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The final volume of Ed Parker’s Yer Blues playlist is here, volume 15, with songs 349 to 372.
There were more songs in his original list because there are some that he had recorded that I was unable to find on YouTube. The next Blues Roots will appear on Thursday, July 20, 2017, with a recap of all 15 volumes, and I’ll begin to do features on some of the other songs that I wasn’t able to get to first time around. I’m also taking requests—please let me know if you have a favorite I can do a little research on (or maybe I have, and can refer you to that one).
I try to save the best for last but that’s easy because it’s all best. Looks like Ed Parker did the same, closing out the playlist with Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson (Aleck “Rice” Miller), Nina Simone, the Rolling Stones, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, Cream capping it off with B.B. King’s evergreen “The Thrill Is Gone” (number 372). This song provides symmetry, as the first song was Wynonie Harris’s “I Get a Thrill” (found in the Blues Roots on Thursday, March 16, 2017).
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Kicking volume 15 off with Piedmont bluesman Julius Daniels’ February 1927 recording of “Ninety-Nine Year Blues” (number 249 on the playlist); that’s followed by the version on Hot Tuna’s Burgers from 1972. They turned the lyrics around so much that original meaning of the title doesn’t make literal sense.The Singing Brakeman liked it enough to render it in 1932.
Here’s a solo live version by Jorma Kaukonen from the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ, May 20, 1978.
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The first Sonny Boy Williamson (John Lee Williamson) cut his “Good Morning, School Girl” on May 5, 1937 at the famed Leland Hotel in Aurora, Illinois (song number 351). The cover version on the playlist is by Huey Lewis and the News (352), but who doesn’t think of Alvin Lee and Ten Years After? (From Ssssh, 1969.) Full Blues Roots feature with lots of others sure to appear soon.
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Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “Dry Southern Blues” (March 1934; number 355 on playlist) and Leroy Carr’s “(In the Evening) When the Sun Goes Down” (with Scrapper Blackwell on guitar, Chicago, February 25, 1935; number 356) both gave Robert Johnson material for his “Love In Vain” (takes 1 and 2; Dallas, TX, June 20, 1937; number 357), which the Stones covered, first appearing on Let It Bleed (1969; number 358). You can bet on a full treatment coming on this one. Here’s the one that enthralled me as a youth, from Get Yer Ya-Yas Out (song recorded at Madison Square Garden on November 28, 1969; number 358). Spent many summer afternoons in 1971 pretending I was playing along to this album. It’s one of the songs/albums that made me beg for my first guitar.
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Ida Cox’s “’Fore Day Creep,” Blind Joe Reynolds’ and Cream’s “Outside Woman Blues” (numbers 360, 361 and 362) take us full circle back to the Blues Roots of March 16, 2017, volume 1 of Ed Parker’s Yer Blues playlist and a feature on “Outside Woman Blues.” Complete coincidence, kind of nice the way that came together.………………………………………D…o…w…n………O…n………M…e………………………………………
Eddie Head and His Family made the original recording of this spiritual in 1930 (number 363) with somewhat different lyrics than those that Big Brother and the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin) released on their “Down On Me” cover in 1967 (released as a single and on their eponymous album, recorded sometime between December 12 and 24, 1966; number 364). Here’s a live version from August 16, 1968.
