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This week’s playlist is based on the songs in volume 6 of Ed Parker’s Yer Blues playlist. For the first time, and I hope the last, there were two songs I was completely unable to locate. One was Phoebe Snow’s cover of Mississippi John Hurt’s “Big Leg Blues” from her 1998 album I Can’t Complain, so I didn’t add Mississippi John Hurt’s original to the list. But here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75D8-ZIV4PEThe other shows up in a search, it’s from a YouTube-generated “topic.” Because of the way YouTube treats songs that aren’t licensed for play in a given country, I can’t even add it to the playlist for people outside the U.S. It’s Boz Scagg’s cover of John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson’s “Early in the Morning” (song number 136, by the original Sonny Boy Williamson, aka Number I). Junior Wells’ cover from Hoodoo Man Blues (1965) was available, which is reason enough to include both of those (it’s number 137). Here’s the rest of that classic album. If you haven’t heard it, now’s as good a time as any. Buddy Guy plays through a Leslie speaker, which is what make his guitar sound the way it does.
Here’s an earlier version of “Early in the Morning” by Junior Wells, this was the first one recorded on April 15, 1954 and released on a 45 as “’Bout the Break of Day.” It’s also one of the songs on Blues Hit Big Town, but back under the original title, “Early in the Morning” (several other songs were recorded on the same day).
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Both parts of Wynonie Harris’s “Around the Clock” appear, kicking off volume 6 at number 130.
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This week the spotlight shines brightest on “It Hurts Me Too,” other beams fall on “Walk Right In” and “I Don’t Know” and strike “Prodigal Son” for a second time, so stick around.
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As Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red, and Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell all have songs in this week’s post, I thought it would be a good time to include this combined playlist, for anyone interested in hearing more of them. Big Bill dominates the first 600 places, followed by Tampa Red (there’s a more complete breakdown in the notes here).
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Credit where it’s due:
Here’s a link to Sleepy Boy Hawkins’ YouTube channel, aka Steve Franz, author of The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James. Many of the things I’ve written about Elmore James and others come from that book, and from his broadcasts on Blues Unlimited Radio regarding Elmore James’ and many others’ countless contributions to our better way of living.
If you’re thinking of ordering the book or the smaller Elmore James discography (which is included in the book itself, so you don’t need both), be sure to order them directly from Blues Unlimited Publications (they have a listing on Amazon). They give the best prices and sometimes throw in a little something extra.
Directly from Steve Franz’s comment on one of the Elmore James videos, my additions [in italics in square brackets], “Many people who have done covers of “It Hurts Me Too” have actually based them on this 1963 version [number 145 on playlist] (such as Hound Dog Taylor and the Grateful Dead), rather than the (slightly) harder to find 1957 version. John Mayall was one of the few to have done a cover based on Elmore’s 1957 version [Elmore James’ 1957 version and three others mentioned are all below].
Stefan Wirz’s discographies have also been invaluable.
Tampa Red discography. Elmore James discography.
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Unfortunately, due to licensing issues, Stick McGhee’s brilliant “It Hurts Me Too” from the mid-1950s can’t be found on YouTube, SoundCloud or Spotify (although Google tells me it’s there, maybe if you’re outside the U.S., you can hear it by searching). Here’s a little compensation.
His “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” also appears twice on the playlist, two different versions, at numbers 88 and 89, right in the middle of volume 4. Let’s get on with it.
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songs number 130 through 150
“AROUND THE CLOCK, PART 1” WYNONIE HARRIS (this video also includes part 2)
“REELIN’ AND ROCKIN’” CHUCK BERRY“HONKY TONK TRAIN BLUES” MEADE LUX LEWIS
“HONKY TONK TRAIN BLUES” EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER“WALK RIGHT IN” GUS CANNON’S JUG STOMPERS
“WALK RIGHT IN” THE ROOFTOP SINGERS“EARLY IN THE MORNING” JOHN LEE “SONNY BOY” WILLIAMSON
“EARLY IN THE MORNING” JUNIOR WELLS“THAT’S NO WAY TO GET ALONG” ROBERT WILKINS
“PRODIGAL SON” THE ROLLING STONES“IT HURTS ME TOO” TAMPA RED
“IT HURTS ME TOO” ELMORE JAMES, 1963
“IT HURTS ME TOO” THE SUSAN TEDESCHI BAND
“IT HURTS ME TOO” JEREMY SPENCER“TELL THAT WOMAN” THE BIG THREE TRIO
“BIG BOAT” PETER, PAUL & MARY“GETTIN’ DIRTY JUST SHAKIN’ THAT THING” ROMEO “DAD” NELSON
“STRUT THAT THING” CRIPPLE CLARENCE LOFTON“I DON’T KNOW” CRIPPLE CLARENCE LOFTON
“I DON’T KNOW” WILLIE MABON
“I DON’T KNOW” THE BLUES BROTHERS::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::I:T:::H:U:R:T:S:::M:E:::TOO:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
There’s pain enough to go around.
Tampa Red (he was also rightly known as the Guitar Wizard) was the prolific genius behind “It Hurts Me Too.”
