Crosscut Saw (song)
"Cross Cut Saw Blues" | |
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Single by Tommy McClennan | |
B-side | "You Can't Read My Mind" |
Released | 1941 |
Recorded | September 15, 1941 |
Studio | RCA Studio A, Chicago |
Genre | Blues |
Length | 2:44 |
Label | Bluebird |
Songwriter(s) | Tommy McClennan (listed on record, see article) |
"Crosscut Saw", or "Cross Cut Saw Blues" as it was first called, is a hokum-style song "that must have belonged to the general repertoire of the Delta blues".[1] Mississippi bluesman Tommy McClennan's recording of the song was released in 1941 and has since been interpreted by many blues artists. "Crosscut Saw" became an early R&B chart hit for Albert King,[2] "who made it one of the necessary pieces of modern blues".[1]
Original song
Tommy McClennan's "Cross Cut Saw Blues" is a Delta blues, that follows the hokum style of the time.[3] McClennan, who sings and plays acoustic guitar, and an unknown bass player, recorded the song at the RCA Studio A in Chicago on September 15, 1941.[4] The lyrics make use of double-entendre:[3]
Now I'm a cross cut saw, drag me 'cross yo' log
I'm a cross cut saw, and drag me across yo' log
Babe, I'll cut yo' wood so easy, you can't help say "hot dog"
The song follows the classic twelve-bar blues progression,[3] contrary to Big Bill Broonzy's characterization of McClennan's timing as erratic.[5]
Tony Hollins version
In the earlier days of the blues, it was not unusual for an unrecorded or unpublished song to be in the repertoire of several blues singers. In the folk music tradition, such songs were passed around and developed over an extended period of time without regards to ownership.[1]
Albert King version
"Crosscut Saw" | |
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Single by Albert King | |
B-side | "Down Don't Bother Me" |
Released | 1966 |
Recorded | November 2, 1966 |
Studio | Stax, Memphis, Tennessee |
Genre | Soul blues |
Length | 2:31 |
Label | Stax |
Songwriter(s) | R. G. Ford (listed on record, see article) |
In 1966,
Music educator and writer James E. Perone describes the song as having one of the better examples of King's well-known string bending technique:[3]
In addition to this technique, it is worth noting King's tone, which is light and distinctive with a bit of edginess coming from the inclusion of some distortion. In part, it is this combination of lightness, extensive wide string bending, and subtle gritty distortion that helped to give King sound that was easily identifiable.[3]
On November 2, 1966, King recorded the song at the
Stax released it as a single, which reached number 34 in the
Songwriter credits
Bluebird Records listed "Tommy McClennan" as the songwriter on the 1941 original 78 record, but there is no indication that it was copyrighted. In 1964, R. G. Ford, a Memphis attorney, produced a single of "Cross Cut Saw" by a local group, the Binghamton Blues Boys, on his own East Side Records.[10] The single was only distributed in Memphis and lists "Group" as the author. However, a copyright registration was filed by Ford, and it is his name (and sometimes the group members' names) that appears as the songwriter on Albert King's and most subsequent releases.[13] This has led some commentators to misleadingly refer to "Crosscut Saw" as "the R. G. Ford song"[14] and ignores the song's origins.
Recognition
In 2018, "Cross Cut Saw" was inducted into the
References
- ^ a b c
Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "Crosscut Saw". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville, Arkansas: ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
- ^ a b
ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g
Perone, James E. (2019). Listen to the Blues!: Exploring a Musical Genre. ISBN 978-1-4408-6614-2.
- ^ Aldin, Mary Katherine (1997). The Bluebird Recordings 1939–1942 (Album notes). Tommy McClennan. New York City: RCA Records. pp. 2, 5. 07863 67430-2.
- ^ Templeton, Ray (1990). Travelin' Highway Man (Album notes). Tommy McClennan. Travelin' Man. p. 1. TM CD 06.
- ^ a b
ISBN 978-0-415-93654-5.
- ^
ISBN 978-1-55652-275-8.
- ^
ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
- ^
King of the Blues Guitar (CD reissue liner notes). Albert King. New York City: Atlantic Records. 1989. p. 1. 8213-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c d Blues Foundation (March 6, 2018). "2018 Hall of Fame Inductees: "Cross Cut Saw" – Albert King (Stax, 1966)". The Blues Foundation. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Albert King – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- ^ Koda, Cub. "Albert King: Thursday Night in San Francisco – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- ^
Olsson, Bengt (1970). Memphis Blues. Studio Vista. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-289-70033-4.
- ^ Pendragon, Jana. "Corey Stevens & Texas Flood: Blue Drops of Rain – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ Herzhaft 1992, p. 443.