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For the rest, I’m just going to trust you’ll check out the playlist, any questions or comments, please leave them below. There’s an exposition based around Elmore James’ “Shake Your Money Maker” below the song listing for the playlist.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::E:D:::P:A:R:K:E:R:’:S::::Y:E:R:::B:L:U:E:S:,:::V:O:L:.:15::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
songs numbered 349 through 372
“NINETY-NINE YEAR BLUES” JULIUS DANIELS
“99 YEAR BLUES” HOT TUNA“GOOD MORNING SCHOOL GIRL” SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON
“GOOD MORNING, LITTLE SCHOOL GIRL” HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS“HE CALLS THAT RELIGION” MISSISSIPPI SHEIKS
“HE CALLS THAT RELIGION” THE SOJOURNERS“DRY SOUTHERN BLUES” BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON
“WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN” LEROY CARR
“LOVE IN VAIN” ROBERT JOHNSON
“LOVE IN VAIN” THE ROLLING STONES“29 WAYS” WILLIE DIXON
“29 WAYS” MARC COHN“’FORE DAY CREEP” IDA COX
“OUTSIDE WOMAN BLUES” BLIND JOE REYNOLDS
“OUTSIDE WOMAN BLUES” CREAM“DOWN ON ME” EDDIE HEAD & HIS FAMILY
“DOWN ON ME” BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY“SHAKE YOUR MONEY MAKER” ELMORE JAMES
“SHAKE YOUR MONEY MAKER” FLEETWOOD MAC“NEED A LITTLE SUGAR IN MY BOWL” BESSIE SMITH
“I WANT A LITTLE SUGAR IN MY BOWL” NINA SIMONE“SALTY DOG BLUES” PAPA CHARLIE JACKSON
“AW YOU SALTY DOG” LEON REDBONE“THE THRILL IS GONE” ROY HAWKINS
“THE THRILL IS GONE” B.B. KING:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::S:H:A:K:E::::Y:O:U:R::::M:O:N:E:Y::::M:A:K:E:R:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In 1961, Elmore James predictably produced yet another great song. The version on Ed Parker’s Yer Blues playlist is from a 1965 Sphere Sound Records PROMO 45 (number 365). Here’s a 1961 release on FIRE.
“Shake Your Money Maker” (or “Shake Your Moneymaker”) and “Look On Yonder Wall” were both recorded in New Orleans, LA, in 1961. Elmore James (vocal, guitar), Sammy Myers (harmonica), Johnny “Big Moose” Walker (piano),* Sammy Lee Bully (bass), King Mose Tayler (drums).
The flip of the 1961 FIRE 45 was Elmore James’ cover of “Look On Yonder Wall.”
The Fleetwood Mac cover was released on their eponymous debut (released February 24, 1968; number 366). Fleetwood Mac’s Jeremy Spencer was the preeminent Elmore James specialist and he’s on four of the songs on the playlist (26 through 29), both with Mac and as a soloist. Mick Fleetwood is on 30 and 31.
It’s the sixth song on this album. Homesick James Williamson was Elmore James’s cousin, and he’s on many of his cousin’s records. This one, named for the song, was recorded live in Switzerland, 1999. Homesick James (vocals, guitar), Fred James (guitar, producer), Jeff “Stick” Davis (bass), Andy Arrow (drums).
Homesick James and Yank Rachell, live at Rosa’s, 1989
It’s every song on here, all 79 of them (at present, not sure if it will be more or less—going to continue working on this playlist). It’s such popular song I had to reject a bunch of covers (ones I thought weren’t as good as the ones I chose, but I did some very quick analyses of parts of them, maybe as little as 20-30 seconds, so it’s extremely l missed a moment of brilliance in something I passed over). That stop-time riff has some kind of an emotional lure, it draws you right in. Homesick James’s version is special for the way he sings; the one with Snooky Pryor on harp is first on this playlist. Johnny Shines’ instrumental version is second. Hound Dog Taylor takes two slots, numbers 3 and 4. Big Walter Horton’s spacey extended jam is number 5. If time allows, I’m going to come back with comments about these songs and a few others.
The main riff uses the same double-stop voicing as Jimmy Smith’s “(Back at the) Chicken Shack” and Thelonious Monk’s “Blue Monk” to name two. There’s a karaoke version and a backing track at the very bottom of the list.
The Black Crowes are present at number 43, with Jimmy Page, and they deserve a special mention for naming their debut album for the song (1990).
James Brown and quite a few other people perform songs called “Shake Your Money Maker” that have only titles in common with this one.
