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I surprised myself when I thought of this one (surprise was I hadn’t thought of it sooner). First time I heard it was on War’s first album, the one with Eric Burdon. My much-older brother gave it to me (along with John Mayall’s Empty Rooms) for my 11th birthday in 1970. It had the hit “Spill the Wine”—every song on that album was a gem—and it was the first time I heard Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s and Memphis Slim’s names; I didn’t know they were musicians or who or what they were but I was infatuated with the sounds of them. Although it took a while for me to grow into these records, once I did, they were formative in shaping my subsequent musical direction. (The following Christmas, my brother gave me Woodstock, Santana’s Abraxas and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass.)
Memphis Slim recorded “Mother Earth” many times, first time in 1951 with the House Rockers. It’s in G (or G minor, can’t go wrong with that—and if you find I’ve misstated the key here, or anywhere, please do me the favor of correcting me). That chromatic descent from the root down to the b5, then back up a half step to the natural 5 is so distinctive, when I hear anyone else use it, I think of Memphis Slim and this song.
Jody Williams recorded a version in 1957 with different lyrics and title (with Memphis Slim’s blessing), he called it “You May.” There’s speculation he may have had something to do with the composition of the tune.
This is Mother Earth, the 1968 Memphis Slim album named for the song. The album itself is a reissue of Memphis Slim at the Gate of Horn (1959), with Matt “Guitar” Murphy (one of the best, he’s also on Memphis Slim’s Memphis U.S.A. and The Comeback, both currently available as reissues, Memphis U.S.A. is the hotter of the two and I’d very much recommend it) “Mother Earth” is the last song, starting at 29:50.
Tracy Nelson is a West Coast earth mother-type musician and singer. She named her band for the song, and they played a version of it on their first album, Living With the Animals, 1968. Michael Bloomfield played on the song and elsewhere on the album.
Here’s the very fine Eric Burdon Declares “War” (whole album) with “Blues for Memphis Slim,” including “Mother Earth,” which commences at 25:59 (or see selection directly below). They play it in A (I think it’s actually A minor, you can’t go wrong playing in A minor).
Here’s just the five-part “Blues for Memphis Slim” suite, comprised of “Birth,” “Mother Earth,” “Mister Charlie,” “Danish Pastry” and “Mother Earth.” (It doesn’t sound right to me without being followed by a long silence and the gong that announces the very beautiful doo-wop tune that finishes the album, “You’re No Stranger.”)
War playing it live in Paris, 1971, with Eric Burdon (vocal), Lonnie Jordan (organ/piano/percussion), Charles Miller (flute/sax/percussion), Howard Scott (guitar), Lee Oskar (harmonica), B.B. Dickerson (bass), Papa Dee Allen (bongos/congas/percussion), Harold Brown (drums/percussion)
Memphis Slim with Peter Green in Paris, Blue Memphis, 1970 (the list of all the people on the album is at the YouTube video, if anyone is interested, I have the cut-by-cut breakdown at home).
“Back to Mother Earth” Memphis Slim with Canned Heat and The Memphis Horns, from Memphis Heat (1973)
An upcoming Blues Roots post will feature another Memphis Slim song, one that’s been covered by more people than “Mother Earth.”
************************* MEMPHIS SLIM PLAYLISTS
The YouTube Memphis Slim topic (it won’t display as an “embed”).
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmIlVYwf-G4fa_sZJZtr3sQMy Memphis Slim playlist.
Don D.
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