Thursday, February 25, 2010

I'm so glad



Life's been kinda tough of late, but there's still beauty in the universe. I got to ride in a Ferrari (i'm not convinced it's actually a vehicle, more like a work of art) and I found Skip James' original recording of "I'm so glad," pretty generally considered one of the most difficult guitar songs ever recorded. Plus, it's pretty. Cream, poor boys, used Skip's much simpler 1960's recording for their hit. Take that Eric. Actually, the royalties from the Cream cover allowed Skip James to live out the few remaining years of his life in relative luxury for the very first time in his life. Thank you, Eric Clapton, for your basic decency.

When I listen to Skip James' music (a regular occurance), I'm slapped in the face by his intelligence and humbled by his life story--he worked, essentially, this astonishing musician, as a laborer, until pretty much the end of his life.

I have it easy.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

That was wonderful! Thanks for sharing this version - just finished listening to Memphis Minnie's Me And My Chauffeur Blues - sigh, life is hard ;) lol

djinn said...

Another old blues fan!!! I'm thrilled. Off to find the Memphis Minnie song. I've loved her ever since I discovered she wrote my favorite Led Zep song--"When the Levee breaks."

djinn said...

Not that i'm sure she ever got credit.

Unknown said...

Love it! Check out Alberta Hunter - Darktown Strutters Ball and AfterDark - I had the pleasure of seeing her before she passed - amazing!!

djinn said...

Simone, you got to see Alberta Hunter? That's worth being jealous over, and not much is.

Unknown said...

I was too young to understand what gift I was being given - only in retrospect did I realize it :)..