What with the last studio album from Dr. John about to be released and just general musing on what a superb talent he was I set off on a quest through Youtube for a moving performance that wasn’t just a clip from ‘The Last Waltz.’ And this is where I ended. Now I know what you’re thinking – Americana UK doesn’t really cover the Blues, so what’s this all about? BB King introducing Etta James, and the soulful blues of ‘I’d Rather Go Blind‘? But here’s the thing – I would contend that this song is one that Willy Vlautin was born just too late to write himself. This is a perfect Delines song. It just happens to be Etta James and Dr. John that are performing it. And that being said it is a perfect song to feature on Americana UK.
What is so wonderful about this clip is how natural the interaction between Etta and the good Doctor appears – you’d almost swear that Mac’s intervention was an off-the-cuff decision, but actually they’d been duetting this song for years. It’s great though, ain’t it?