Down, Down, Down…Down, Down

I’ve had one song on my “to blog about” list for this year and today is the day to put it out there. In my mind, the definitive version of “Going Down” was recorded by blues guitarist Freddie King. (I think I really came to know King’s name when Eric Clapton covered “I’m Tore Down”). Rollicking is the word I would use to describe the feel of this song.

Another thing I noticed about this song is the chord changes are descending or “going down” as King is singing the same thing in the lyrics. I wonder if there’s a fancy musical term for that?

The song was actually written by a musician named Don Nix. From what I’ve read, Nix was born in Memphis and had ties to Stax Records. The driving piano on the Freddie King version was played by Leon Russell.

Like many listeners, I didn’t know about any other versions out there. It turns out a group named Moloch actually recorded the original one. It has a heavier feel than the blues-tastic version by King.

The beauty of this song is there are close to 80 other versions out there. Some of those include The Who, Deep Purple, Tab Benoit, and Gary Hoey. Perhaps I’ll re-blog some time.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

R.I.P. J.H.J.

Bluesman John Hammond, Jr. has gone to that “great gig in the sky”, but not before leaving a couple hundred bluesy covers for us all to enjoy. I was never a superfan, but I definitely appreciate his style. I always thought of Hammond as one of those “triple threat” guys who could sing, play guitar, and harmonica by himself (or with a band.) However, his style was different from guys like Bob Dylan or Neil Young.

Hammond had a wilder vocal style. You might even say he doesn’t really sound like a “white guy”, which is what he was. Case in point is his take on the Jimmy Reed classic “Big Boss Man.” According to Wikipedia, Hammond was inspired to start playing guitar after hearing one of Reed’s albums.

Reed’s version to my ears had more of a lazy, loping kind of feel to it, which is an interesting contrast to Hammond’s. I always thought of Hammond as a slide guitar player, too. He has plenty of electric recordings out there like his cover of “Dust My Broom”, which I associate with Elmore James.

If that’s not enough slide guitar for you, there are many other choices out there including Robert Johnson’s “Come On In My Kitchen.” This one is more of a Delta blues which was most likely played on a National Resonator Guitar.

Hammond also wrote some original songs, but I think he’s best remembered as an interpreter of blues music — in many different styles. He covered songs written by Tom Waits along with at least one Mick Jagger-Keith Richards tune as well. I know it won’t be the last time I delve into his massive body of work.

Oh, and his father was that other John Hammond — the guy who discovered Bob Dylan.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Blues for Who?

When you hear the musical term “blues”, what is the first name you think of? It could be Robert Johnson…Etta James…Albert King…but Cyndi Lauper?? A friend of mine recently turned me on to her take on “Shattered Dreams”, which was released on her 2010 album “Memphis Blues.”

The prominent piano part features New Orleans musical staple Allen Toussaint. Toussaint plays on a second cut on the album. I was going to share more songs from the album, but enjoyed hearing what I believe is the original recording by Lowell Fulsom.

You’ll also see his surname listed as “Fulson” here and there.

Getting back to Cyndi Lauper, I really enjoyed hearing her take on this song. It’s a big contrast to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” — a song that was basically a teenage boy’s nightmare when it came out during the 1980s MTV era. One of my cousins praised her song “Time after Time” year ago, which made me see her in a different light. And this was the guy who turned me on to KISS.

“Memphis Blues” has a bunch of other classic blues covers and some great musicians so I may revisit it in the near future. When I saw it was released in 2010, I wondered how I missed this and what I was doing? Then I remembered… the economy was in the dumper and we all had the blues. How appropriate.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!