He based it on his earlier “Things ’Bout Comin’ My Way” (1931), as well as several other songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t54q4ONCLH4Songs numbered 141 to 144 on the playlist are four versions of “It Hurts Me Too.” Number 141 is Tampa Red’s original from 1940; 142 is Elmore James’ 1963 cover (the best-known version); 143 is the Susan Tedeschi Band from their debut album, Better Days, 1995; and number 144 is played by Jeremy Spencer, one of the original Fleetwood Mac guitarists (he was “the Elmore James specialist,” the others were the one-of-a-kind Peter Green, a one-time modern-day guitar wizard, and Danny Kirwan, who it turns out, played many of the things I once gave Peter Green credit for).
The melody was borrowed from the Mississippi Sheiks “Sitting on Top of the World” (1930).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STrBZJAVPTQHere’s another source. Tampa Red recorded “You Gotta Reap What You Sow” in 1929. How many melodies from other songs can you find in here?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qzYDxhaETY“You Gotta Reap What You Sow” was recorded by Leroy Carr (vocal, piano) and Scrapper Blackwell (guitar) in 1928, but just because they recorded it first, it doesn’t mean they are the authors—couldn’t figure this one out.
Here’s a variant recorded by Tampa Red in 1944, called “Sure Enough I Do.” (Elmore James also covered this, see below.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDEwkmtbX9gTampa Red recorded it again with an electric guitar in 1949, and called it “When Things Go Wrong With You.”
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Jimmy Nolen, 1956
“When Things Go Wrong (It Hurts Me Too),” Big Bill Broonzy, 1957, part of the Smithsonian Collection
Elmore James, 1957 (number 145 on the playlist is from 1963)
This is Elmore James’ cover of Tampa Red’s 1944 “Sure Enough I Do.” Recorded in March or April of 1954, Elmore called it “Sho’ Nuff I Do.”
“When Things Go Wrong” Champion Jack Dupree, 1959
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwHYP58Hh5oThe Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Paul Butterfield (vocals, harmonica) Mike Bloomfield (guitar, keyboards), Elvin Bishop (guitar), Jerome Arnold (bass), Sam Lay (drums), New York, December 1964
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLU75n4dxnM………………C…h…u…c…k………B…e…r…r…y……………
Chuck Berry, 1967
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QupJ8scc9BoChuck Berry, Middenmeer, Holland, July 23, 1997
excerpt, Chuck Berry, Blueberry Hill, St. Louis, March 16, 2011
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Junior Wells (vocal and harmonica), Buddy Guy (guitar), Jack Myers (bass), Fred Below (drums) from Chicago / The Blues / Today!, 1966
John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers with Peter Green, from the A Hard Road era, 1967
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMV4rDgY-BQSavoy Brown, Blue Matter, 1968
Bob Dylan released a version in 1970 on his Self Portrait, but licensing has kept me from finding it. There are plenty of videos with covers of “the Bob Dylan song.”
Hound Dog Taylor and The HouseRockers, Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” Taylor (vocals, guitar), Brewer Phillips (guitar) Ted Harvey, (drums), 1974
Grateful Dead with Duane Allman, Fillmore East, April 26, 1971
Jamming With Edward! was recorded when Keith Richards walked off for a couple days. Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, with Nicky Hopkins and Ry Cooder, recorded 1969, released 1972. This was my introduction to this song. This is the whole album, plus a little more, as “It Hurts Me Too” is the first song, you can bail at any time after that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iecNn2E1guQ&index=1&list=PL21DAD061F08AA3B0Joe Carter from The Devil’s Music, 1976 (this link is soundtrack from the great BBC documentary series hosted by Alexis Korner)
This is link to the 4-part series, and much more.
Eric Burdon, 1982
Eric Clapton, Hyde Park, London, 1997
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1eLguycGpgLittle Milton with Gov’t Mule, 1999
Foghat, Dayton Ohio, 1997
Luther Allison, Montreal International Jazz Festival, 1997
Keb’ Mo’ from The Door, 2000
“When Things Go Wrong” Steve Miller Band (2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOCyhjdQWJEFife & Drom, January 27, 2015 (97th anniversary of Elmore James’ birth)
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Tampa Red’s sometime musical partner, Georgia Tom, changed his tune and, as Thomas A. Dorsey, went on to be the “father of black gospel music.”
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Robert Wilkins’ “That’s No Way to Get Along” (song number 138) bears some resemblance to Tommy Johnson’s “Maggie Campbell.” I don’t know which one came first, but it’s clear the Stones got their materials for “Prodigal Son” from the Robert Wilkins’ song. The reason I even noticed the similarity between “That’s No Way to Get Along” and “Maggie Campbell” was because, for a few years, I thought the Stones borrowed a little bit from “Maggie Campbell.” The “Prodigal Son” Blues Roots from last August here.
“Maggie Campbell Blues” Tommy Johnson, 1928
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQySSUeWRho“Maggie Campbell” Robert Nighthawk, recorded October 1952, released January 1954
Memphis Gold (Chester Chandler) began playing with Robert Wilkins when he was 12. Here’s his “Prodigal Son.” It’s a different song but related to his experiences with the Reverend Robert “Tim” Wilkins.
