Sunday Morning Playlist: Covering The Blues - Page 5

11. Slim Harpo: I'm A King Bee

One of the few bluesmen who enjoyed what can be considered mainstream success, Slim Harpo (James Moore) specialized in a laid-back blues that borrowed country & western inflection and sometimes rock 'n' roll rhythms. "I'm A King Bee" was his 1961 debut single and a stunning classic; menacing and deliberate, with its aggressive guitar buzz and confident snarl, it became a big favorite among the young rock listeners of the day, many of whom covered it, including the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, and countless garage bands. He scored a number of big hits in the 1960's, including "Baby, Scratch My Back", which made top-20 on the pop charts in 1966. Sadly, his career ended abruptly with a fatal heart attack in 1970.

12. Wilbert Harrison: Kansas City

From North Carolina, Wilbert Harrison's music blended gospel and blues and often touched upon country, but he was never able to amass a large body of hits; few know his work beyond his lone smash, "Kansas City" a Lieber-Stoller compostition originally recorded in 1952 by Little Willie Littlefield. He began his recording career in 1951, and moved to Newark NJ in 1954. "Kansas City" was recorded in 1959 for Fury records (on a $40 budget), and became an r&b and pop smash. Unfortunately, Harrison recorded the disc while he was still under legal contract to his earlier label, Savoy, which led to a drawn-out legal battle. While Harrison and Fury ultimately prevailed, it sapped his career of much momentum. He did have a comeback semi-hit in 1969 with "Let's Work Together", but never achieved the stardom his better known contemporaries did. "Kansas City" was also covered by Little Richard (who altered the lyrics and added his own compostition "Hey Hey Hey Hey" as a coda); the Beatles' 1964 version covers Little Richard's version.

13. Leadbelly: Goodnight Irene

Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) is one of the singularly most important American singers and songwriters of the 20th century. He was also instrumental in discovering old traditional songs and reinterpreting others. He can't truly be classified as a blues musician, although blues was one style in which he expressed himself. He was more of a folk singer who was among the last in the tradition of handing folk songs down orally to younger generations; many of the songs he sang or recorded had their roots in the work songs of the slave days, as well as Appalachian and other rural folk music. Born in 1888, he lived long enough to become a direct influence on Woodie Guthrie and Pete Seeger in the 1940's, who in turn influenced the 1960's folk revival. He first started playing in Texas in 1912, with Blind Lemon Jefferson, and switched from a 6-string to 12-string guitar. He quickly ran afoul of the law on dubious charges, culminating in his imprisonment for murder in 1917; he earned his nickname in prison. Pardoned by the governor of Texas in 1925, reportedly because the governor liked his singing; he was freed, only to return to prison again in 1930 following a stabbing incident. In 1933, while in prison, he was visited by American folk historian John Lomax and his son Alan, who were looking for traditional folk songs to record as part of a preservation effort that became both Lomaxes lifetime missions. Leadbelly sang them "Goodnight Irene" a heavily altered version of "Irene, Good Night", which dates back to 1886. Freed again in 1934 because of Lomax' interest (creating rumors that the he sung his way to a pardon a second time), Leadbelly went to work for John Lomax as a chauffeur, recording many more records on the side, many covered by rock musicians. "Goodnight Irene" has been done by Johnny Cash, Arlo Guthrie, Little Richard, Meat Puppets, The Weavers, Brian Wilson, and countless others.

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