Hooker’s opening lyrics paid homage to Newbern’s version, and his ending recalled the Baby Face Leroy version:Īnother must-hear version was taped a decade later by Frederick Usher Jr. Johnson’s traveling companion, Johnny Shines, later recorded his adaptations.įast forward to 1950 and you have the magnificent Parkway version credited to the Baby Face Leroy Trio, followed a few months later by John Lee Hooker’s Rollin’ Blues, recorded in Detroit with slideless guitar playing and foot-tapping. At his 1936 session in San Antonio, he revitalized it as If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day, fueling his jacked-up arrangement with searing bottleneck slides. It was especially popular in Mississippi. In November 1930, Noah Lewis recycled the melody from the Gus Cannon recording for New Minglewood Blues, cut for Victor with Estes on guitar, Rachell on mandolin, and Ham Lewis blowing jug.īy the mid-1930s, Rollin’ and Tumblin’ was a staple at southern house parties, fish fries, and juke joints, where its simple melody could be easily played on guitar, fiddle, harmonica, mandolin, piano, and other instruments. Estes began his Victor 78 with the lyric “Now I’m goin’ to Brownsville, take that right-hand road,” which showed up in later versions by Memphis blues great Furry Lewis. Three months later Sleepy John Estes, with Yank Rachell sitting in on mandolin, used Newbern’s melody and “dough roller” imagery for The Girl I Love, She Got Long Curly Hair. In the song’s next notable appearance, Charley Patton used the melody for Banty Rooster Blues, recorded for Paramount Records at his debut session in June 1929. It’s likely that when Newbern performed the song at gatherings, it extended beyond the three-minute limitation of a 78 r.p.m. Sleepy John Estes, who was born in Ripley and took guitar lessons from Newbern, recalled hearing Newbern play the song sometime between 19. His nickname suggests that he wore a smoothed piece of hambone on one of his fretting fingers to gliss the strings, as others had done in the pre-war South. Playing with fingers and slide on a guitar tuned to an open-G chord, Newbern framed his Roll and Tumble Blues as a dance tune. Newbern made his recording in March 1929 for an OKeh Records field unit in Atlanta. The next essential version, by Hambone Willie Newbern, gave the song its most familiar lyrics. Recorded in the Memphis Auditorium, this is the first known recording set to the Rollin’ and Tumblin’ melody. This creaky-sounding jug band arrangement featured Gus Cannon on banjo and jug, Ashley Thompson on guitar and vocal, and harmonica ace Noah Lewis, who was credited with writing the song. In January 1928, Cannon’s Jug Stompers recorded Minglewood Blues for Victor Records. In its most cathartic version, by the Baby Face Leroy Trio, words give way to moans, whoops, and wails. In some versions, the IV chord moves to IVb7 in the second measure. It does not follow the traditional 12-bar structure, but begins with two measures on the IV chord before resolving to the I chord. Following an AAB lyric pattern, the song typically has verses but no chorus. No one knows for sure when or how the song started, but it likely taps into one of the earliest blues strains. Living Blues - Living Blues #265 Rollin’ and Tumblin’: The Story of a SongĪ century after its creation, Rollin’ and Tumblin’ still fills dance floors and provides musicians an unsurpassed avenue for self-expression.
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