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Gus Cannon was the author and performer for “Walk Right In” (song 134 on the playlist) but so much more. He was a fixture in Memphis, where he settled in his mid-20s.
Ragtime Dorian Henry’s 35-song playlist is a great start for anyone who wants to check out some of the originals. Sixth and seventh on the playlist are two songs covered by the Grateful Dead, “Minglewood Blues,” which contains some of the elements that went into “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” and “Big Railroad Blues.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4mGH_3lzhw&list=PLC3C0F1D6A74E9CAFThe video below is wrong about Gus Cannon’s age. He was more like somewhere between 90 and 95, as he died at age 96.
Gus Cannon was one of the old-timers but he made an album for Stax in 1963 after he won some fame with the success of “Walk Right In.”
When I was a child, I loved the Rooftop Singers version of Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers’ “Walk Right In” (number 135 on the playlist). They—along with some Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick and Petula Clark—take me back to being a 4-year-old; they did at one time not so long ago, and that was my motivation for adding this.
The Rooftop Singers were formed to record this song but stayed together for another five years after they did, with two other women taking the female voice after Lynne Taylor left.
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Cripple Clarence Carter got “I Don’t Know” rolling (song number 148 on the playlist, I think it was first recorded in Cicago in 1943), but Willie Mabon picked it up in 1952 and just about everyone thinks it’s his (number 149), even the organizations who pay the royalties. Except for all the people who might think the Blues Brothers wrote it (1978, number 150).
I DON’T KNOW
Mama’s sittin’ round for a while,
Shook a dozen ribs down this aisle;
Deacon Jones came to pray,
Much religion is what have had;
Go to Heaven, got to stop this stuff,
‘Cause they be struttin’ that thing—which-a-way?
I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know,
I’m tellin’ you now, how to be struttin’ that thing night and day.
Guess I’m—gettin’ sick and tired the way you do,
Kind mama, gonna poison you;
Sprinkle goofer dust around your bed,
Wake some mornin’, find your own self dead,
‘Cause you shouldn’t’ve—shouldn’t’ve of what, baby?
I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know,
I’m tellin’ you now, how to be struttin’ that thing night and day
Swing it now.
Gettin’ sick and tired the way you do,
Kind mama, gonna poison you;
Sprinkle goofer dust around your bed,
Wake some mornin’, find your own self dead,
‘Cause you shouldn’t’ve—shouldn’t’ve what, darling?
I don’t know, I never know, I don’t know, I don’t know,
I’m tellin’ you now, how to be struttin’ that thing night and day
Shake and break it, Lord, you can hang it on the wall,
Out the window, catch it ‘fore it fall;
Stop a while, shimmy if it’s all night long,
‘Times I think you’ve got your habits on;
But you shouldn’t’ve—shouldn’t’ve of what?
I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know,
I’m tellin’ you, Lord, how to be struttin’ that thing night and day
Go on back now.The next two use very similar lyrics, and different enough from Willie Mabon’s to know that either Billy Jack Wills copied Tennessee Ernie Ford or Tennessee Ernie Ford copied Billy Jack Wills.
Billy Jack Wills (between 1952 and 1954)
Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1953
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldd7bhGgVkAJimmy Witherspoon, 1961
Freddie King, from My Feeling for the Blues, 1970
Here’s the whole Feeling for the Blues album, with lots to love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykc2i5BQvtw&list=PL94gOvpr5yt3byVtGEWKBTYJz__7FkKZY&index=1A real favorite of all of these, Willie Mabon with the Aces, France, 1974
Willie Mabon with Mick Jagger, recorded Chicago, October 24, 1976 (Willie Mabon’s 51st birthday). I got this info from the YouTube video and couldn’t verify it anywhere else.
Buddy Guy and Junior Wells from Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Play the Blues, 1972
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Savoy Brown recorded this sweet tune in 1968 and released it on A Step Further. They also released a 45.
Little Milton, 1970
Bettye LaVette, 2012
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhRZha7ULWg
Don D.
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Tampa Red worked and reworked tunes and themes—seems like he wasn’t ever satisfied.
“I’ll Find My Way,” Tampa Red (vocal, guitar and kazoo) Johnny Jones (piano and harmony vocal), Ransom Knowling (bass), Odie Payne (drums), Chicago, July 21, 1949
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN-GL-MAqJM“I’ll Find My Way,” vocal and guitar
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Last week this wouldn’t appear as a thumbnail, here’s hoping that it does today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhRZha7ULWg
Don D.
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One of the YouTube channels I used for most of the Tampa Red videos has been deleted, so the backbone of the “It Hurts Me Too” segment is gone. Not sure what I’m going to do.
Meanwhile, here’s a mean “I Don’t Know” (another one of the featured songs) with Junior Wells and the Aces (Louis Myers, Dave Myers, Fred Below) live in Boston, 1966.
There’s more of the concert posted by the same person.
Don D.
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