Listen: Lima Beans

We’ve been working to spotlight women in blues and roots on our blog this month, and that has us digging further into the albums from our female artists. Algia Mae Hinton, a friend of Etta Baker, whose profile appears on this week’s blog post, has been a Music Maker artist for many years. She is still with us, living in rural NC. While Algia can no longer buck dance as she once did, and can’t play her guitar due to mobility issues that have increased with age, she still loves to sing and visit with Music Maker staff and artists. In fact, the students from Berklee School of Music will be visiting her this coming weekend.

“Lima Beans,” the last track on Algia Mae’s Honey Babe, appeals to me for many reasons. Its tune is classic, and its subject matter is a food I hated with a passion until I encountered it in the South. One of the many foods that really cannot be enjoyed above the Mason Dixon line (I can say this, since I was raised there), limas in my Pennsylvania home were boiled and served without fanfare, to be gulped down quickly in order to be allowed dessert. In this song, however, Algia makes them sound like something to be desired, not just tolerated. And of course, in the South, there is a talent for making something bland into something delicious (frequently with pork.) I don’t look at limas the same way anymore, and Algia’s song reminds me of that small yet exciting discovery I made upon taking up residence in the South. Is it lunch yet?

Enjoy the track, and stay tuned for more about Algia Mae as we continue our Women’s History Month on the blog.

-Corinne

Like this track? Get it on Algia Mae’s Honey Babe, available here!