Driving late at night last Sunday back from Kansas City, this song by The Black Keys came up on shuffle:
"Busted" appears on "The Big Come Up," The Black Keys' debut album released on May 14, 2002. According to the copyright registration document, band members Daniel Auerbach and Patrick Carney claim authorship credit. The date of creation is listed as "2002."
It was years before, back when I had the pleasure of living with ol' Mandermate and Dusty at 42nd and Burt. Countless albums graced the halls of that easter egg of a mansion. Day and night music played to inspire morning madness, afternoon antics and nighttime none-of-your-business. I was introduced to a LOT of new stuff. But there a few albums came into my life at that time that will stay in my head 'till my dying days. One of them was "Shake Hands With Shorty."
"Shake Hands With Shorty," by the North Mississippi Allstars came into my life during the summer of 2004. It was released on May 9, 2000. Among others, "Po Black Maddie" struck a chord:
One can only imagine that it struck a chord with The Black Keys, too. Though the lyrics are different, it's clear that the music in both songs is the same. If we were to stop there, it might lead you to believe that The Keys had outright copied The Allstars. Fortunately, I didn't stop there.
[This episode of Trace That Tune brought to you by Budweiser Beer. An American classic.]
Turns out, the liner notes for Shorty give credit to R.L. Burnside for "Maddie." Born in 1926, Burnside learned to play blues from Fred McDowell (interestingly, it turns out that Muddy Waters was his cousin-in-law). Burnside didn't start recording until the late 1960's. Even then, it wasn't until he signed with Fat Possum Records in the 1990's and partnered with Jon Spencer (of Pussy Galore fame) and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion that he started gaining national attention.
Burnside first recorded "Poor Black Mattie" in 1967(8) with George Mitchell. The song appears in "First Recordings," released in 2003 . When asked about the song, Burnside had this to say:
So, a Black Keys song sounds a lot like a North Mississippi Allstars song, which was originally recorded by a guy who calls the song "old tractor drivin' blues." As far as I can tell, it's unclear whether Burnside originally wrote the song, or if he heard somebody else drivin' and a singin'. Given Burnside's extensive sharecropping experience, either story's possible.
A tune well traced. That's interesting that the Black Keys stand by their claim to the music. I expect this sort of thing to continue, especially in these genres that have been around for a while.
ReplyDelete