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Chauffeur Blues
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Wikipedia article
"'Chauffeur Blues'" is a song originally recorded by Memphis Minnie as "'Me and My Chauffeur Blues'" in 1941. In 2019, her recording was added to the U.S. National Recording Registry. The song has been recorded by a variety of artists.
Songwriter credits
The original Okeh Records 78 listed "Lawlar" as the songwriter.
Minnie was married to and performed with Ernest "Little Son Joe" Lawlars, though it is thought she wrote the song herself.Garon, Paul; Garon, Beth (1992). 'Woman With Guitar: Memphis Minnie's Blues'. New York: Da Capo Press. pp. 51ff. . Performing rights organizations show both Memphis Minnie and Ernest Lawler as the writers.
Jefferson Airplane rendition
The Jefferson Airplane version of this song is on the album 'Jefferson Airplane Takes Off', with Signe Anderson as the lead vocalist. The album lists Lester Melrose, the influential early blues record producer, as the songwriter. It is performed at a faster tempo and uses only three of the four verses. Anderson performed the song with strong contralto vocals. According to Jeff Tamarkin, author of 'Got a Revolution! The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane', Jorma Kaukonen brought in "Chauffeur Blues" for Signe to sing.Tamarkin, Jeff (2005). 'Got a Revolution! The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane'. Atria. . Jorma probably found the song on Judy Roderick's folk/blues album "Woman Blue" released in 1965. It was not included in the repertoire of Jefferson Airplane's early gigs and was performed only occasionally. It was last performed by the Airplane on October 15, 1966, at the concert recorded as 'Signe's Last'. An extended version of the song is included in the remastered version of 'Jefferson Airplane Takes Off'. The blues writer and historian Thomas Millroth claims Memphis Minnie received no royalties from Jefferson Airplane.
Recognition
In 2020, Memphis Minnie's rendition was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
References
Category:Songs about occupations
Category:1941 songs
Category:1941 singles
Category:Blues songs
Category:Miriam Makeba songs
Category:Jefferson Airplane songs
Category:Okeh Records singles
Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings
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