AAPS, teacher Caroline, Alex, Mum (Phyllis Coleman)
I’m so excited to produce the “Educational Documentary” on my aunt Christine Chatman. In the mid-70s, I had the opportunity to spend time with her while touring with the show band “Cinnamon”. Our families, “Colemans, Chatmans,” grew up going to Jackson, TN, to visit our grandparents and cousins. It was never a dull moment —lots of singing, laughing, and great food!
We were a very successful show band, blending Midwest funk and R&B with a transition into the disco sound for the Florida tour we were preparing for in the nightclubs. When I visited Aunt Chris, I played music from our shows, and she loved the vocals and the music style. During our times together, she would get out the photo albums of her touring and performing with so many great artists during the “jump blues” era of the 40s. I didn’t have a camera with me, and flip phones at the time didn’t have cameras to capture copies of her treasured photos.
In the early 90s, my son Alex, who was in 3rd grade, had a project called an “I-Search”; we chose to find as much as we could about his great aunt, “Christine Chatman”. The research and presentation were so much fun that we never stopped finding articles, her music, and the impact of “jumb blues” on music history. Our family —Phyllis, Britney, Alex, and I—were so excited about the information we were discovering about her career that I began collecting as many of the recordings she was featured on as possible to add to our collection. As this process continued over the years, I would find information I wanted to confirm. I would discuss with my mother, Martha Willette (Chatman) Coleman, my uncle Charles Chatman, and Aunt Erma, who were all very helpful in filling in the blanks before their passing.
In 2013, during my research, I found the “Blues and Rhythm” magazine’s 2010 edition, which featured Christine Chatham on the cover and an article by Dan Kocakian and Dave Penny, with the assistance of Robert L. Campbell. I reached out to the UK publisher, and there were only a few copies left. I didn’t tell them that I was Christine’s Chatmas’ nephew until I got my copy and read the article. It was/is an excellent start to providing information about her career and who she performed/recorded with. I reached out to the publisher, and they connected me with Dan Kochakian. It was an exciting phone call, and I wanted to share accurate information about our family and her life that wasn’t available to them during their research. I also look forward to interviewing Dan for the documentary. Dan also put me in touch with Mr. George Cobb, who was a member of the Walnut Grove Missionary Baptist. The Church male chorus that recorded and performed at many services and events in the Jackson, TN area.
In a follow-up article, we did correct one statement that Christine had a daughter, which is not true, and there have been many articles written about her being married to ‘Memphis Slim, AKA Peter Chatman” of Memphis TN., In my research, I’ve confirmed that she was never married to Peter, who shared the same last name. He moved to Europe and married a lady named Christine, whom he met there. Christine has also been listed as being married to “Peppy Prince,” and she was not. My aunt Christine Chatman-Keene was only married to Norman Keene, and I have their marriage confirmation from California, which I will share in the documentary. There are no other historical marriage records on file for anyone else.
The historical newspaper archives I purchased have yielded over 100 articles on her touring days, performance locations, and the artists she performed with on the “chitlin-circuit”. I have bought many historical books on the “jumb blues” era, and found a doctoral dissertation, “They Never Stopped Rockin’: A Brief History of the Chitlin’ Circuit, Mississippi, and Their Effects on America’s Music, ” by Warren Beebe, University of Southern Mississippi, that I’m hoping to find and interview for the documentary. His account of the era, along with his notes on Christine Chatman’s musical career and the booking agent Denver Fergueson, was a great find. I also have another historical document, “Florida, “Chitlin-Circuit, A historical Research documentation project published in 2023, that covers the musical acts, venues, and the impact of the musicians that toured through Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and other southern venues.
After years of research, I now have 20 (+) recordings featuring her with her orchestra and many other artists from the 40s and 50s. I also had the opportunity to speak with the last surviving member of the Walnut Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Jackson TN who aunt Christine recorded and album and a 45 that I have in my possession. The conversation with Mr. George Cobb will be part of the documentary.
This educational documentary will provide Christine’s rich family history. My grandfather, Dr. Charles Eligah Chatman, was a podiatrist, and my grandmother, Josie Bond-Chatman, was an educator and played piano. Aunt Christine’s siblings, seven sisters, and one brother, along with their descendants, will be featured in their own words. Individual shows will highlight their adult children and the careers influenced by the remarkable life of the “Chatman family”.
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