The Origins of Classic Blues Songs

 This time out we take a close look at four classic blues songs and trace their origins. More often than not those familiar blues songs you've heard time after time have a long and surprising history, usually going back to the early days of recorded blues. In this article we will take a look at the following well worn blues songs: "Everyday I Have The Blues", "Sweet Black Angel", "Tin Pan Alley" and "Sweet Home Chicago."

Everyday I Have The Blues

 The song is normally credited to Memphis Slim (Peter Chatman) but the first song to use the title was cut by St. Louis pianist Pinetop (Aaron Sparks) for Bluebird in 1935. This song is from his final recording session and Henry Townsend, guitarist for the session, claims to have composed the song. Pinetop's song uses the familiar melody but different lyrics. However even Pinetop's version is predated by Elizabeth Washington's "Whiskey Blues", recorded in 1933 on Victor with Aaron "Pinetop" Sparks as backing pianist. Although the song has become associated with Memphis Slim, Lowell Fulson recorded "Everyday I Have The Blues" for Swing Time in 1949, before Memphis Slim's earliest version was issued. Fulson's Swing Time version was also released under the title "Lonely Heart Blues." Although Memphis Slim had recorded the song in 1948, it remained unreleased until 1949 when it was issued under the title "Nobody Loves Me" for Miracle. Slim's Miracle version was reissued in 1950 by Federal, a subsidiary of the King label. Subsequent covers are usually credited to Peter Chatman. The song has been covered endlessly including versions by Champion Jack Dupree, Elmore James, B.B. King and Big Joe Turner.

Sweet Black Angel

 "Sweet Black Angel" as it is best known now derived from a song titled "Black Angel Blues." The song was first cut by singer Lucille Bogan in December, 1930 for Columbia. Tampa Red covered "Black Angel Blues" in March, 1934 for Vocalion. Robert Nighthawk cut the next version as "Black Angel Blues (Sweet Black Angel)" in July, 1949 likely based on hearing Tampa's version who was a big influence on Nighthawk. Nighthawk's song was paired with "Annie Lee Blues (Anna Lee)" (based on Tampa Red's "Anna Lou Blues", 1940) the pairing became the closest thing Nighthawk ever had to a hit and helped popularize the song. In response to Nighthawk's success Tampa Red recut the song in 1950 as "Sweet Little Angel." In 1956 B.B. King covered the song as "Sweet Little Angel" on RPM which hit #8 on the R&B charts. The song has been covered numerous times as "Sweet Little Angel" and "Sweet Black Angel" by Earl Hooker, Pinetop Perkins, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Corey Harris and many others.

Tin Pan Alley

 Most folks know this song from Stevie Ray Vaughn's 1983 version titled "Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)." Surprisingly this song also traces it's roots back to the 30's. The first song with the title "Tin Pan Alley" was cut by pianist Curtis Jones for Okeh in 1941. Lyrically this is a different song but the melody is similar. This song is a close kin to "Bad Avenue Blues" which was cut by Jones in 1937 for Bluebird. The song may have been based on an earlier song about a rough neighborhood by pianist Walter Roland as "45 Pistol Blues" for ARC in 1935. The song we know today stems from Jimmy Wilson's doom laden "Tin Pan Alley" cut for Big Town in 1953 and credited as being written by record man Bob Geddins who operated a number of small West Coast labels. Other notable versions were cut by Johnny Fuller as "Roughest Place In Town" (1956), James Reed's "Roughest Place In Town" and Ray Agee's "Tin Pan Alley" for the Sahara label (1963).

Sweet Home Chicago