Introduction
I decided to construct a playlist of music from the 1930s for my own listening enjoyment. In doing research of leading artists from that decade, I discovered some household names: the McGuire Sisters, Fred Astaire, Gene Autry, Louis Armstrong, the Carter Family, et al. I also came across some pioneering blues artists, most notably Robert Johnson. However, it was this song that was recorded for Paramount Records by Skip James in 1931 that got me thinking about writing this article:
Wow! That’s the great Cream song from their 1966 debut album Fresh Cream. It can also be found on their 1969 Goodbye album. It is one of my favorite classic rock songs. I always assumed that it was written by Eric Clapton or Jack Bruce. No, Cream did a very faithful rendition of the Skip James original.
Skip James was a Delta blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist who also played piano and organ. His style is highlighted by a unique finger-picking guitar technique and haunting falsetto vocals. “I’m So Glad” and his other early recordings were released during the height of the Great Depression and did not have much commercial success. James drifted into obscurity until rediscovered by John Fahey and others in the 1960s.
This is the first of two articles that explore classic rock artists from the late 1960s and early 1970s who introduced us to blues music written by others at an earlier time. In this segment I trace the legacy of the Yardbirds as depicted by this diagram:
The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds, Having a Rave Up, album cover.
The Yardbirds were one of the most influential groups to gain recognition as part of the British Invasion. While originally deeply rooted in the blues, they evolved during their five year existence (1963 – 1968) to encompass R&B, hard rock, and psychedelia. The Yardbirds pioneered the use of special effects such as fuzztone and distortion. Maybe most importantly, the careers of three of the most recognized guitarists in rock history, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, were launched via stints with the Yardbirds.
The blues heritage of the Yardbirds runs deep. Early in their career they toured Great Britain as the backup band for blues great Sonny Boy Williamson II. (Note that harmonica player Aleck Miller adopted the same name as an earlier blues great and became known as Sonny Boy Williamson II.) Somewhat ironically, “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl,” written by the original Sonny Boy, was included in the Yardbirds' first album, Five Live Yardbirds:
The first Sonny Boy Williamson (Sonny Boy I) was a harmonica player, singer, and songwriter in the 1930s and 1940s. He is regarded as the pioneer of the use of the harmonica as a solo instrument in blues bands. Sonny Boy I recorded over 120 songs for RCA Records and was a major influence on Muddy Waters and many others. His career ended abruptly when he was murdered at the age of 34.
That first Yardbirds album included many other blues standards. Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning” is a notable example. While their emphasis shifted to original material as time went on, they continued their homage to traditional blues artists with songs such as Bo Diddley’s “I’m a Man”:
Bo Diddley had a long career and was a key figure in effecting the transition of blues music to rock and roll. In addition to the Yardbirds, he influenced Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and many others. He is in the Blues and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. I was very fortunate to have seen Bo Diddley perform on several occasions during the 1960s at the historic Cafe Au Go Go in New York’s Greenwich Village.
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
John Mayall is sometimes called the “Godfather of British blues.” He formed the Bluesbreakers in 1963. Eric Clapton joined the group upon leaving the Yardbirds in 1965. Mayall and Clapton were/are (Mayall passed away in 2024) dedicated students of the blues. The one album they produced together, Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton is legendary in classic rock circles. It is chock full of earlier blues songs.
Little Walter was a harmonica virtuoso who also played guitar and sang. He was inducted into the Blues and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. The Bluesbreakers did a rendition of his “It Ain’t Right”:
Many other blues classics were included in that Bluesbreakers album: Robert Johnson’s “Ramblin’ On My Mind,” Otis Rush’s “All Your Love,” and Freddie King’s “Hide Away” are examples. Memphis Slim was a blues pianist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Here’s his “Steppin’ Out” from that album:
Cream/Eric Clapton
In 1966, Eric Clapton formed Cream with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. Many view this to be the first true supergroup. While they were only together for a little more than two years, their influence was huge. This was in part due to their dedication to earlier blues.
