Sandy Hook
Saturday, July 17, 2010
1960s: Leadbelly, Creedence Clearwater - Cotton Fields
"Cotton Fields" was written by a blues musician who was given the name Huddie (Hudy) Ledbetter when he was born. He became better known as Leadbelly or Lead Belly. The Highwaymen recorded the song in 1961, 12 years after Lead Belly's death, and it reached #13 on the pop charts.
The Beach Boys picked it up in 1968 but it never became the hit in the U.S. that it did in other countries. Other musicians who recorded "Cotton Fields" over the years were Johnny Cash, Harry Belafonte, Elton John and Creedence Clearwater Revival -- my favorite.
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I love this, thanks so much for posting it. You probably have guessed 90% of what I play is Blues.
ReplyDeleteIt's the base of it all.
I enjoyed this, thanks again.. I got Teeluck to change his Music on his site to some old time blues...Ha!
I like blues and soft jazz but not as background music. I want to be able to really focus on it - the words, tone and rhythm. I'm probably the only one who doesn't care for background blog music - I find it a bit distracting and raucus, maybe because I'm so dumb that I need all the powers-that-be to be able to concentrate!
ReplyDeleteNice.
ReplyDeleteLeslie good one, and I'm with you the background music's a distraction. So we're maybe in the same dumbass boat!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mr. T.
ReplyDeleteOso: Is that dumb-ass or dum-bass?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yLXIy-ZXgU
ReplyDeleteThe Last Waltz
This is a real classic.
RZ: I don't want to hurt your feelings, but the one advantage to videos is that you can turn them off. This is what I call nightmare music. I'm sorry.
ReplyDeleteThat's cool, So I take it Jimi Hendrix is out?:-)
ReplyDeleteTry this. Kenny Wayne Shepherd --10 Days Out. [Documentary}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RfTkWtDLnM
I've been on a Taj Mahal kick lately, especially Giant Steps.
ReplyDeleteThere's something about southern locales in lyrics -- they just register in a way that other regions don't.
I watched the jam, RZ. Hard to believe that Ringo is 70. Was that Dr John wearing the beret?
ReplyDeleteGood Evening Ms.Leslie!
ReplyDeleteA couple legend's here of the industry absolutely, and Leadbelly was a key influence musicly to one of my favourute Texas legend's Ms. Janis Joplin. It was a suprise to see this .... only two week's ago I posted a young Jmmmy Page (founder and composer of Led Zeppelin) doing this piece with his High School buddies back in 1957 on a BBC tele one programme.
Thank You Ms.Leslie ....
I love delta blues - the real old time stuff, like leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Son House, etc. I have a DVD set of performances by blues artists playing in Europe (because here, they mostly played little tiny dives and juke joints), live stuff no one filmed here in the States. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteThat brings back some memories, thanks.
ReplyDeleteRZ: Well, no, I'm not just real crazy about Jimi Hendrix. My tastes are real simple: If I can't understand the words, hum the tune, or my feet don't move or it isn't music to my ears, I don't want to listen to it. I can have migraines without the props. : )
ReplyDeleteCK: "There's something about southern locales in lyrics." Oh yes, and even in the old country music - not the dressed-up, bastardization of today.
RC: Poor Janis, it was a sad day in Houston when I heard the news of her death. My friends at UH and I sat around and did what all young people did in those days to mourn the loss of someone - except it didn't help in this case.
Bee: I figured the reason the Beach Boys recording wasn't such a big hit in the states was because the music didn't fit the artists - maybe they were a little too antiseptic? The sad thing is that it was the dives and juke joints where the best of the best could be found.
ReplyDeleteInfidel: Glad you enjoyed it.
K:
ReplyDeleteYes it was.
Did you notice how Clapton was on his H binge during that time.
Neil Young is one of my Gods.
Ringo is Ringo :-)
My brother is big Leadbelly fan. I'll turn him on to this post.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Truth. Is he as spunky as you?
ReplyDelete