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Note that numbers 11 and 12 are actually Elmore James Jr., whose given name was Joe Carter, a badass singer-guitarist featured with three songs in the last Blues Roots. Here are five others.…………O…n…e………t…h…i…n…g………l…e…a…d…s………t…o………a…n…o…t…h…e…r…………
This is just a little something extra, great songs with a loose connection to one another. If there’s a theme or a thread running through this post today, it’s kind of a random “one thing leads to another,” so I decided to go with that for a minute.Jimmy McCracklin, “Street Loafin’ Woman,” 1945
Jimmy McCracklin, “Rockin’ All Day,” 1950
Jimmy McCracklin, “The Walk,” 1958
Jimmy McCracklin with Wayne Bennett and Ry Cooder, “The Walk”
Jimmy McCracklin with Wayne Bennett and Ry Cooder, “After Hours”
Big Mojo Elem (vocals, bass), Wayne Bennett, Willie James Lyons (guitars), Fred Below (drums), “Every Night and Every Day”
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Peps Persson has 2 songs in the “Shake Your Money Maker” playlist (numbers 18 and 19). His The Week Peps Came to Chicago (from Sweden, 1972), featuring Carey Bell (harmonica), Louis Myers (harmonica and guitar), Jimmy Dawkins, Mighty Joe Young (guitar), Johnny “Big Moose” Walker (organ), Sunnyland Slim (piano), Dave Myers, James Green, Mac Thompson, Joe Hopper (bass), Fred Below, Alvino Bennett, Bobby Davis, W.W. Williams (drums).
Peps Persson sang, and played harp and guitar. In about 1975, he started playing reggae, which eventually displaced blues.
*I love doing these, and that personnel listing is the reason. Found out that Johnny “Big Moose” Walker played on both of these and several more. The information has always been there but I’m seeing it now when it has a particular interest.
Don D.
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Thanks, Bob, glad you liked it!
For the record, every number that I mentioned in the text about the “Shake Your Money Maker” playlist was actually one lower when I posted last night. So, for example, where I mentioned that numbers 11 and 12 are Joe Carter (Elmore James Jr.), they’re now 10 and 11. They were all like that. There weren’t 79 videos when I got done posting last night, there were 78 (that changed today [see below] and it may change again, as I add and remove songs all the numbers higher than the one I add or remove will get higher or lower).
That’s because I was having trouble with the playlist yesterday after I posted it (you can only test if it will click through to the playlist on YouTube after posting it), and I had to remove a song (the Homesick James-Yank Rachell version of “Money Maker” that’s presently right above the playlist). When I removed it, it threw my numbering off by one digit.
I’m looking for a version by J.B. Hutto. It’s got to be here somewhere, and when it turns up, I’ll probably put it right below the John Littlejohn-Carey Bell number. Meanwhile, I found one by his nephew Little Ed (of the Imperials, but not the one I was looking for), and I added it right below the Billy Branch video, it’s at number 13 (so all the numbers above that are correct again).
I explain all of this because I’m busy pretending this is important stuff (it is to me).
Don D.
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Mark,
That is great version of Outside Women Blues. I am familiar with the Cream version, but had never heard this one.
There used to be video on Youtube of him playing a solo acoustic version which was much more laid back. I learned that one on the guitar as it is mostly pretty easy to play. The version above would be challenging I think.Bob
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Good morning, guys, thank you, I really appreciate your comments, like to know when things interest you. One of my goals is to start a conversation, so it’s nice when it happens.
I know, in general, it’s the rock players who you like best. I just like to get behind what turned them on. At first (a while ago), I listened to find out who inspired, say, the Stones, but it’s really an end in itself, even if I start to reach for “Slunky” or some of the great stuff he recorded in Jimmy Page’s bedroom (around 1965, do you know details?), or with Champion Jack Dupree (1965) I end up putting on something else.
There about a dozen new ones on this playlist since I posted it last Doc Terry’s “Runnin'” is supposed to be last, all the ones after that are definitely new additions since I posted it here—when I get to a computer, I’ll move Doc Terry’s down). Especially if you’ve never heard the songs on this list, check it out. I aimed this list at what I thought of as a rockin’ aesthetic, in most cases virtuosos, but also some stupid genius.
Don D.
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