Motherless Child Blues
| Motherless Child Blues | |
|---|---|
| Barbecue Bob | |
| publication | 1927 |
| Genre (s) | Blues , Delta Blues |
| Cover versions | |
| 1930 | Elvie Thomas |
| 1994 | Eric Clapton |
Motherless Child Blues (also known as Motherless Child ) is a traditional blues piece that was first recorded by Barbecue Bob . The cover version by Eric Clapton popularized the song.
Content and story
Barbecue Bob first recorded the piece as Motherless Child Blues in 1927 . It shows the general disrespect and disillusionment towards women. The beginning of the lyrics gave the piece its name.
If I mistreat you gal, I sure don't mean you no harm. I'm a motherless child and I don't know right from wrong.
1930 Elvie Thomas recorded the piece under the same name with Geeshie Wiley . The modified lyrics deal with a daughter who does not listen to her late mother's advice.
Mother told me just before she died, ... Oh daughter, Oh daughter, please don't be like me, To fall in love with every man you see.
Eric Clapton's version
With the release of Eric Clapton's album From the Cradle , the song became known to a wider audience. The album achieved four number one placements. The following single in the same year reached number 63 on the UK charts and number 23 on the mainstream rock charts. The Clapton version is in the key of B major. He uses a 12-string Martin western guitar in the "Open A" tuning with a capo on the second fret. He uses the strumming technique, so that guitar strings often broke during concert rehearsals. In the music video, he uses a six-string Gibson ES-150 guitar. Clapton plays the song and recordings of his band members are faded in.
Individual evidence
- ^ David Evans, Ramblin 'on My Mind: New Perspectives on the Blues , 2008, University of Illinois Press, ISBN 0-252-07448-3 , 134
- ↑ Eric Sackheim: The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics from Leadbelly to Muddy Waters , 2003, Da Capo Press, ISBN 1-56025-567-6 , page 38
- ↑ see Eric Clapton / discography
- ↑ Eric Clapton | Awards | AllMusic , accessed December 10, 2014, allmusic.com
- ↑ Christie's : Auction Catalog: An Auction of Eric Claptons Guitars & Amps , 1999
- ↑ Eric Clapton - Motherless Child (2:55), accessed December 10, 2014, youtube.com