The "Blakroc Project"

Blakroc Project from Myrhax on Vimeo.

In stores now.

From the North Mississippi cotton fields to The Black Keys

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:

RL Burnside - Blues Story - Poor Black mattie
by fredozydeco

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.

New Site - RCRD LBL

I don't have much time for this one.  It's late and I really should have gone to bed hours ago.  But I can't go to bed yet without making sure this makes it's way out into your cyberspace.  Check it out.

RCRDLBL.com.  Free streams, downloads and other media from some of your favorite artists.  The way they put it:

RCRD LBL is a network of online record labels and blogs serving up fresh new music downloads and exclusive content curated by our team of editors and partner labels every day.

You may remember a while back when I was ranting about The Pirate Bay decision and how parties on either end of the conflict are hurting the industry.  Well, it seems to me that RCRD LBL may be one of those services in "the middle," where artists and their fans can connect more directly and both can benefit.  Of course, I haven't done ANY legwork to back up that claim.  All I'll probably do is pay attention to the site over the long haul and see how it develops.  In the meantime, I'll be taking advantage of all the cool downloads.

And they've got some goodies, too.  Shanty favorites like

M. Ward

Miles Benjamin Anthony Johnson

Animal Collective

Cotton Jones

The Black Keys

Antony and the Johnsons

Mogwai

Okkervil River

Kings of Leon

There are more.  You should check it out.