Sunday, March 15, 2009

The Blues Don't Care Who's Got 'Em

Back in the day I heard a great song called The Blues Don't care who's got 'Em. It was written by Gary Stewart. Here's a little bit of it. Nice little tune.
Reba did a version which you can find if you go to rhapsody and search tracks. But she doesn't do its anger much justice.

Gary was white. He also did a really neat song called "I got a bad attitude." One of the best outlaw rockers. Here are some of his songs. Check out the rocking country, "I ain't living long like this." and the bluesy country. "You're not the woman you used to be." But hey, the blues don't care who's got them.

I got some great CD's mailed to me by Northern Blues for me to review. They do great modern blues: Indian fusion blues, African-American and African fusion blues, Native American blues, all kinds of blues, blue-eyed blues, cowboy blues, jazz blues. Everything! I didn't have time to review them and since I didn't have the brain strength to review them (long story) I gave them to a friend who loved them. But honestly, the blues don't care who's got them.

Everyone gets the blues. And the only difference is how one's culture shows the blues. When a Russian gets the blues he sings quite differently from an Irishman who gets the blues or a Greek who gets the blues or a Native American who gets the blues or a black person from Memphis.

But I want to introduce you to what is universally thought of as the "first" English blues. Not as if the English weren't singing the blues and dealing with ballads for hundreds of years before. But this song was written in the modern folkie blues era written by a sailor who came home from sea and found his girlfriend had run off with another fellow. The version I like best is on a tape so I can't share it with you. But here's Cyril Tawley's version of "Sally Free and Easy" and hey Cyril wrote it.

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