This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.
And legends do form other legends and today I will show an important example of that as I'm going to play the blues that inspired the Rolling Stones, and of course some of their versions of them. It's a well-known fact that both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were big fans of the great bluesmen like Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters and Little Walther. And I want to start with the song that was the inspiration for the band's name. Here is Muddy Waters with Rolling' Stone.
01 - Muddy Waters - Rollin' Stone
Written in 1948 and recorded in 1950 for the Chess label - that was Muddy Waters with Rolling Stone. The title refers to the proverb 'a rolling stone gathers no moss' referring to what's a pretty common theme in the blues - people who are always on the move and avoid responsibilities, and as I said, the title inspired six young British guys in 1962 to name their band after it - the Rolling Stones.
And like many other fledgling British rock bands they had American Rock 'n Roll as their closest example. Their first single was a cover of a Chuck Berry song that I'm going to play now. Here is Come On.
02 - Chuck Berry - Come On
03 - Chuck Berry - Reelin' and Rockin'
(background T03) And that's how the Rolling Stones sound on their version of Chuck Berry's Reelin' and Rocking'.
Now this was pretty straightforward Rock 'n Roll from the turn of the decade but the real admiration of Jagger and Richard were the deeper, hardcore blues from sometimes pretty long ago and especially in the first twelve years of their existence they've played many a cover of the great blues legends. Like the 1941 classic of Walter Brown with Jay McShann's band - here is Confessin' the blues.
04 - Jay McShann & His Orchestra feat. Walter Brown - Confessin' The Blues
05 - Rolling Stones - Confessin' The Blues
And that is how the Rolling Stones sounded in 1964 when it was released on a Decca EP titled Five by Five. Fabulous harmonica work by the maestro himself, Mick Jagger, on Confessing the Blues.
The Rolling Stones often stuck pretty close to their original examples. Compare the guitar work of Mississippi Fred McDowell and the Rolling Stones in You Gotta Move.
06 - Mississippi Fred McDowell - You gotta move
07 - Rolling Stones - You Gotta Move
Delta blues as delta blues were meant, raw, unaccessible, enstranging. You gotta move, from their album Sticky Fingers that I remember well as my elder sister had a copy of that with that real zipper in the sleeve, that was cool but pretty unpractical as it damaged the sleeves of other records.
Well you're already hearing Shake your hips behind my blabbering - a cover of a song of Slim Harpo. Here is Shake Your Hips
08 - Slim Harpo - Shake Your Hips
09 - Will Bradley Trio - Down The Road A Piece
Straight from a Columbia 78 the Will Bradley Trio and Freddie Slack on the piano, with Down the road apiece. You hear the version of the Stones in the background though I think they've rather relied on Chuck Berry's version than on this old boogie-woogie. But hey, you know I have a weakness for original versions on worn-out shellac.
Next - Howling Wolf with the Red Rooster, from 1961 on Chess. The song was written by Willie Dixon and the lyrics have been inspired by several older blues including Charlie Patton's "Banty Rooster Blues" from 1929, Memphis Minnie's "If You See My Rooster (Please Run Him Home)" from 1936, and Margie day's Little Red Rooster from 1950.
Listen to Howling Wolf's Red Rooster and after that the version of the Rolling Stones, titled Little Red Rooster.
10 - Howlin' Wolf - The Red Rooster
11 - Rolling Stones - Little Red Rooster
Fabulous guitar work of Brian Jones on the Little Red Rooster, that topped the British hit parade in December, 1964. In America it was never released as a single but it was included on the 65 album Rolling Stones Now. It was recorded in the Chess studios in Chicago, on holy ground where Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Little Walter had recorded before.
You're hearing Cops and Robbers now, a cover of Bo Diddley. Let's listen to the original instead. Here's Bo Diddley.
12 - Bo Diddley - Cops and Robbers
13 - Muddy Waters - I Can't Be Satisfied
And that is how the Rolling Stones' version of Muddy Waters' I Can't Be Satisfied sounded.
I want to go on with a blues of Robert Wilkins, titled That's No Way To Get Along. It's from as far back as 1929. In the thirties Wilkins, who was a very religious man, was ordained a minister and he re-recorded the song in 1964 with new lyrics, and the punch line 'That's No Way To Get Along' changed into 'That the the way to get along'. That new version, nearly ten minutes long, was titled 'Prodigal Son' after the bible story and a shortened version of it was recorded by the Rolling Stones. You'll hear them both now, Robert Wilkins original version from 1929 and the Stones.
14 - Robert Wilkins - That's No Way To Get Along
15 - Prodigal Son - The Rolling Stones
The prodigal son - The Rolling Stones cover of Reverend Robert Wilkin's version.
In 1968 the Stones recorded a cover of Still a Fool by Muddy Waters. Listen to the original that was their inspiration.
16 - Muddy Waters - Still A Fool
17 - Robert Johnson - Love in vain
And with Robert Johnson's Love in vain we end this episode of the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman. Another old blues that was covered by the Rolling Stones, on their 1969 album Let It Bleed. The original dates from 1937 and if anyone was a legendary blues singer, it was Robert Johnson, who according to the myth sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads to achieve success, that he didn't get - instead he died at the age of 27 under suspicious circumstances.
Well I dug deep into blues history today but I must also say that the Rolling Stones done their great contribution to that history, and with that they have certainly done a good job for the blues revival of the sixties - and this show was meant as a tribute to that. Well, that said, I may have disappointed Rolling Stones fans by playing several of their songs in the background of my talking. Shoot me dead - or rather send me an e-mail at rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com. Yo can also find me also on the web, just do a google search on Legends of the Rocking Dutchman. For now, byebye, and have a great day. No - have a rocking day. See you next time, here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!