Our Blues Roots: Rollin' and Tumblin'

[Don D.]

It’s one of my favorites and one I like to play on the gittar, usually in A.

The first recorded version was called “Roll and Tumble Blues” by Hambone Willie Newbern, recorded and released in 1929.

Another progenitor was “Minglewood Blues,” first recorded in 1928 by Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers.

Because there was a discrepancy between Wikipedia’s date and the one given by the YouTube poster (who is usually reliable), I checked Stefan Wirz’s excellent blues discography. This is a link to the discography’s home page. It seems the date Wikipedia has is correct.

If you want to find out more about it, Wikipedia is a good place to start.

It’s been covered and recovered and re-recovered.

“Banty Rooster Blues” by Charley Patton (1929)

Garfield Akers, “Dough Roller Blues” (1929 or 1930)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdgS4rymh8I

Robert Johnson pointed at it in “If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day” (1936)…

…and used the melody and some of the lyrics in his “Traveling Riverside Blues” (1937); this song is also the source of the lyrics in Led Zeppelin’s “The Lemon Song.”

Here’s THE version from Muddy Waters (1950).

Elmore James on my absolute favorite, one of my all-time favorite recordings—it’s so intense (1960); Elmore James (vocal and gittar, possibly the sax), Johnny Acey (piano), Jimmy Spruill (gittar) and Homesick James (bass on gittar), Sam Myers (drums)

Howlin’ Wolf called it “Down in the Bottom” when he recorded it in 1961. Here’s a live version from 1966.

This was the first place I heard it, by Cream, on Fresh Cream (1966).

R.L. Burnside recorded a version in 1967, not sure when this one is from.

It was the first song on Canned Heat’s first album. Here’s a live version from the Monterey Pop Festival on June 17, 1967, just before the album was released.

Johnny Winter did it like he did everything, great. Here’s “Rollin’ And Tumblin'” from his great Progressive Blues Experiment (1968).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCfO2g-lFt8

John Lee Hooker, “Roll And Tumble” from I Feel Good (recorded October 1969, Paris, released 1970); Lowell Fulson plays the second gittar on here. Twenty-five other songs were recorded the same night this was; about half are on I Feel Good, great album!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXx4BRseeDw

One of my favorites, by pianist and vocalist extraordinaire, Sunnyland Slim, “Going Back To Memphis” from Slim’s Got His Thing Goin’ On (1969), another great album!

The Wikipedia entry says that Fleetwood Mac released it on The Original Fleetwood Mac (1971). If so, they retitled it. I’m going to listen to the album as soon as I can and if I hear it there, I’ll post it (but don’t get your hopes up). Please post any interesting versions I’ve missed, thanks!

Here’s Jeff Beck’s version from You Had It Coming (2000).

There have been many since and so long as people keep recording music, it’s likely they’ll keep recording this song.

Topic

[Don D.]

A few more that I really should have posted above.

The first is by the Baby Face Leroy Trio (1950). The copy that follows is cut and pasted from the Louis Records YouTube post:

Unissued complete performance of the legendary 1950 Parkway recording “Rollin’ And Tumblin;” by the Baby Face Leroy Trio – Leroy Foster (vocals/drums), Little Walter Jacobs (harmonica/vocals) and Muddy Waters (guitar/vocals). Only recently discovered, this recording – with 2 other unissued Parkway recordings – is available on limited edition 45rpm singles from http://www.louisrecords.com. Note: this is a low-fi mp3 – the 45 sounds much better.

The second is Little Walter’s.

Yet another one from Muddy Waters, this was on the album directly after Electric Mud, 1969’s After the Rain. The same musicians played on this as on Electric Mud but to me it’s a truer recording, less an attempt at psychedelic kitsch for teenagers (I like Electric Mud, but I don’t often get an urge to listen to it).

Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Alone and Acoustic (1991)

Here’s 53 seconds of Howlin’ Wolf with an acoustic gittar, need I say more? I’ve never heard this one before today, before looking these up—this was my reward.

Please add your favorites as comments!

[Don D.]

One more I would have liked to add yesterday, I like this one from 1956 with Floyd Jones on barely audible gittar even more than the one he did in 1969. Even though the sound is compressed, this one really comes across. It’s one of many tunes Highway 61.

[Martyn in France]

This is so interesting and thank you for that Don, I love all of it, a wonderful resource around a very interesting song. The issue of who wrote Rollin’ and Tumblin’ came up in the Paul Jones excellent weekly Rhythm and Blues radio programme on BBC2. it was about 10 years ago when Bob Dylan (I see you’ve left him out!) released Modern Times including the track Rollin’ and Tumblin’ and claimed authorship of the song. Clapton had recorded a solo version some time before that and gave writing credits to Muddy Waters, and in 1953 Muddy did indeed claim to have written it. However Hambone recorded it in 1929 as we know and at the time is alleged to have said “I didn’t write that song, I heard it down in Mississippi some 20 years ago”
Keep up the good work Don
Martyn in France

[Doug T]

Great tune, you did great on this; been jammin’ along, very cool bro. 🙂

[Don D.]

