We all know that Irish, Scottish and English folk music is a key part of America's own musical traditions. here we have a coals to Newcastle situation with the legendary Norma Waterson's cover of the Dead's "Black Muddy River". We also have Gregg Allman's version from his final album, which showed what a great singer he was.
I didn't know Allman had recorded this, nice to hear but I reckon Norma Waterson blows him and the original out of the water. It's just superb.
In the words of the immortal Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band: "Can blue men sing the whites...?"
There must be somewhere north of a million versions of this tune. YouTube is a veritable rabbit hole down which one doesn't want to fall if one values one's sanity. However this, for me, is the best:
My dad, as was his wont, came home from work one day with the album from which this is taken. Neither of us were particularly into blues but this track really grabbed my attention. Jeremy Spencer was an interesting fella - superb slide player and decent singer who (according to legend) could be found backstage at gigs reading the bible but would then take to the stage with a dildo sticking out of his jeans just for shits and giggles. Such practices got them banned from many a venue apparently. Anyhow Spencer famously went AWOL on an American tour in 1971 or sometime and joined The Children of God religious cult. Which was a great lose to the guitar playing fraternity. Also of note is that this is the fastest Mick Fleetwood (a 'meat and potatoes' drummer of limited ability) has been asked to drum. John McVie is pretty good at playing his scales though. Two of the luckiest fellas in modern popular music I'd wager - although that's an argument for another time.
Contrast that with this. Impossibly cool:
And the original:
Tune
Next up: "Dust My Broom"...just kidding. I have a good friend whose most treasured possession is a sort of bootleg vinyl which has twenty five versions by Elmore James alone. Madness.
@paul-villers Back to Memphis for this version by Jim Dickinson and Sid Selvidge.
Spencer had a great solo album full of rock'n'roll pastiches including the Mac playing an out of tune blues song.
It would be interesting to hear Mark’s views on an out of tune blues tune.
Tune:
Don't know who these folk are but this is gorgeous:
When I finally get down to whitling my Desert Island Discs to the requisite amount this is very likely to make the final cut:
Slight change this time - have three Hey Mamas (not three hail Mary's for the religiously inclined) on me. Same title/different tune:
This from one of my all time favourite artists - the Swedish wunderkind Nicolai Dunger (here recording with Bonnie Prince Billy Will Oldham and his brother Paul). A lovely unpolished home recording essentially. Love it
Nathaniel Ratliff with whom I have a very small amount of history (see one of my previous offerings in this thread). Great tune and the fact that he has reinvented himself as a soul singer of late is right up my street - love soul music me
Speaking of which
