John Lee Hooker with Ry Cooder - Crawling King Snake

This is a live performance by John Lee Hooker playing his classic song "Crawling King Snake" live. On stage he is joined by guitarist Ry Cooder who's sitting in on this tune.
The song was originally written and recorded by John Lee Hooker. It is one of his many famous songs and it has also been covered by many different artists. One of them being The Doors who recorded a version of the song and released it in 1971. The song has also been done by: George Thorogood, Etta James, John P. Hammond, and Buddy Guy to name a few. (I've embeded Buddy Guy's version beneath, he plays it acoustic and with a lot of conviction and atmosphere, a solo acoustic recording, like the old blues players would have done it.)

It's a great and classic blues song, and Hooker plays it his way which is the right way. Cooder doesn't show off much in this, but then again when you're with the greats you hold back a bit. Both performances of this great blues song are great.

Enjoy ; )

Chuck Berry - Nadine (incl. Rory Gallagher version)

Ok, so the first clip is of Chuck Berry performing his classic hit "Nadine". The performance is from the film "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll" which is a film from 1987 celebrating Chuck's 60th birthday by having a concert featuring different artists who feel inspired by Chuck. On this performance we also have Keith Richards, Robert Cray and Bobby Keys. It's a great performance, the song is up-tempo and it's a good rock 'n' roll song performed by a Chuck Berry in the prime of his still continuing venue playing years.

Another artist who has played this song on numerous occasions is rock and blues guitarist Rory Gallagher. This performance is from 1982. It's a little slower than Chuck's original song, and it's an extended jam on the tune running into a time of approximately 9 minutes. The great thing about this version, besides Rory's excellent playing, is the horn section, and the work they put into it. This is Rory in a bigger set-up than usual, with a horn section and the whole thing, it's great, and Rory leaves plenty of room for the horns to do their part.
A great song, in two great performances. It's such a good song.

Previous posts from the film "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll"

Wee Wee Hours - Chuck Berry ft. Eric Clapton
Hoochie Coochie Gal - Etta James
 
Enjoy ; ) 

Sugar Blue - Hoochie Coochie Man

I knew at some point I would be posting different versions of the same song. I previously posted this in a version from the rock 'n' roll film about Chuck Berry featuring Keith Richards, Robert Cray and Etta James singing the song. Click here to go to that post.

This is another version of the same song. It's by blues musician Sugar Blue. He plays the harmonica, and plays it better than anyone I've heard. He truly pushes the limitations of what that instrument is capable of. And he's so cool wearing his military belt with harmonicas in different keys. Truly a great player, just thought I'd share his talent with the world.


Enjoy ; )

Johnny Copeland & Johnnie Johnson - Down Home Blues

This is a performance from New York in 1991, it features Texas blues man Johnny Copeland and piano player Johnnie Johnson who is most famous for playing with rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry.
Copeland isn't the most famous blues artist and he's probably most famous for playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan on several songs at Vaughan's 1985 Montreux concert.
The song "Down Home Blues" was originally recorded by blues artist Z.Z. Hill. Z.Z. isn't the most famous blues artist, but Down Home Blues has become quite a classic song and is probably his most famous song.
The song has also been covered by Etta James and many other artists.

Enjoy ; )

Wee Wee Hours - Chuck Berry with Eric Clapton

This is a performance from the documentary "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll". It's a documentary about Chuck Berry, and the influence his playing has had on more contemporary players. The film was made in celebration of Chuck's 60th birthday, and he looks better than ever in the film, energetic and young. He performs on stage with a long list of artists including; Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Etta James, Johnnie Johnson, Bobby Keys and Keith Richards to name a few.
This is a great performance, love it when Clapton goes off and does two solos in a row, as Chuck says "...Eric Clapton; man of the blues", and that's true.

Enjoy ; )

Etta James - Hoochie Coochie Gal

This video is from the Chuck Berry documentary 'Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll'. It features a performance of the classic Willie Dixon blues tune 'Hoochie Coochie Man'. It was made famous and performed by Muddy Waters, and have been covered by numerous artists including; Eric Clapton, Steppenwolf and Buddy Guy. I love this version, because Etta really brings something to the table, she sings amazingly on it. She is truly versatile, can do both ballads, blues and rock 'n' roll.
The song also features a smokin' piano solo by Johnnie Johnson who was a regular with Chuck on the road. On guitar is Keith Richards and Robert Cray, and we get some sweet reaction shots from Chuck who is simply stunned by the performance.
Enjoy ; )