Mattie Delaney

Mattie Delaney (ca. 1905 – unknown) was an American delta blues singer and guitarist. She was active in the 1930s with only two known recordings: "Down the Big Road Blues," and "Tallahatchie River Blues."

Mattie Delaney may have been born Mattie Doyle south of Tchula, Mississippi, though researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc suggest she was Mattie B. Delaney born near Goodman, Mississippi. Around 1927 she may have moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Contemporary witnesses remember seeing her perform at Swan Lake, Mississippi. She recorded two songs for the Vocalion Records label in February 1930. Her song "Down The Big Road Blues" was a variant of Tommy Johnson's "Big Road Blues". One music journalist noted "Delaney issuing a matter-of-fact report in "Tallahatchie River Blues". She was unusual for a female performer of the time, in that she played guitar accompaniment and sang topical songs. Nothing is known of her life after the recordings.

Two of Delaney's songs were featured on the Mississippi Girls (1928–1931) compilation album, issued in September 1991.

Several cover versions of Delaney's songs have been recorded over the years. These include:

• "Travelin' Blues" – Rory Block (High Heeled Blues) (1981)
• "Tallahatchie River Blues" – Rory Block (When a Woman Gets the Blues) (1995)
• "Down the Big Road Blues" – Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road) (1998)

• Ron Wynn. "High Heeled Blues – Rory Block | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-27. 
• "When a Woman Gets the Blues – Rory Block | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-27. 
• "Mattie Delaney | Songs". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-27.