Black Water (song)
"Black Water" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Warner Bros. | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Patrick Simmons | |||
Producer(s) | Ted Templeman | |||
The Doobie Brothers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Official audio | ||||
"Black Water (2006 Remaster)" on YouTube |
"Black Water" is a song recorded by the American music group the Doobie Brothers from their 1974 album What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits. The track features its composer Patrick Simmons on lead vocals and, in mid-March 1975, became the first of the Doobie Brothers' two No. 1 hit singles.
Background/original B-side release
Well, I built me a raft and she's ready for floatin'
Ol' Mississippi, she's callin' my name
Catfish are jumpin', that paddle wheel thumpin'
Black water keep rollin' on past just the same
opening lyrics to "Black Water", written by P. Simmons
Patrick Simmons recalled that he chanced on the basic
Simmons completed "Black Water" during a subsequent Doobie Brothers' sojourn in
"Black Water" is distinguished by its melodious
Despite his encouragement in regard to writing "Black Water" and his meticulous arranging of the track, Ted Templeman said: "We never thought [of] it as a [potential hit] single"
After the second single off What Were Once Vices...: "Eyes of Silver", was a
Chart performance
Weekly chart (1974) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada RPM Top Singles[9] | 33 |
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary | 36 |
New Zealand (Listener)[10] | 18 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 32 |
US Cash Box Top 100 | 38 |
Album track success/A-side release
From 11 September 1974 WROV-AM in Roanoke VA began airing "Black Water" off the album What Were Once Vices... - the Blackwater, a Roanoke River tributary, is a 25-minute drive from Roanoke city center - with listener response so positive as to cause music director Chuck Holloway to opine: "No one was requesting anything else."[11] Hampton Roads broadcaster WQRK-FM was soon also airing "Black Water", and the track's intense regional success came to the attention of Warner Bros. national promotion director Gary Davis causing an A-side single release of "Black Water" in October 1974, five weeks after WROV had begun airing the track [11] ("Song to See You Through", a Tom Johnston composition off What Were Once Vices..., was utilized as B-side). "Black Water" had its first major market breakout in the Twin Cities area, being reported as an add-on by KDWB[11] in the 23 November 1974 issue of Billboard. Reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated 15 March 1975, "Black Water" is one of the few records by any act released as a B-side to another Hot 100 hit before topping the Hot 100 itself. In the Billboard ranking of Hot 100 hits for the year 1975 "Black Water" would rank at No. 15.[12]
The song is one of several performed by the Doobie Brothers during the band's two episode appearance in 1978 on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!! [13]
Reception
Chart performance
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2018) |
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Personnel
- lead vocals
- backing vocals[23]
- Tiran Porter – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Keith Knudsen – backing vocals, dubbed-in drums
- drums
- Novi Novog – viola
- wind chimes
- Ted Templeman – producer
Other versions
Garth Brooks recorded "Black Water" for his 2013 multi-CD release Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences. The Doobie Brothers remade "Black Water" with the Zac Brown Band for their 2014 album Southbound.
References
- ^ Stuyt, Chelsey (November 17, 2014). "The Doobie Brothers' 'Southbound' a Jukebox of Greatest Hits". Vancouver Weekly. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ "The Doobie Brothers". GuitarPlayer.com. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Doobies are still takin' it to the streets". GoldmineMag.com. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ^ ISBN 9780823076772.
- ISBN 0-312-18067-5.
- ^ "Interview: Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers". SongFacts.com. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 30, 1974. p. 24. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- ^ Graff, Gary (November 6, 2020). "The Doobie Brothers' 10 Best Songs: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ RPM Top Singles, June 22, 1974
- ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Archived from the original on 2022-01-15. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
- ^ a b c "The Doobies: harbingers of a little loosening up of top-forty formats?" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 3, 1975. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
- ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1975
- ^ Sally Wade (writer); Mark Warren (director) (January 28, 1978). "Doobie or Not Doobie (Parts 1 and 2)". What's Happening!!. Season 2. Episode 16 & 17. ABC.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 21, 1974. p. 24. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. December 14, 1974. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
- ^ Gallucci, Michael (February 12, 2013). "Top 10 Doobie Brothers songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ Graff, Gary (November 6, 2020). "The Doobie Brothers' 10 Best Songs: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 22, 1975". Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
- ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1975". Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1770414839.