Topic: Who's Train is What?

[Mike McLaren]

I've been wanting to cover "Panama Limited," but I'm worried about copyright.

Doug MacLeod does a superior cover of "Panama Limited," calls his "The New Panama Limited," and gives credit to Bukka White. Tom Rush covers the song, and also gives credit to Bukka White. But the cuts that I have of Bukka White are entitled "Streamline Special." Bukka White's version seems to have copyright restrictions.

The rub is that Robert Petway does a tune entitled "Panama Limited"?same tune as Bukka White's "Streamline Special." I'm not worried about copyright with Petway's version, but copyright infringement would dpend upon who's tune it is... Petway's or White's.

 

[Stuart]

http://www.amazon.com/Panama-Limited-Bukka-White/dp/B00004NJIS

35+ years ago I saw Tom Rush do it and as I recall in his intro he said that his version was put together from three of Booker's songs.

[Mike McLaren]

Thanks for the link, Stuart. Funny thing... on that import they list 'Special Streamline" and "Panama Limited." Too bad they didn't offer sound clips. I'm going hunting'...

 

[uncle bud]

White recorded "The Panama Limited" on 26 May 1930 (Vi 23295), and recorded "Special Stream Line" 8 March 1940 (Vo 05526). Can't help you with the copyrights. What's the issue? Who to pay? Covering a song on a CD isn't copyright infringement. You just pay the proper royalties where applicable, as far as I know. Or have I got things wrong (quite possible!)?

Also, Petway never recorded Panama Limited, to my knowledge, and also according to Blues and Gospel Records. Sounds like you have a mislabeled CD or mp3.

[Mike McLaren]

Hey, Uncle Bud.

I thought about the possibility that the recording I have (an old vinyl sampler I bought in San Francisco a thousand years ago) is actually Bukka White. I read your post and thought even harder about it. So I popped on the vinyl and went to the iTunes store and checked the lp cut against the mp3. I'll be damned. What's cool is that the iTunes mp3 is clearly audible. My old vinyl lp... well let's just say I've kept it around this long 'cause it's old.

What's bad is that I now have one less track of the only 16 that Petway ever recorded.

As for copyright... I make a living teaching guitar and banjo lessons, and playing small-time gigs. I can't afford to feed money into the corporate machine every time I want to pop an mp3 onto the Internet. Makin' just 20K a year, I can barely afford to write my own tunes and cover what's public domain.

Thanks for puttin' the Panama Limited back on track for me!

 

[CF]

You make 20k a year giving lessons & playing small-time gigs? What the hell am I doing wrong? 

[Mike McLaren]

47% of that 20K includes my wife's salary.

37 students at $125 flat-fee for the month, and I'm the only guy around who teaches open tunings, banjo, and music theory. If the economy gets any worse, I'll be the first expense cut out of everyone's family budget

[waxwing]

If the economy gets any worse, I'll be the first expense cut out of everyone's family budget

In Humboldt?-G- Remember what Gilbert Shelton, well, his Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers said? (Check their myspace page.) Maybe the same goes for music, especially blues.

Hey, it's great that you are giving your full attention to the various aspects of your music, Mike. It's unfortunate that the livelihood of most full time musicians, most full time artists, really, can still be somewhat limiting to one's lifestyle. I hope things continue to get better for you.

All for now.
John C.

[Mike McLaren]

Hey John.

Yeah... Humboldt... and to boot I live in Arcata, recently given the honorary title of Grow House Capital of the World; got six of 'em within a block of my house. Rents around here are astronomical, 'cause some folks can afford high rent with the green they grow. The feds showed up last month for a county-wide raid, but folks got wind of it and managed to duck behind the bushes. If the feds ever get smart and make a surprise attack, they'll haul in half the county, and then I'll really be in trouble, 'cause the growers provide 50% of the local economic base. They get burned and nobody around here will have money to put out for guitar lessons! I shoulda been a lawyer like my mama always wanted.

Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers... I still have a few comics on my bookshelf. They'd love it here. The true land of Green Grass and High Times Tides!