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BLUES SONGS

From the various song catalogs which EMI controls, following is an alphabetical list of over 40 milestone blues copyrights which were recorded by some of the most memorable exponents of the genre.

Certain early and original performances of these songs are virtually timeless; for instance, the first version of of DRIFTIN' BLUES (aka DRIFTING BLUES aka DRIFTING AND DRIFTING) was recorded by its author, the late Charles Brown in 1945 when he was a member of Johnny Moore's Three Blazers. Charles's soft vocal tone was never more endearing as he spelt out the storyline: "Well I'm drifting and drifting like a ship out on the sea/Well I ain't got nobody in this world to care for me". Over the years, the song was cut by a string of outstanding performers ranging from Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Sam Cooke, Lowell Fulson, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Albert King, B.B. King & Bobby Bland, to Santana and The Who's Pete Townshend.

Not that every memorable blues song can boast such a pedigree as that, but the following list certainly provides a wide range of styles from which to choose whether you prefer the aching message that Elmore James poured into THE SKY IS CRYING or the tongue-in-cheek humor of Jimmy Liggins' statement, I AIN'T DRUNK.

Don't let the blues get you down...but enjoy these anyway.

TITLE (WRITERS) ARTIST LABEL / YEAR
Avalon My Home Town (Hurt) Mississippi John Hurt (Vanguard: 1966)
Bad Bad Whiskey (Davis) Amos Milburn (Aladdin/EMI: 1950)
Before You Accuse Me (McDaniel) Bo Diddley (Checker/UME: 1957)
Blues Early Early (Cadena/Smith) Big Maybelle (Savoy/Atlantic/WSP: 1957)
Double Crossing Blues (Otis) The Johnny Otis Quintette with The Robins & Little Esther
(Savoy/Atlantic/WSP: 1950)
Driftin' Blues (Brown/Williams/Moore) Johnny Moore's Three Blazers featuring Charles Brown (Philo/EMI: 1945)
Dreamin' Blues (Otis) Mel Walker with Johnny Otis & His Orchestra (Savoy/Atlantic/WSP: 1950)
Empty Life (Walton) Mercy Dee (Imperial/EMI: 1950)
Every Night About This Time (Domino) Magic Sam (Chief/EMusic.com: 1961)
Fannie Mae (Glasco/Lewis/Levy) Buster Brown (Fire/Arista: 1959)
Feel So Bad (Hopkins) Little Milton (Checker/UME: 1966)
Hey Hey (Broonzy) Muddy Waters (Chess/UME: 1959)
Hush Oh Hush (Sykes/King) Roosevelt Sykes (Imperial/EMI: 1955)
I Ain't Drunk (Liggins) Albert Collins (Alligator: 1986)
I Cried Like A Baby (Herman/Brown/David) Koko Taylor (Alligator: 1986)
I'm Coming Down With The Blues (Covay/Berry) Jimmy Witherspoon (Prestige/Fantasy: 1964)
It's A Hang-Up Baby (Reeves) Z.Z. Hill (Atlantic/WSP: 1969)
Living With The Blues (McGhee/McGhee) Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry (Folkways: 1959)
Luther's Blues (Allison) Luther Allison (Gordy/UME: 1974)
Mississippi Boweevil Blues (Patton) Charley Patton (Paramount: 1929)
Mr. Lucky (Smith/Hooker) John Lee Hooker with The Robert Cray Band (Pointblank/Charisma/Virgin: 1991)
Mojo Hand (Hopkins/Lewis/Levy) Lightnin' Hopkins (Fire/BMG: 1960)
My Fault (McGhee) Brownie McGhee (Savoy: 1948)
My Gal's A Jockey (Turner) Joe Turner (National/Atlantic/WSP: 1946)
Please Don't Drive Me Away (Brown/Ervin) Buddy Guy (Silvertone/Zomba: 1994)
Ride On Red Ride On (Glover/Reig/Levy) Louisiana Red (Roulette/Rhino: 1962)
The Right Time (Herman) Ray Charles (Atlantic/WSP: 1958)
Shake Your Money Maker (James) Elmore James (Fire/BMG: 1961)
She Caught The Katy And Left Me A Mule To Ride (Rachell/Mahal) Taj Mahal (Columbia/Sony: 1969)
Shotgun (aka Shotgun Blues) (Hopkins) Lightnin' Hopkins (Aladdin/EMI: 1948)
The Sky Is Crying (James) Elmore James & His Broomdusters (Fire/BMG: 1960)
Someday Baby (Hopkins) Lightnin' Hopkins (Aladdin/EMI: 1948)
Something You Got (Kenner) B.B.King & Koko Taylor (MCA/UME: 1993)
Something's Got A Hold On Me (Woods/James/Kirkland) Etta James (Argo/UME: 1962)
Southbound Train (Broonzy) Muddy Waters (Chess/UME: 1959)
St. James Infirmary (Primrose) Bobby Blue Bland (Duke/UME: 1960)
Story To Tell (Turner) Joe Turner (Imperial/EMI: 1950)
Take Out Some Insurance (Hall/Singleton) Jimmy Reed (Vee-Jay: 1959)
Telephone Blues (Dixon/Davis) Floyd Dixon (Aladdin/EMI: 1950)
Tell Me What's The Reason (Cadrez) T-Bone Walker (Imperial/EMI: 1951)
Think (McCracklin/Malone) Jimmy McCracklin (Imperial/EMI: 1965)
Tired, Broke And Busted (Dixon/Davis) Floyd Dixon (Aladdin/EMI: 1952)
Trouble Blues (Brown) Charles Brown (Aladdin/EMI: 1949)
Violent Love (Dixon) Otis Rush (Cobra: 1956)
Wine, Women, Whiskey (Lightfoot) Papa Lightfoot (Imperial/EMI: 1954)
You Can Run But You Can't Hide (Butterfield/Glover) Freddie King (RSO/UME: 1976)


ROCK ON !
Alan Warner

© 2001 by EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING. 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104. All Rights Reserved. This Information, or Part Thereof, May Not Be Reproduced In Any Form Without Permission.

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