Hey Doug, thanks for listening, glad you liked it. At some point soon, I’m going to post my interpretations of some classic blues rhythms.

Thank you Martyn, I’m glad you appreciated it, and your Hambone Willie Newbern quote enriched the information here quite a bit. I hadn’t read that before but that sounds like an honest answer.

I also understand why in 1950 Muddy Waters, depending on music to make a living, would put his name on it.

But I don’t think Bob Dylan was hurting when he tried that. That’s part of the reason I didn’t include his. I also thought his version wasn’t as musically exciting, interesting or necessary—completely subjective but to me, it wasn’t as “good” as the ones I posted.

While my respect for Clapton’s musicianship is increasing as time goes by, in spite of some thoughtless anti-immigrant and nationalistic things he said in the early ’80s, I think his best versions were with Cream, and I got one of, if not THE, best of those covered.

[Don D.]

This article from udiscovermusic.com from June 2014 has more information than I was aware of when I put this post together, including a nice playlist.

Muddy Waters’ “Louisiana Blues” (recorded October 25, 1950) was mentioned in the article, but not on the playlist.

[Don D.]

Here are a couple more takes on “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” both with Earl Hooker on guitar. What was I waiting for? It was only about 2 weeks ago I realized I was sitting on them.

This one, called “1958 Blues” when 1958 was in the future, is by Little Sam Davis singing and playing harp, with Earl Hooker on guitar, drummer unknown at Crystal Clear Studios in Miami, FL, April 1953.

From If You Miss ‘im I Got ‘im, “I Gotta Go to Vietnam,” with John Lee Hooker (vocal, guitar), Earl Hooker (guitar), Jeffrey Carp (harp), Johnny “Big Moose” Walker (organ), Chester Gino Skaggs (bass) Roosevelt Shaw (drums), Vault Recording Studios, Los Angeles, May 29, 1969.

[Don D.]

Good afternoon, although I haven’t been able to get a complete Blues Roots post together, I have recognized some nice relations to this one, starting with the original Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Lord, Oh Lord Blues” (that’s John Lee Curtis Williamson), Jimmy Rogers‘ great reworked and retitled “Going Away Baby” and John Lee Hooker’s “Women In My Life” (aka “Four Women In My Life”).

Ever listen to a song a few times thinking “That’s familiar” without realizing how familiar?

John Lee Curtis “Sonny Boy” Williamson (vocal, harmonica), “Lord, Oh Lord Blues,” Yank Rachell (mandolin), Joe Williams (guitar), Leland Hotel, Aurora, IL, June 17, 1938

Jimmy Rogers, “Going Away Baby” (1950)

Jimmy Rogers (vocal, guitar), with Little Walter (harmonica), Muddy Waters (guitar), Willie Dixon (bass), Fred Below (drums), “Goin’ Away Baby” (1950s, exact date unknown; Johnny Big Moose Walker is on the album but not this song)

The Jimmy Rogers All Stars, Jimmy Rogers (vocal, guitar) with Mick Jagger (vocals), Kim Wilson (harmonica), Jimmy D. Lane, Keith Richards (guitar), Johnnie Johnson (piano), Freddie Crawford (bass), Ted Harvey (drums), “Goin’ Away Baby,” from Blues Blues Blues (1999)

John Lee Hooker, “Women In My Life” (1951)

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John Lee Curtis “Sonny Boy” Williamson (1914–1948)

Jimmy Rogers (1924–1997)

John Lee Hooker (1912–2001)

Wishing all of you whatever you need and the health to enjoy it in 2018. Just like the years, there will be more “Rollin’ and Tumblin'”s piling up.

[Don D.]

Here’s another one, sounds like a cousin of “Rollin’ ‘n’ Tumblin’.” I don’t think I’ve heard it before either, “P-Vine Blues,” by Lee Brown.

It’s part of this collection, named for the song.

[Don D.]

Just added this great version to YouTube, thought I’d update this post. Kansas City Red (vocal and drums), Nate Armstrong (harmonica), Eddie Taylor (guitar), Hayes Ware (bass), produced by Steve Wisner, March 14, 1977.

[Lights]

Thanks, guys,it was very educative!
Lights.

[Don D.]

You’re welcome, Meelis, glad someone is checking these out.

Here are a couple important ones that got deleted from YouTube.

“Minglewood Blues,” first recorded in 1928 by Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers.

Robert Johnson used a bit of it in “If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day” (1936)

[Don D.]

And, if by chance you didn’t hear this, check it out.

[Author]

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