When the Rolling tones recorded an old blues tune called
You Gotta Move on
Sticky Fingers back in 1971, it was another instance of a tune by an old black man, known only to blues aficionados, suddenly becoming part of the consciousness of a gazillion people who probably never would've heard it otherwise. But let's pay a little visit to the man who originally wrote and recorded the song,
Mississippi Fred McDowell, shall we? Here's a jumping version of
Shake 'em On Down, his haunting
Going Down to the River, the gospel blues of
When I Lay My Burden Down,
Highway 61,
My Babe (you'll note the similarity to "This Train"),
Louise, and his version of the American folk/blues standard
John Henry. And don't miss the beautiful 1969 documentary featuring McDowell at Internet Archive,
Blues Maker, which features some superlative acoustic performances, and footage of the people and environment of the Mississippi delta country.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Sep 23, 2008 -
40 comments
