Levee Green and Dussie Mae’s Uneasy Attraction

This thread traces Levee Green’s pursuit of Dussie Mae, from flirtatious promises and physical advances to the limits she sets and the danger created by Ma Rainey’s attachment to her.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Clubside Rejection

Desire Meets a Practical Standard An approach turned aside The musicians recall that Levee Green tried to talk to Dussie Mae at the club the previous night. She was not interested in his approach and told him he would need to turn his money green before he could speak with her. Levee Green treats the refusal as a challenge to his presentation. He goes out to buy expensive shoes, spending money he won from Cutler in a dice game, as if a more impressive appearance might change Dussie Mae’s response. A relationship imagined in advance The new shoes become part of Levee Green’s attempt to establish desirability. He wants to be noticed not just as a musician but as someone capable of offering the style and gifts he believes a woman wants. At this early point, the bond is one-sided and aspirational. Dussie Mae has set a condition of material generosity, while Levee Green imagines that money, confidence, and display can convert her attention into intimacy.

Promises of a Band

Ambition as Courtship The future he offers When Dussie Mae visits the bandroom, Levee Green tells her he can write music and will soon have his own band. He gives that imagined future a name, Levee Green and his Footstompers, and says that a man about to lead a band needs a woman like her. His courtship is intertwined with his ambition. He wants Dussie Mae to see him as a future bandleader rather than as one hired musician among others, using the promise of success to make the relationship seem possible. Dussie Mae’s condition Dussie Mae answers that she wants someone to bring things and put them in her hand. She does not treat the band as a present reality and will not accept vague promises in place of material care. Levee Green agrees to take her out and show her a good time in Memphis, but the distance between his promises and what he can presently offer remains. Their attraction is being negotiated through the future he claims he can deliver.

A Boundary in the Bandroom

Consent and Pursuit Closeness on Levee Green’s terms Levee Green moves closer and tries to put an arm around Dussie Mae. She moves away and tells him she does not go for pawing; she will consider what he is saying when he actually has his own band. He presses forward with jokes and sexual innuendo, presenting himself as someone who understands what women want. Dussie Mae answers playfully at first, but the exchange does not erase her earlier refusal to be handled without permission. A limit stated aloud Levee Green takes Dussie Mae in his arms and attempts to kiss her. She tells him to stop and points out that someone might come in. The encounter reveals the difference between mutual flirtation and consent to further contact. Levee Green reads her attention as encouragement; Dussie Mae continues to set limits even while engaging with his teasing.

A Hidden Kiss

Attraction in Secret A private moment During the delay in the session, Dussie Mae comes down to the bandroom, where Levee Green welcomes her and again describes his musical ambitions. Toledo withdraws rather than become involved in Levee Green’s attempt to impress her. After Slow Drag leaves, Levee Green and Dussie Mae are kissing. The moment confirms that her earlier engagement was not only polite conversation, even though it does not settle what she wants from him or what promises she believes. The risk of discovery When Slow Drag returns, the pair break apart and Dussie Mae straightens her clothes. She tells Levee Green she has to go and warns that he will get her into trouble. Her concern makes the surrounding relationships impossible to ignore. Dussie Mae is closely attached to Ma Rainey, and Levee Green’s secret advances could jeopardize her position within Ma’s traveling circle as well as his own place in the band.

Warning Ignored

Desire and Consequence The band names the danger Cutler tells Levee Green that Dussie Mae belongs to Ma Rainey and warns that he could lose his job if he keeps pursuing her. He also reminds him that Sylvester Brown may react violently if he believes Levee Green has crossed a line. Levee Green dismisses the warning. He insists he only asked Dussie Mae her name, treating the connection as a private matter over which no one else should have authority. A fragile attachment The warning makes clear that Levee Green’s pursuit affects more than the two people involved. Dussie Mae is Ma Rainey’s companion, and her place in the group is shaped by obligations and loyalties that Levee Green refuses to consider. Nothing in the conversation resolves whether Dussie Mae will accept his promises of future success. Instead, Levee Green’s refusal to recognize the risks turns their attraction into a source of mounting pressure, even before the recording day ends.

The night before the Chicago recording session

During the afternoon rehearsal break

As Dussie Mae prepares to leave the bandroom

During the wait for Ma’s Coca-Cola

During the musicians’ break after the lost take