Topic: Weenie Quote About "Delia"

[doctorpep]

I just saw the following quote on Weenie:

"This song was covered by a famous rock and roll musician who became a folk singer because he can afford to - Roy Book Binder, introducing Delia, a Gary Davis song "

It seems that Roy Book Binder is making a reference to Bob Dylan and his 1993 album, "World Gone Wrong". However, to the best of my knowledge, Dylan's version is based on the McTell version, with a different guitar accompaniment and an added verse about "Men in Atlanta trying to pass for white". In other words, Dylan did not base his version on a Davis tune.

By the way, does anyone know where to find Davis' version of this song?

Perhaps I'm totally wrong about my assumption and Book Binder is talking about himself in the third person (?)

[Parlor Picker]

You need to buy Roy's CD "Live at the Fur Peace Station" to get the full (amusing) story. It's also a very enjoyable collection of songs in all other respects.

"Delia" crops up all over the place in different forms, but I imagine all versions have their roots in the same story and song.

[mr mando]

I don't have "Live at the Fur Peace Station", but I suppose he's talking about David Bromberg. Which reminds me I wanted to buy Bromberg's latest CD and "Live at the Fur Peace Station" as well.

[Bunker Hill]

"Delia" crops up all over the place in different forms, but I imagine all versions have their roots in the same story and song.

Yep and we discussed it in part here http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?amp;Itemid=60&topic=4397.0

Also check out the Delia TAGs.

[uncle bud]

I would characterize Dylan's guitar part as loosely or partly based on the Gary Davis version of Delia. The lyrics would be again loosely or partly based on McTell's version. I'd say Roy is definitely referring to Dylan. As PP says, getting the whole intro on Fur Peace Station is worth the price of admission. I still laugh at it and have heard it a lot.

The Gary Davis version is not available on CD as far as I know, but I believe it appeared recently as a bonus on one of Stefan Grossman's DVDs or CDs. Not sure.

[Bald Melon Jefferson]

Perhaps Roy is refering to Dave Alvin's 2001 Grammy award winning (Best Traditional Folk Album) Public Domain- Songs From the Wild Land album, which featured Delia along with several other chestnuts. Dave's been a personal favorite / local roots hero of mine in all his incarnations for over...oh man...30 years(?!) This album is highly recomended; as is any live show Dave puts on.
Cheers, Gary

Be sure to link through Weenie C. when you go to Amazon to purchase this fine album NOW. Operators are standing by.

[waxwing]

I believe he was actually ribbing someone in the room, who may not have recorded Delia, but likely has performed it, maybe even earlier in the day, and would have learned it directly from RGD himself.

Dylan started as a folkie and became a rock star, and never really went back. Bromberg a rock star? Nashville side man with one hit that got some FM play.

Jorma.

Wax

[uncle bud]

Yeah, I guess could very well be Jorma, but did he record it? Dylan's two records of old blues and folk from the 90s, Good As I Been to You and World Gone Wrong, would certainly qualify as folk, and won him a Grammy in the traditional folk category. He'd still be my prime suspect.

Roy refers to Johnny Cash, Dave Alvin and Dylan doing Delia on the Fur Peace record. Don't know what the source of the original quote in the quote generator was but I would imagine one of Roy's shows.

[eagle rockin daddy]

This is definitely about Bromberg.  Bromberg became a rock star after his second album, 'Demon in Disguise' which featured various members of the Grateful Dead.  After this, all the deadheads came to David's shows, and thus caused him to become a rock star.

David recorded a live version of Delia on his first record, I think, and his arrangement is quite different than Rev. Davis'.  He also tells a story about what he believed to be the origins of the song, which were also quite different from what Roy learned about it from Rev. Davis.  I think Roy may have felt that Bromberg was not accurate in his discussion of the origins of the song, nor faithful to Rev. Davis' arrangement, and Roy wanted to set the record straight, and over the years, this turned into the hilarious intro that Roy does today.  This latter point is speculation on my part, so I could be wrong, but this stuff originally dates from the early 70's, long before Jorma became the cb performer he is today.  While it sounds like it could be Jorma, I am positive it is Bromberg.

Mike

[uncle bud]

This thread should be an episode of To Tell the Truth!

[Stuart]

The quote is from Roy's DVD, "Roy, The Reverend and the Devil's Music." He's referring to David Alvin.

Thanks for the Youtube link, Andrew. I just took two Anacin as per the recommendation.

I believe Rev Gary Davis performed/recorded "Delia" as "All the Friends I Had Are Gone."

[oddenda]

I first heard the song as a kid in the 50s on Harbor Island in the Bahamas, by the Percentie Brothers! I bet it was on one of their LPs, too (same original label as Blind Alfonso Blake). Can't keep a good song down!

Peter B.

[jtbrown]

Here's the relevant portion of Roy's introduction of the song on the Roy, the Reverend, and the Devil's Music DVD:

"Last spring I was getting ready to go on tour and they told me that this fellow named David Alvin -- he was a rock star that had a group called the Blasters or something -- could now afford to be a folk singer.  He did an album called Public Domain, old songs that didn't have protective copyrights and what have you. He did a version of this song."

In this instance and in other recordings from around the same period, Roy also discusses the fact that Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash recorded the song, each of them (like Alvin) on an album that went on to win the Grammy for traditional folk.  He then humorously complains that "it's getting tougher and tougher for a folk singer to win that damn award," what with so many "big stars jumping categories in their old age."  (On the Live at the Fur Peace Station album he says something like "I'm the only person that ever recorded this song and didn't get a damn Grammy!")  I've heard him do variations on the same introduction several times in concerts I've attended, and I've never heard him mention David Bromberg or Jorma Kaukonen in this context.

[Mr.OMuck]

I'm gonna come down with uncle Bud for the Dylan attribution since he started out playing Rn'R in Minnesota and then became a shnolkfinger. Grossman has a nice recording of RGD's version on an English record I believe.

[eagle rockin daddy]

Here's the relevant portion of Roy's introduction of the song on the Roy, the Reverend, and the Devil's Music DVD:

"Last spring I was getting ready to go on tour and they told me that this fellow named David Alvin -- he was a rock star that had a group called the Blasters or something -- could now afford to be a folk singer.  He did an album called Public Domain, old songs that didn't have protective copyrights and what have you. He did a version of this song."

Oops, like they say up here in Vermont, 'Tough sayin', not knowin' '. 

Mike