Your Suggestions Please!

[Bluesdude5]

Our band has re-formatted from Classic Rock to all Blues. More towards Electric Blues, but several Delta Blues tunes also. We have new members as well. We've practiced 6 times, 2 were wasted with the wrong person and our new keyboard player has practiced the last two times.

We have entered the local Blues Challenge, and have 5 weekend practices until the event. Each band plays for 15 minutes. The judges prefer originals, but are OK with covers as long as we make them our own (different from the original recording). Simply doing a cover of a blues tune won't cut it.

We are all mature and fairly talented musicians individually, but as I mentioned above, not much time together as a band. We aren't composers, so original material is out. So we will put together 3 covers, but we must make them our own.

Your Suggestions: Name 3 Blues tunes you might suggest for a band with new members...and how would you change them up to make them your own?

All suggestions welcome! We are determined to do this challenge as it's only once a year.

 

[Richland123]

Here you go for some old time Delta blues

"Black Betty" is a 20th century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material; in this case an 18th century marching cadence about a flintlock musket. There are numerous recorded versions, including a cappela, folk, and rock arrangements.

The best known recordings are rock versions by Ram Jam and Spiderbait, both of which were hits.

'Black Betty' - LEADBELLY
YouTube - 'Black Betty' LEADBELLY, Blues Legend

James Iron Head Baker - Black Betty (1933)
YouTube - James Iron Head Baker - Black Betty (1933)

Meat Loaf "Black Betty"
YouTube - Meat Loaf "Black Betty"

Ram Jam - Black Betty 1977
Invalid Link Removed

 

[lonote]

If I was in your shoes, I'd consider Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor", Elmore James' "Shake Your Moneymaker" and Sonny Boy Williamson's "Help Me." I'm in a blues band; we do mostly originals but those 3 covers always work well for us.

 

[Stumbo]

One band I was in played a "15 minute" BOB one time. The winning band played a medley of 5 or 6 songs. They never stopped playing for the entire 15 minutes.

Maybe there' s not enough time to put a medley together but the idea has appeal because after a couple of minutes, you've played the verse/chorus a couple of times through and that's enough to "prove" you can play the tune, especially since you'll be doing remade cover tunes.

Good luck.

 

[Phalex]

If I was in your shoes, I'd consider Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor"

This one right here. It's been covered a lot, and I like every version of this tune I've ever heard! (We do it more along the Jimi Hendrix uber fast version.)

This tune kills every time we play it.

 

[Jim Campbell]

Our band has re-formatted from Classic Rock to all Blues. More towards Electric Blues, but several Delta Blues tunes also. We have new members as well. We've practiced 6 times, 2 were wasted with the wrong person and our new keyboard player has practiced the last two times.

We have entered the local Blues Challenge, and have 5 weekend practices until the event. Each band plays for 15 minutes. The judges prefer originals, but are OK with covers as long as we make them our own (different from the original recording). Simply doing a cover of a blues tune won't cut it.

We are all mature and fairly talented musicians individually, but as I mentioned above, not much time together as a band. We aren't composers, so original material is out. So we will put together 3 covers, but we must make them our own.

Your Suggestions: Name 3 Blues tunes you might suggest for a band with new members...and how would you change them up to make them your own?

All suggestions welcome! We are determined to do this challenge as it's only once a year.

st james infirmary has been interpreted lots of different ways.....i'd say that to most,the"blues" these days means a fairly up-tempo three chord shuffle.....

if you want to cover something and not sound like a million other bands i'd opt for the slow blues.....something like "as the years go passing by" ,another animals cover,hmmm....or big mama thornton's ball and chain....

 

[StuartV]

I definitely like Killing Floor.

Also, if you can find the version of Black Cat Bone that was recorded by the Nimmo Brothers (from Scotland, actually, though you can't tell it from listening to them), it KILLS! If you want to PM me an email address, I could send you an MP3 of it.

 

[jaywa]

Just curious, why did your band re-format? Was it too hard to differentiate yourselves in the classic rock cover space? Or were you guys just getting bored playing that stuff and wanted to recharge your batteries with a different genre?

I'm curious because in my market, anyway, dumping a classic rock format to play strictly blues would be a major step backward in marketability.

 

[Phalex]

I'm curious because in my market, anyway, dumping a classic rock format to play strictly blues would be a major step backward in marketability.

I gotta admit, I'm curious as well. I'm in a very marketable band right now, but oh how I would love to be in a blues band again. I'm almost to the point where I'd accept the marketability handicap just to lay back and play the music I cut my teeth on.

 

[5StringBlues]

I gotta admit, I'm curious as well. I'm in a very marketable band right now, but oh how I would love to be in a blues band again. I'm almost to the point where I'd accept the marketability handicap just to lay back and play the music I cut my teeth on.

Dude,



You are an old fart.Rock and Roll is a young mans game.Going back into blues is very marketable for you now.


It's worked for me anyway......

 

[Phalex]

You are an old fart. Rock and Roll is a young mans game.

I know!! But I'm rockin it hard! The down side is that I never sleep!

 

[aztomr]

They want originals or covers that don't sound like the original, correct? As much as I like Killing Floor, I don't picture you reworking it well, either change the drums and bass(which would ruin the song,IMO) or the guitar( it won't sound different or original). I would take 3 rock songs and play them as blues. Find three song from your classic rock set that are in a twelve bar pattern, or better yet adapt a non 12 bar song to blues. Such as:

I
Shake it up baby now
Shake it up baby now
IV
C'mon C'mon baby now
I
I said C'mon baby now
V
C'mon baby now
IV
Lets twist and
I
Shout

 

[Bluesdude5]

Just curious, why did your band re-format? Was it too hard to differentiate yourselves in the classic rock cover space? Or were you guys just getting bored playing that stuff and wanted to recharge your batteries with a different genre?

I'm curious because in my market, anyway, dumping a classic rock format to play strictly blues would be a major step backward in marketability.

Good question. Simple answer....the classic rock musician and singer left to do solo acoustic acts and the members that were left LOVE THE BLUES. It might sound like a major step backward if you want all kinds of bar gigs, but there are plenty of Blues venues here and we just want to play the music we enjoy.

 

[Bluesdude5]

Great suggestions!! Keep 'em coming!

 

[jaywa]

Good question. Simple answer....the classic rock musician and singer left to do solo acoustic acts and the members that were left LOVE THE BLUES. It might sound like a major step backward if you want all kinds of bar gigs, but there are plenty of Blues venues here and we just want to play the music we enjoy.

Thanks for the answer. I figured your market was probably a lot more amenable to that genre than mine is. Around here, unfortunately, a band pitching a 4-hour blues show to a club owner would get tossed out on their ear.

Sorry I can't suggest any numbers, but good luck with the competition!

 

[Bluesdude5]

st james infirmary has been interpreted lots of different ways.....i'd say that to most,the"blues" these days means a fairly up-tempo three chord shuffle.....

if you want to cover something and not sound like a million other bands i'd opt for the slow blues.....something like "as the years go passing by" ,another animals cover,hmmm....or big mama thornton's ball and chain....

Jim, last night we actually decided on Joe Cocker's version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" with a twist in the keyboard solo. I think it will be a little risky, but you gotta take risks, right?

Still need 2 more!

 

[Jim Campbell]

Jim, last night we actually decided on Joe Cocker's version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" with a twist in the keyboard solo. I think it will be a little risky, but you gotta take risks, right?

Still need 2 more!

right.....they can kill ya,but they cant eat ya...

look into the willie dixon,little walters,et al......junior wells hoodoo man blues has some great tunes