Jimmy Liggins - I Ain't Drunk, from Jump Blue: Rockin' the Jukes & Some Other Jump
Welcome welcome, long time no see. We've reached the point of my legal semester where I'm beginning to schedule my days in tiny increments (too embarrassing to include here) and I start paying people to accomplish my basic daily tasks (shout out to Good Eggs). Still, I'm trying to get my time down on an upcoming 5K and my old running playlists are running out of juice.
It was time to call out the big dogs: percussion and jump blues. For tonight, I'm sharing some of my favorite blooms from the Titans who inspired rock and roll.
Jump Blues & Early Rock
Set 'em up, another round.
Take a joyful moment to envision what it was like for people to get turnt up in the 50s. I don't have to try that hard, given what it looks like when I dance: a little more twist and shout than twerk. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the moves.
Still, is there something darker being said here by Jimmy Liggins? I want to ignore the idea of him hushing whatever woman is fussing about his drinking, maybe I don't care what the peoples thinkin'.
It doesn't take a lot of research to see a common theme with Liggin's favorite subject matter. His main tracks on Spotify: Drunk, I Ain't Drunk, No More Alcohol, Mississippi Boogie, and Cadillac Boogie.
He sounds so good, I don't know why anyone wouldn't party with him. I am much more likely to want to take a shot to this than whatever LMFAO wants me to listen to this year.
Jump a head just a few years --- Ain't That a Shame is one of my all-time favorites, and when you add Fats Domino's work to Little Richard, it's near impossible not to want to dance, or sing, or yalp right up there with him. Now, this is toeing the line on jump blues, since Little Richard started there and brought the genre to rock and roll itself with Tutti Frutti. Yup, rock and roll was born with the altered cry of "Tutti Frutti, good booty!"
To hell with Vogue's claim that Iggy brought ass to white people! Not that anyone needed me to say that.
Finally, I can't leave you here without an offering from Big Mama Thorton.
Have you ever thought much about Elvis' Hound Dog? Would Elvis really be singing about some trifling dude, calling him a dog? Does that actually make sense to you? It's definitely not unheard of for men to sing about other men needing to step out, but for some reason, "dog" seems to be a term women use for men.
Big Mama Thornton is the real voice here. Talk about a woman who still hasn't gotten the praise she deserves in the mainstream. Thornton & Arhoolie (one of my favorite labels)'s In Europe is incredible. Thornton, a fat black woman in 1965, got up on stage, often dressed like a man, and absolutely killed it. This is fearlessness, this is punk to me. I wouldn't describe myself as an Elvis hater per se, but I hate that Thornton isn't more of a household name, given that she provided the lion's share of what made Elvis so good. I highly recommend checking out the rest of the album --- Fred McDowell's unmistakable slide shows up as well.