Cream’s first album featured Skip James’ “I’m So Glad” and Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful.” Their Wheels Of Fire was the first platinum-selling double album. It featured a blues classic, “Sitting On Top of the World,” written by the Mississippi Sheiks:
The Mississippi Sheiks were a very influential string band in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They played country blues featuring guitar and fiddle. By the time they broke up in 1935, they had recorded over 60 songs.
Other blues songs of note from Wheels On Fire were “Spoonful” (again), Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” and a song with unknown origin, “Rollin’ and Tumblin’.” Here is the earliest recording of “Rollin’ and Tumblin” (1929) by Hambone Willie Newbern:
There have been many renditions of “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” by blues artists. These include Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and Big Joe Williams.
Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group. Courtesy of Wikipedia/Public domain.
Jeff Beck succeeded Eric Clapton as the lead guitarist of the Yardbirds. He was with them a little over a year and it was their most commercially successful period. Yardbirds’ songs featuring Beck included “Shapes of Things” and “Over, Under, Sideways, Down.” Upon leaving the Yardbirds, Beck formed the Jeff Beck Group featuring Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood (who later would join the Rolling Stones) on bass and guitar.
Of the three guitar icons spawned by the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck’s initial albums were somewhat less dedicated to earlier blues than were those of Clapton and Page. However Truth, the first of two albums by the original Jeff Beck Group, included two songs by the great bluesman Willie Dixon: “I Ain’t Superstitious” and “You Shook Me.” The latter was later recorded on the debut album by Led Zeppelin.
Willie Dixon was a blues musician (upright bass and guitar), vocalist, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He is credited with writing over 500 songs, many of which were recorded by classic rock artists. Dixon has been inducted into the Blues, Rock and Roll, and Songwriters Halls of Fame. He has been called “the poet laureate of the blues” and “the father of modern Chicago blues.” It is surprising that his greatness is not more widely acknowledged.
Led Zeppelin/Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin, 1971. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/public domain.
Jimmy Page joined the Yardbirds as their bass player and then became co-lead guitarist along with Jeff Beck. When Beck left the group, Page was their sole lead guitarist until the Yardbirds broke up. Page then assembled a group consisting of Robert Plant and others that billed themselves as the New Yardbirds. When legal issues arose over the use of that name, they changed their name to Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin recorded Robert Johnson’s “Traveling Riverside Blues” for a 1969 BBC radio broadcast.
The legendary Robert Johnson was an itinerant musician and songwriter. Eric Clapton called him “the most important blues musician who ever lived.” He died at age 27 with rumors that he was poisoned by the husband of one of his girlfriends. Johnson’s recording career consisted of just two sessions, one in 1936 and the other in 1937. Those 29 songs have been resurrected by numerous blues and rock artists over many generations.
On their Physical Graffiti album, Led Zeppelin recorded Blind Willie Johnson’s “In My Time of Dying.”
While Led Zeppelin claimed to have written this song, it was actually originally recorded by Blind Willie Johnson in 1927 as “Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed.” Johnson was a gospel blues singer and guitarist. He was also an ordained Baptist minister who was not born blind. While the histories of many early blues artists are sometimes cloudy, it is thought that he was intentionally blinded at age seven by his angry stepmother who was feuding with his father.
The first two Led Zeppelin albums included several songs written by Willie Dixon. “You Shook Me” was previously discussed with the Jeff Beck Group. Another Dixon song on those albums, “Bring It On Home,” was originally recorded by Sonny Boy Williamson II. Here’s a third, “I Can’t Quit You Baby”:
Conclusion
As mentioned in the introduction, this first of a pair of articles explored the legacy of the Yardbirds in bringing earlier blues to the forefront. The blues artists included here are:
Skip James
Sonny Boy Williamson I
Howlin’ Wolf
Bo Diddley
Little Walter
Robert Johnson
Otis Rush
Freddie King
Memphis Slim
Willie Dixon
The Mississippi Sheiks
Blind Willie Johnson
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Traditional/unknown origin
The songs described in this article were written from the 1920s to the early 1960s. Kudos to the Yardbirds and their descendent artists for introducing us to a broad spectrum of blues history.
The second article in this two-part series will feature the following classic rock artists:
The Rolling Stones
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Peter Green
Fleetwood Mac
The Allman Brothers Band
Janis Joplin
Other artists
Header image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/public domain.
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