musical performances. She was also well known for her fighting. As a pioneering black female entertainer, Rainey had to fight against sexism and racism. She could also physically give a man “a run for his money” in a showdown brawl.

Ma Rainey was a loud woman known for beating up men and possibly casting a Hoodoo spell or two.

Ma Rainey’s Feared MoJo

More than a few men who tangled with Rainey not only received a humiliating thrashing but also had to deal with the fear of a Hoodoo lady’s “mojo” being worked on them. A “mojo” refers to a magic spell, charm, talisman, or magical charm bag that is associated with the use of Hoodoo.

A “mojo” refers to a magic charm, talisman, spell, or magical charm bag that is associated with the use of Hoodoo.

Was She a Hoodoo Lady or Not?

Hoodoo lady or not, Ma Rainey was one of the most influential figures in developing the blues genre of music. “The Mother of the Blues” was among the first to perform blues music on stage. She was also one of the first artists to produce blues recordings.

Hoodooist or not, Ma Rainey’s most significant legacy is that of a stellar musical career that will continue to serve as a foundation for many famous artists to come.

What Is Ma Rainey’s Legacy?

In 1935, Ma Rainey opened and ran three theaters in her hometown of Columbus, Georgia: the Lyric, the Airdrome, and the Liberty Theatre.

All in all, Ma Rainey’s most significant legacy is that of a stellar musical career that will continue to serve as a foundation for many famous artists to come. Rainey passed away in Rome, Georgia, on December 22, 1939, after suffering a heart attack at the age of 53.

Lillie Mae Glover, the Second Ma Rainey

At the tender age of 13, Lillie Mae Glover decided she was ready to make her own life choices. Lillie had a passion for singing the blues. To pursue her love of blues music, her young mind produced the notion that the only option was to leave home. Lillie Mae’s father was a preacher. A blues-singing daughter would only disgrace the family. Glover ran away from home in 1920, joining the Tom Simpson Traveling Medicine Show. Making Memphis, Tennessee, her home, Lillie Mae arrived there in the late 1920s. She loved performing on the city’s celebrated Beale Street. Glover loved Memphis, and the town returned the love by crowning her “The Mother of Beale Street.”

Lillie Mae Glover loved Memphis, and the town returned the love by crowning her “The Mother of Beale Street.”

She Had a Lot of Aliases

With several working aliases, Lillie Mae Glover was also called Mae Glover and Big Memphis Ma Rainey. In 1953, when she recorded for Memphis based Sun Records, she used the name Big Memphis Ma Rainey. Glover was referred to as Ma Rainey II after the passing of her predecessor Ma Rainey (Gertrude Pridgett).

Highly-Skilled, Beale Street, Hoodooist

Glover became famous not only for her music but also for being a highly-skilled, Beale Street, Hoodooist. Other performers would often seek Glover’s help when they needed good luck work, or mojo hands (charm bags). She seemed to be uniquely gifted at making mojo hands for any musician or customer that knew how to find her. Lillie used inexpensive ingredients such as flour, sugar, or lumps of coal to configure her sought-after hands. She died in 1985 at Tishomingo County Hospital in Iuka, Mississippi, at the age of 77.

Hoodoo Lady Elizabeth “Kid” Douglas (Memphis Minnie)

Born on June 3, 1897, Elizabeth “Kid” Douglas, aka Memphis Minnie, was considered by some to be a practicing, Beale Street, Hoodoo lady. She gives vivid descriptions of Hoodoo practices in her songs that came out in the 1930s. According to an article that was written by Del Rey; “Guitar queen, Hoodoo lady, (and) master, finger-style guitar player, Elizabeth “Kid” Douglas, known as Memphis Minnie, was an intricate guitarist, an astute songwriter, and a stylistic innovator.” On August 6, 1973, her waning health ended in a fatal stroke.

