Statesboro blues

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Statesboro Blues (published 1929)

Statesboro Blues is a Piedmont Blues , composed, written and sung by the American blues musician Blind Willie McTell .

song

The title refers to the city of Statesboro, Georgia . Although McTell was born in Thomson, Georgia , he called Statesboro "my real home" in an interview. He made the first recording of the song for Victor Records on October 17, 1928. The Blues was released on January 4, 1929 (Victor # 38001). The eight pieces he recorded for Victor, including Statesboro Blues , have been characterized as "excellent examples of storytelling in music paired with dazzling guitar work."

In 2016, the song was selected for inclusion in the United States' National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historical, or artistic significance" .

The song is featured in several compilations of McTell's recordings.

song lyrics

The lyrics, a first-person narration, tell the story of a man who begs a woman to let him into her house. The narrator calls himself “Papa McTell” in the first verse of the song (“Have you got the nerve to drive Papa McTell from your door?” - “Do you have the courage to let Papa McTell stand in front of the door?”). Throughout the song, the woman who is addressed as "Mama" is alternately pleaded (go to the country with the narrator) or harassed ("When I leave this time, pretty mama, I'm going away to stay" - “If I go this time, pretty mom, I'll go and won't come back”).

During the narration, the “Statesboro Blues” is evoked - an inexplicable condition from which the narrator and his whole family suffer (“I woke up this morning / Had them Statesboro blues / I looked over in the corner: grandma and grandpa had 'em too "-" I woke up this morning / had the Statesboro Blues / I looked in the corner: Grandma and Grandpa had it too ").

Later versions, like the Allman Brothers Band's , have shorter, simpler lyrics.

Cover versions

Taj Mahal cover version

Blues musician Taj Mahal recorded a popular blues-rock adaptation of Statesboro Blues on his debut album in 1968. The song reached a wide audience as it was also featured on the best-selling Columbia / CBS sampler The Rock Machine Turns You On . Mahal had recorded Statesboro Blues in 1965 or 1966 as a member of the group Rising Sons before the aforementioned reproduction. This version of the song wasn't released until 1992.

The Allman Brothers Band cover version

The cover version of Taj Mahal inspired a cover version of the Allman Brothers Band, which made it to number 9 on Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time" list . In 2005 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed Statesboro Blues at number 53 of the "100 Songs of the South".

Duane Allman

The Allman Brothers Band recorded their version of the song in Fillmore East in March 1971, which was first released on the 1971 album At Fillmore East . Duane Allman contributed the slide guitar game, which Rolling Stone later than

"The moaning and squealing opening licks [that] have given fans chills at live shows"

"The whimpering and squeaky opening licks that made fans run shivers down their spines at live shows"

designated.

Allman's slide riffs on Statesboro Blues were analyzed and transcribed in guitar magazines and the tone sequences of Allman's and Dickey Betts guitars on this song were voted one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time" by Guitar Player magazine .

More cover versions

Other cover versions of Statesboro Blue exist for example by Dan Fogelberg , John Mayall , the Youngbloods , Dave Van Ronk , David Bromberg , Deep Purple , Pat Travers , Tom Rush and The Devil Makes Three .

literature

  • Bruce Bastin, Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast. University of Illinois Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-252-06521-7 .
  • Bruce Eder: Blind Willie McTell. Miller Freeman Books, 1996, ISBN 0-87930-424-3 .
  • Eric Sackheim, Jonathan Shahn: The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics from Leadbelly to Muddy Waters. Thunder's Mouth, 2003, ISBN 978-1-56025-567-3 .
  • Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine: All Music Guide to the Blues . Hal Leonard, 2003, ISBN 978-0-87930-736-3 .
  • Andy Ellis: Bottleneck Meltdown. In: Guitar Player 33 of March 3, 1999.
  • Andy Ellis: How to Play Like ... Duane Allman. In: Guitar Player 38 of July 7, 2004.
  • Andy Aledort: Slide of Hand: Get Finger-Lickin 'Good with this Complete Guide on How to Play Duane Allman's Bottleneck Boogie, In: Guitar World , April 2007.
  • Jesse Grass: 10 Things You Gotta Do to Play Like Duane Allman. In: Guitar Player 41 of April 4, 2007.
  • Matt Blackett: The 50 Greatest Tones of All Time. In: Guitar Player 38 of October 10, 2004.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Statesboro Blues. In: discogs.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017 .
  2. ^ Bruce Bastin: Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast . University of Illinois Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-252-06521-7 , pp. 129 .
  3. ↑ Bruce Eder: Blind Willie McTell . Miller Freeman Books, 1996, ISBN 0-87930-424-3 , pp. 189 .
  4. ↑ Complete National Recording Registry Listing . US Library of Congress. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  5. ^ Versions of Statesboro Blues. In: discogs.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Statesboro Blues lyrics. In: songlyrics.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Eric Sackheim, Jonathan Shahn: The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics from Leadbelly to Muddy Waters . Thunder's Mouth, 2003, ISBN 978-1-56025-567-3 , pp. 333 .
  8. ↑ Statesboro Blues from Taj Mahal. In: discogs.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine: All Music Guide to the Blues . Hal Leonard, 2003, ISBN 978-0-87930-736-3 , pp. 369 .
  10. ^ Rising Sons. In: allmusic.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Night Beat . In: Atlanta Journal-Constitution , June 5, 1992, p. E.4. 
  12. ^ Statesboro Blues from the Allman Brothers Band. In: discogs.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017 .
  13. ↑ a b 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. In: stereogum.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017 .
  14. ↑ 100 Songs of the South. In: coxnewsweb.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017 .
  15. ^ Andy Ellis: Bottleneck Meltdown. In: Guitar Player 33, March 3, 1999, pp. 74-82
  16. ^ Andy Ellis: How to Play Like ... Duane Allman. In: Guitar Player 38 of July 7, 2004
  17. ↑ Andy Aledort: Slide of Hand: Get Finger-Lickin 'Good with this Complete Guide on How to Play Duane Allman's Bottleneck Boogie . In: Guitar World , April 2007, pp. 78-86.
  18. ↑ Jesse Grass: 10 Things You Gotta Do to Play Like Duane Allman. In: Guitar Player 41 of April 4, 2007, pp. 110-17.
  19. ^ Matt Blackett, The 50 Greatest Tones of All Time. In: Guitar Player 38 of October 10, 2004, pp. 44-66.
  20. ↑ Overview Statesboro Blues. In: discogs.com. Retrieved July 23, 2017 .