8. Koko Taylor: Wang Dang Doodle
Called the Queen of the Chicago Blues, Koko Taylor was a belter in the tradition of Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, and Memphis Minnie. Rock listeners may know her best for her cameo in the 1990 David Lynch film Wild At Heart, but her career dates back to the late 1950's. Willie Dixon took an active interest in her career in 1963, and produced her debut single, as well as wrote some songs for her; "Wang Dang Doodle" was a Dixon penned tune Taylor took to #4 on the r&b charts in 1964. Her vocals are ferocious and frightening; her band is intense and stormy. One of the most firey records ever made, it remains her signature tune. Eric Clapton, the Grateful Dead, Savoy Brown, The Pointer Sisters, and Ted Nugent are among the artists who have covered it. Taylor has kept very busy ever since, recording innumerable albums, receiving accolades and awards. Her most recent album, Royal Blue, was released in 2000, when she was 65.
9. Big Mama Thornton: Hound Dog
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton's primary contribution to rock history was a single massive hit in 1953; "Hound Dog", immortalized three years later by Elvis Presley. Thornton's own version was a massive hit itself, spending seven weeks at #1 on the r&b charts. To this day, there is argument about the song's author; some claim it was written by Johnny Otis, others claim it was a Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller compostion. Her version is a scorcher, helped along by Pete Lewis' mean sounding guitar backing. It's conceivable that Elvis hadn't heard her version when he did his; he was given Freddie Bell's lounge version as a demo to work from. Thornton's string of hits dried up by 1957, and while she continued to record, emphasising her harmonica skills as well, she never regained the spotlight. She died in 1984.
10. Skip James: I'm So Glad
Skip James was one of the earliest Delta bluesmen to record, and is instantly recognizable for his odd tuning and falsetto vocals. Another bluesman who lived long enough to span the early days through the blues rediscovery, his "Devil Got My Woman" was the basis for Robert Johnson's "Hellhound On My Trail" in the 1930's, and when he was sought out in the 1960's by the new generation of rock stars paying homage, he was still capable of playing (unlike many bluesmen who were re-discovered too late). Yet another influence on Eric Clapton, Cream covered his "I'm So Glad" on their debut album. James' version dates from 1931; it's hypnotic and spellbinding, even with the poor sound quality the recording invariably has. Upon his rediscovery, he cut five albums in the 1960's before he died in 1969.
Article comments
1 - Jones Violet
Perfect for a Sunday morning. Great stuff here, uao.
2 - uao
Thank you Jones Violet. I put a lot of effort into this one; I appreciate the kind word. :-)
3 - Phillip Winn
Wow, there's so much here it is hard to know where to even begin!
Blind Lemon Jefferson is worshipped around these parts, with a historical marker in downtown Dallas and a club (Blind Lemon) named after him.
Leadbelly is another amazing artist. I didn't know about his personal history, but I love his "King of the 12-string" album.
It's also nice to see Big Mama Thornton given some recognition here; she deserved more acclaim than she ever got.
You've got a couple of albums on here I don't think I've ever heard. Thanks for the recommendations; I'm going to spend a lot of time going through this.
4 - Taloran
An excellent read. You've covered some daunting ground here, and as you said, have barely scratched the surface. I look forward to future installments.
5 - hayduke
howlin wolf was named chester burnett, not arthur.... wasn't arthur the prez? Shoot wolf should of been president...
also willie dixon wrote songs for wolf and muddy. i thinks he gave them to the first one interested, not necessarily for one person in particular. He was an astute man who made alot of money in publishing, and holding a track for one person in particular, seems unlikely.
great records all that you cite. well done....
6 - uao
Thanks much guys. You're right hayduke, Chester Arthur was a president; my mind sometimes confuses names like that; good catch.
Now that you mention it, Dixon probably didn't write that tune "specifically" for Waters; like you said, it's more likely it was in his bagforthe first comer.
I do think that Dixon may have written stuff specifically for Koko Taylor, whose career he shepherded, but I may be wrong.
Thanks everyone for the thoughts and comments. I had a lot of fun writing this one, and even more fun listening to it along the way.
7 - TJ
Great article!
One question, though: I thought Mose Alison wrote "Parchman Farm?" Is this a different song entirely, or did Mose just "borrow" it?
8 - uao
Hmmm. Good question, TJ. I double checked it; "Parchman Farm Blues" is credited to Bukka White, although Mose Allison is listed as composer for "Parchman Farm" I haven't heard Allison's version, so I'm not sure if it is the same song. White's version would have predated Allison's by at least a decade, so White seems to indeed have written his version.
On Howlin' Wolf's name; turns out, I wasn't completely off. His full name was Chester Arthur Burnett, and he was named after Chester Arthur, the President.
9 - Joanie
Excellent dip into rock's historic link to the blues.
I'd love to see a part two!