Hoodoo Man Sonny Boy Williamson II (Alex Miller)

At the turn of the twentieth century practicing Hoodoo was illegal in Memphis. Therefore, Hoodoo workers did very little advertising. Beale Street patrons, however, had no problem finding a Hoodoo lady or a Hoodoo man when they felt like they needed one. Blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson (Alex Miller) was purported to be a Hoodoo man. To avoid confusing him with a famous Chicago singer and harmonica player with the same title, Miller became Sonny Boy Williamson II. In 1965, Williamson resumed the King Biscuit broadcast on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. Before he was to do the show, on May 25 of that year, he was found in bed in a rooming house. He had passed away of an apparent heart attack. He was between 53 to 68 years of age.

Prophesying the Future

Many Beale Streeters believed that Hoodoo could cure an illness, get rid of a bad husband, or perform miracles. On some occasions, hoodoo workers would propose to prophesy the future for their customers.

The video, “Hoodoo on Beale Street,” is a reenactment of the events that possibly occurred when a Hoodoo lady on Beale Street would propose to predict the future for her patrons.

Working a MoJo

Ma Rainey and other blues artists would sometimes sing or talk about working a “mojo.” Mojo is a term that comes from African-American Culture. It refers to a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo. To create a “mojo,” the Hoodooist would use the magic of snakeroot, devil’s shoe, or seed of earth wrapped and sown in red flannel. Charm bags often consisted of flour, sugar, cologne, and lumps of coal wrapped in a simple, red rag.

Hoodoo Is Not Voodoo

Ma Rainey may have practiced Hoodoo, but Hoodoo is not Voodoo. Hoodoo contains many Voodoo practices, but Hoodoo and Voodoo are not precisely the same. Hoodoo ascribes magical properties to herbs, roots, minerals, animal parts, and personal possessions. Voodoo (Vodou) is a religion with roots from various African tribal religious practices.

Some Pray and Read the Bible

Hoodoo workers (Hoodooist) are also called rootworkers or conjurers. The Hoodooist uses magical charms called mojo bags or jack balls. To cast a spell, which is also called working a mojo, the hoodooist may also use magical powders, herbal cleansing baths, candles, or lamps. Many Hoodooist pray to Jesus and God the Father and read from The Holy Bible.

Voodoo Has Roots in Haiti

Voodoo (Vodou) has its roots in Haitian religion. The principal god of the Voodoo religion is “Bondye,” an omnipotent and distant god who does not directly intercede in the lives of humans. Voodoo worshippers can only get to “Bondye” by worshiping the spirits that assist him. The primary language of Voodoo (Vodou) is Creole, which is the local dialect of French Haitians.

Although they both make use of the mojo, Hoodoo and Voodoo are not the same.

“To work a ‘mojo,’ the Hoodooist would use the magic of snakeroot, devil’s shoe, or seed of earth wrapped and sown in red flannel. Some used flour, sugar, cologne, and lumps of coal wrapped in a simple red rag.” — Yancy-Gunn, Take Me Back To Beale Book II (During The Red Ball)

How to Get a Mojo to Work?

Blues artists such as Ma Rainey, Ma Glover, Memphis Minnie, or any laymen serious about getting their mojo to work correctly, would use some or all of the items mentioned here.

Snakeroot

White snakeroot:

• Is an erect, branched herb
• Is 3 feet tall but varying from 1 to 5 feet
• Has slender, round stems and branches bearing pointed, oval, oppositely placed leaves
• Has leaves 3 to 5 inches long and petioled and sharply toothed on the margins. (Each blade has three central veins on the underside.)
• The roots are fibrous, coarse, and shallow.

Devil’s Shoestring

Devil’s Shoestring:

• Grows in North America
• Is in the honeysuckle family
• Is used medically as antispasmodics, (especially to ease menstrual cramps)
• Have whole long roots used in hoodoo

Seed of Earth

The seed of the earth:

• Is a quest item
• Is needed for a quest

Aspand Seed

Aspand Seed:

• Is an herb seed used in hoodoo folk magic, spell-craft, and occultism
• Is also called Esfand, or Harmal
• Is burned on charcoal to bring blessings (and to rid children of “the evil eye”)
• Is utilized by modern Muslims

Red Flannel

Red Flannel:

• Is the traditional fabric for hoodoo and voodoo gris-gris bags
• Was used to make small bags for safekeeping small items
• Was used to make little bags for filling with spell ingredients

Gris-Gris

A gris-gris appears in hoodoo and voodoo.

