Eyesight to the Blind
| "Eyesight to the Blind" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sonny Boy Williamson II | ||||
| B-side | "Crazy 'Bout You, Baby" | |||
| Released | 1951 | |||
| Recorded | ||||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 3:04 | |||
| Label | Trumpet[1] | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sonny Boy Williamson II | |||
| Producer(s) | Lillian McMurry | |||
| Sonny Boy Williamson II singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Eyesight to the Blind" is a
In 2022, Williamson's recording was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in the 'Classics of Blues Recording – Singles' category.[3]
Sonny Boy Williamson versions
The song was recorded by Sonny Boy Williamson in 1951 as his first single release on
In 1957, Sonny Boy Williamson re-recorded the song for
Renditions by other artists
The most successful early version was that by
Mose Allison recorded the song for his 1959 album Autumn Song.[7] Unlike Williamson's original, he performs it as a "swinging, up-tempo jump number".[7] As a popular piece, it is included on several of his anthologies, such as Allison Wonderland Anthology (1994).[7]
The Who adapted the song for the 1969 rock opera album Tommy. Roger Daltrey sings Williamson's song set to new accompaniment composed by Pete Townshend. It appears as the last track on the first side of the album; the original Track Records album cover uses the title "The Hawker", while on the record label it is listed as "Eyesight to the Blind".[8] "Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)" or "The Hawker (Eyesight to the Blind)" is often found on later releases.[9] The album credits for the song read "Sonny Boy Williamson".[8]
For the 1972 Tommy orchestral performance, Richie Havens sang the vocals on the song, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra. In the 1975 film version of Tommy, Eric Clapton and Arthur Brown perform the piece. Several live performances by the Who are in release.[9] It also appears on the Broadway cast album performed by Michael McElroy and featuring Lee Morgan on harmonica.[10]
Other artists who recorded the song include:
- Live in Japan(1971, released 1999)
- Buddy Rich – Big Band Machine (1975)
- Eric Clapton – Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies (recorded 1975, released 1996)
- Mike Bloomfield – I'm with You Always (1977, released 2008)
- Jack-Knife – I Wish You Would (1979)
- Honkin' On Bobo(2004)
- Gary Moore – Close as You Get (2007)
- The Smithereens – The Smithereens Play Tommy (2009)
- David Bromberg – The Blues, the Whole Blues, and Nothing But the Blues (2016)
References
- ^ a b c d "Sonny Boy's Lonesome Cabin". Sonnyboy.com. May 5, 1998. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-306-80743-5.
- ^ "BLUES HALL OF FAME - About/Inductions". Blues.org. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
- ^ "Sonny Boy's Lonesome Cabin". Sonnyboy.com. May 5, 1998. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^
ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ a b c Greenwald, Matthew. "Mose Allison: Eyesight to the Blind – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ^ a b
Tommy (Album notes). The Who. London: Track Records. 1969. 613 013.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "The Who: Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) – Appears on". AllMusic. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ^ "The Who's Tommy – Broadway Musical – Original". IBDb.com.
