Skip James

SKIP JAMES
 
 
Skip James  (born Nehemiah Curtis James; June 9, 1902 – October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter.  His guitar playing is noted for its dark, minor-key sound, played in an open D-minor tuning with an intricate fingerpicking technique.  After a long absence from the public eye, James was “rediscovered” in 1964 by three blues enthusiasts, helping further the blues and folk music revival of the 1950s and early 1960s.  He has been hailed as “one of the seminal figures of the blues”.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

Cream’s debut album, the fittingly titled Fresh Cream featured a mixture of traditional blues songs as well as band originals.  The blues songs include Skip James’ “I’m So Glad”, “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” (originally written and recorded by Hambone Willie Newbern, with the first famous recording being by Muddy Waters), and the stomping “Spoonful” (written by Willie Dixon).  

 

(May 2014)

 

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Some of the songs on Wild Love are familiar, such as the Skip James song “I’m So Glad” that Cream covered so memorably; and the Bo Diddley classic “I’m a Man” – both versions by the Stooges are terrific and unconventional, almost needless to say.  As I have said before, I have never heard a performance of “I’m a Man” that I didn’t love. 


(December 2017)