A gris-gris:

• Is alsospelled grigri, (sometimes also spelled ‘gregory’ or ‘gerregery’)
• Is a voodoo amulet originating in Africa
• Is believed to protect the wearer from evil (evil djinn) or brings luck
• In some West African countries is used as a method of birth control

The gris-gris:

• Originated in Dagombha, Ghana
• Originally was adorned with Islamic scripture
• Was frequently worn by non-believers and believers alike
• Was also found attached to buildings

A Hoodoo Mojo on Beale Street

A Working Hoodoo Mojo

From 1876 onward, those who dared could venture inside the A. Schwab store on Beale Street in Memphis, TN, and find many of the things necessary to get a hoodoo mojo to work. Visitors and locals found the store to be a fascinating, nostalgic, and historical venue where customers could relish the “country store” atmosphere.

Established in 1876 by Jewish immigrant Abraham Schwab, the A. Schwab store remained the only original business on Beale Street since that time.

Where Did They Get Their Stuff?

From the late 1800s to the end of the1960s, Beale Street was an area where mostly black people; of various socioeconomic statuses, lived, worked, and played. Ma Rainey, Ma Rainey II, Memphis Minnie, and Sonny Boy Williamson II (Alex Miller) could have easily obtained their Hoodoo, mojo paraphernalia from the beloved Memphis institution of A. Schwab.

A. Schwab on Beale Street Has a Mojo

163 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103, USA

get directions

Hoodoo and Blues

The blues music of Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett (Ma Rainey), Lillie Mae Glover (Big Mama Ma Rainey/Ma Rainey II), Elizabeth “Kid” Douglas (Memphis Minnie), and Alex Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson II) found longevity through recordings, new renditions, and reenactments. For those who dared to venture and find it, the Hoodoo that these artists may have practiced also found eternal life on Beale Street.

What Do You Think?

Do you think that Ma Rainey really practiced hoodoo?

• Yes
• No
• It was probably just a rumor.

Sources

Take Me Back To Beale, Book I (Before The Red Ball). Dir. Carolyn Yancy-Gunn. Edited by Robert Odell, Jr. Perfs. Arthur Smith, Tony Patterson, CFA Graduates. DVD. CFA Productions, Inc. Archives

Take Me Back To Beale, Book II (During The Red Ball). Dir. Carolyn Yancy-Gunn. Edited by Robert Odell, Jr. Perfs. Arthur Smith, Tony Patterson, CFA Graduates. DVD. CFA Productions, Inc. Archives

The Color Purple. Dir. Steven Spielbergg. Perf. Danny Glover, Desreta Jackson, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong, and Whoopi Goldberg. Amblin, Guber-Peters, WB, 1985. Film.

Roots of Blues. (1925). Louisiana Hoodoo Blues. Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett Rainey aka Ma Rainey

Rey, D. (n.d.). Memphis Minnie Guitar Queen, Hoodoo Lady and Songster. Retrieved, from http://memphisminnie.com/

Products, D. E. (n.d.). Welcome to Dr. E. Products and Hoodoo/Rootwork Services. Retrieved, from http://conjuredoctor.com/

Yronwode, C. (n.d.). HOODOO, CONJURE, and ROOTWORK. Retrieved from https://www.luckymojo.com/hoodoohistory.html#hoodoois.

Kail, T. (2016, November 2). Roots under Beale: The Significance of Beale Street to Memphis Hoodoo History. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@tonykail/roots-under-beale-the-significance-of-beale-street-to-memphis-hoodoo-history-56cdb714be18.

Oliver, P. (2001). Williamson ‘II’, Sonny Boy. Oxford Music Online. doi: 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.41397

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.