My choice for Song of the Month is to visit the gospel song YOU GOT TO MOVE which has been recorded by a variety of country blues and/or gospel musicians:
This song was first recorded by the Two Gospel Keys, street singers in 1946 and released on on Smithsonian recordings. The Keys were Emma Daniels, vocals and guitar and vocals and Mother Sally Jones on tambourine and vocals."
However, though the versions diffe,r it's also been co-credited as authors to both MIssissippi Fred Mcdowell and Reverend Gary Davis. Here's the Davis version:
REV GARY DAVIS:
FRED MCDOWELL'S version became very well known and he performed it as a slow slide guitar Hill Country Blues which was popularized commercially, although Fred did not live long enough to enjoy the royalties fully.
In the Live in New York performance at the Gaslight, Oblivion recorded in 1971 , his bass player Tom Pomposello, who is credited with the liner notes shares the explanation Mcdowell gave the audience of the song to which he gave two meanings:
?A lot of people whoever hear me sing this song would ask me, ?What does it mean, you got to move?? Well, this is a true song and one that has two meanings. Now you know why I say that? Y?know a lot of people don?t own their own homes. So you pay so much a month for rent. Now when you get behind, well, maybe the landlord?ll allow you to skip the first month or so. But when the third one comes, if you ain?t paid up you come home one evening and you find your things sittin? out on the street. You see, you got to move... And not only that, but here is the more important meaning. We?re all sitting right here tonight. I?m sitting up here playin? for you all, and you?re all sitting back listenin?. When this is all over, maybe you plan to go out to next door. But you know, you may not live to walk out that door. If you fall down dead, if you happen to die, you done moved. That?s one debt you can?t dodge. When the Lord gets ready, you got to move.?
For this presentation I am posting the earlier acoustic version recorded in 1965 for Arhoolie by Chris Strachwitz.
FRED McDOWELL :
Moving on, so to speak, here's some versions of the song by some notable country blues or gospel players players over the years and I hope to hear from Weenies on the subject...
REVEREND ROBERT WILKINS
BROTHER JOE MAY with SISTER JAMES
SISTER ROSETTA THARP AND MARIE KNIGHT
RL BURNSIDE:
REVEREND PEARLY BROWN On Arhoolie from 1974:
Mean Old World was filmed by John English in 1975 - Here's Reverend Brown live at 1:54:
BOYD RIVERS:
LOUISIANA RED:
KENNY BROWN:
Moving out, so to speak, I hope to enjoy any versions that might be posted by other members. This was my first slide song that I tried to play and it became an ongoing study to revisit it to see if I could ever develop the understanding of it to play it and have it sound like music as opposed to a bunch of notes strung together.
This song was first recorded by the Two Gospel Keys, street singers in 1946 and released on on Smithsonian recordings. The Keys were Emma Daniels, vocals and guitar and vocals and Mother Sally Jones on tambourine and vocals."
However, though the versions diffe,r it's also been co-credited as authors to both MIssissippi Fred Mcdowell and Reverend Gary Davis. Here's the Davis version:
REV GARY DAVIS:
FRED MCDOWELL'S version became very well known and he performed it as a slow slide guitar Hill Country Blues which was popularized commercially, although Fred did not live long enough to enjoy the royalties fully.
In the Live in New York performance at the Gaslight, Oblivion recorded in 1971 , his bass player Tom Pomposello, who is credited with the liner notes shares the explanation Mcdowell gave the audience of the song to which he gave two meanings:
?A lot of people whoever hear me sing this song would ask me, ?What does it mean, you got to move?? Well, this is a true song and one that has two meanings. Now you know why I say that? Y?know a lot of people don?t own their own homes. So you pay so much a month for rent. Now when you get behind, well, maybe the landlord?ll allow you to skip the first month or so. But when the third one comes, if you ain?t paid up you come home one evening and you find your things sittin? out on the street. You see, you got to move... And not only that, but here is the more important meaning. We?re all sitting right here tonight. I?m sitting up here playin? for you all, and you?re all sitting back listenin?. When this is all over, maybe you plan to go out to next door. But you know, you may not live to walk out that door. If you fall down dead, if you happen to die, you done moved. That?s one debt you can?t dodge. When the Lord gets ready, you got to move.?
For this presentation I am posting the earlier acoustic version recorded in 1965 for Arhoolie by Chris Strachwitz.
FRED McDOWELL :
Moving on, so to speak, here's some versions of the song by some notable country blues or gospel players players over the years and I hope to hear from Weenies on the subject...
REVEREND ROBERT WILKINS
BROTHER JOE MAY with SISTER JAMES
SISTER ROSETTA THARP AND MARIE KNIGHT
RL BURNSIDE:
REVEREND PEARLY BROWN On Arhoolie from 1974:
Mean Old World was filmed by John English in 1975 - Here's Reverend Brown live at 1:54:
BOYD RIVERS:
LOUISIANA RED:
KENNY BROWN:
Moving out, so to speak, I hope to enjoy any versions that might be posted by other members. This was my first slide song that I tried to play and it became an ongoing study to revisit it to see if I could ever develop the understanding of it to play it and have it sound like music as opposed to a bunch of notes strung together.