Brad's Music Room

Recently I introduced you to Gospel Blues and three artists who defined the genre. Several prominent classic rock era musicians found inspiration in this music. Today I share with you three covers I believe you will find more familiar.

Nobody’s Fault but Mine

“It’s Nobody’s Fault but Mine” tells of a spiritual struggle, with reading the Bible as the path to salvation. or, rather, the failure to read it leading to damnation. Blind Willie Johnson first recorded the gospel blues song “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” in 1927.

The song has been interpreted and recorded by numerous musicians in a variety of styles, including Led Zeppelin in 1975.

Led Zeppelin recorded “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” for their seventh studio album Presence(1976). Adapted from Blind Willie Johnson’s song, the lyrics represent a more secular theme, with an electric rock music backing.

Critics compare “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” lyrics to Robert Johnson‘s “Hell Hound on My Trail“.  Johnson’s 1937 Delta blues song tells of a man trying to stay ahead of the evil which is pursuing him. However it does not address the cause or lasting solution for his predicament. In Blind Willie Johnson’s “It’s Nobody’s Fault but Mine”, the problem is clearly stated. He will be doomed, unless he uses his abilities to learn (and presumably live according to) biblical teachings.

Led Zeppelin retain Blind Willie’s admission that he ultimately is to blame, but add Robert Johnson’s sense of despair. However, they shift the focus from religion to a more contemporary one. Their lyrics include “that monkey on my back”, a commonly used reference to addiction. And “the devil he told me to roll, how to roll the line tonight”. To overcome, Plant concludes “gonna change my ways tonight”.

Crossroads

“Cross Road Blues” (also known as “Crossroads“) is a blues song written and recorded by American blues artist Robert Johnson in 1936. Johnson performed it as a solo piece with his vocal and acoustic slide guitar in the Delta blues-style. The song has become part of the Robert Johnson mythology. Allegedly referring to the place where he supposedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his musical talents. However the lyrics do not contain any specific references.

Bluesman Elmore James revived the song with recordings in 1954 and 1960–1961. English guitarist Eric Clapton with Cream popularized the song as “Crossroads” in the late 1960s.

Their blues rock interpretation inspired many cover versions. Furthermore the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it as one of the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”. Also, Rolling Stone placed it at number three on the magazine’s list of the “Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time”.

Statesboro Blues

“Statesboro Blues” is a Piedmont blues song written by Blind Willie McTell, who recorded it in 1928. The title refers to the town of Statesboro, Georgia. Scroll upTaj Mahal recorded a popular blues rock adaptation of the song in 1968. Rolling Stone magazine ranks the version by the Allman Brothers Band, #9 on its list of the “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time”. Also, in 2005, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ranked “Statesboro Blues” number 57 on its list of “100 Songs of the South”.

Mahalia Jackson, photographed by Carl Van Vechten in 1962

Elvis was the King of Rock ‘ n Roll and Aretha was the Queen of soul. But Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel came before them.

Mahalia Jackson (October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer. She possessed a powerful contralto voice and was referred to as “The Queen of Gospel”.

She became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world. And was heralded internationally as a singer and civil rights activist.  Entertainer Harry Belafonte described her as “the single most powerful black woman in the United States”.

Jackson once said about her choice of gospel,”  I sing God’s music because it makes me feel free”. “It gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues.”

Performing with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Indeed, if Martin Luther King, Jr., had a favorite opening act, it was Mahalia Jackson. In fact she performed by his side many times. She took to the podium on August 28, 1963, before an audience of 250,000. Here she gave the last musical performance before Dr. King’s speech, Dr. King himself requested that she sing the gospel classic “I’ve Been ‘Buked, and I’ve Been Scorned.”

Per history.com, Mahalia Jackson intervened at a critical junction when she decided King’s speech needed a course-correction. Recalling a theme she had heard him use in earlier speeches, Jackson said out loud to Martin Luther King, Jr., from behind the podium on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, “Tell them about the dream, Martin.” And at that moment, as can be seen in films of the speech, Dr. King leaves his prepared notes behind to improvise the entire next section of his speech—the historic section that famously begins “And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream….”

Gospel blues or holy blues is a form of blues-based gospel music that has been around since the inception of blues music. Gospel blues music is a combination of blues guitar and evangelistic lyrics. Notable gospel blues performers include:

• Blind Willie Johnson 
• Sister Rosetta Tharp
• Reverend Gary Davis and
• Washington Phillips.

Blues musicians recorded a fair number of Gospel and religious songs, often commercially released under a pseudonym.

• Blind Lemon Jefferson
• Robert Johnson
• Blind Willie McTell

• Josh White

Blind Willie Johnson

Blind Willie Johnson (January 25, 1897 – September 18, 1945) was an American gospel blues singer and guitarist and evangelist. He recording 30 songs between 1927 and 1930. Johnson was also a street performer and preacher.

His songs display a combination of powerful “chest voice” singing, slide guitar skills, and originality. Johnson had little wealth in his lifetime, even though his records sold well. His life was poorly documented, but over time music historians such as Samuel Charters have uncovered more about Johnson and his five recording sessions.

Recording Sessions (1927–1930)

By the time Johnson began his recording career, he was a well-known evangelist. Blues historian Paul Oliver notes that Willie had a “remarkable technique and a wide range of songs”.

On December 3, 1927, Johnson recorded music for the first time. In the ensuing session, Johnson played six selections, 13 takes in total. He was accompanied by Willie B. Harris on his first recording, “I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole“. He was compensated with $50 per “usable” side—a substantial amount for the period—and a bonus to forfeit royalties from sales of the records

Johnson also recorded “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” that day. NASA consultant Timothy Ferris selected this as one of 27 songs sent on the Voyager probe to other life forms in the universe.  Because, according to Ferris, “Johnson’s song concerns a situation he faced many times: nightfall with no place to sleep. 

The Library of Congress added “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” to the National Recording Registry in 2010.

Robert Johnson

Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician. He influenced later generations of musicians with his 1936 in 1937 landmark recordings.

Johnson is now recognized as a master of the blues, particularly of the  Mississippi Delta blues style. Many rock musicians consider him an important influence.  Eric Clapton has called Johnson “the most important blues singer that ever lived.”

Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its first induction ceremony, in 1986. In 2003, David Fricke ranked Johnson fifth in Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.

Blind Willie McTell

Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a Piedmont blues and ragtime singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont blues.

McTell’s influenced a wide variety of artists, including the Allman Brothers Band, who covered his “Statesboro Blues“. Bob Dylan paid tribute to him in his 1983 song “Blind Willie McTell,”. Appropriately the refrain is “And I know no one can sing the blues like Blind Willie McTell.”