My Babe
| "My Babe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
R&B, Chicago blues | ||||
| Length | 2:44 | |||
| Label | Checker | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Willie Dixon | |||
| Producer(s) | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess | |||
| Little Walter singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"My Babe" is a Chicago blues song and a blues standard written by Willie Dixon for Little Walter.[1] Released in 1955 on Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records, the song was the only Dixon composition ever to become a number one R&B single and it was one of the biggest hits of either of their careers.[1]
Background
Dixon based "My Babe" on the traditional gospel song "This Train (Is Bound For Glory)", recorded by Sister Rosetta Tharpe as "This Train".[2] He reworked the arrangement and lyrics from the sacred (the procession of saints into Heaven) into the secular (a story about a woman that won't stand for her man's cheating): "My baby, she don't stand no cheating, my babe, she don't stand none of that midnight creeping."[3]
Recording
In his autobiography, Dixon recalled:
I felt Little Walter had the feeling for this "My Babe" song. He was the type of fellow who wanted to brag about some chick, somebody he loved, something he was doing or getting away with. He fought it for two long years and I wasn't going to give the song to nobody but him. He said many times he just didn't like it but, by 1955, the Chess people had gained confidence enough in me that they felt if I wanted him to do it, it must be his type of thing. The minute he did it, BOOM! she went right to the top of the charts.[4]
Little Walter recorded the song on January 25, 1955.
Releases and charts
Recognition and influence
In 2008, "My Babe" was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in the "Classic of Blues Recording – Singles or Album Tracks" category.[7] The song has been recorded by artists with a variety of backgrounds, including rock, R&B, country, and jazz.[4]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-415-92699-8
- ^ a b
Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "My Babe". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville, Arkansas: ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
- ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 4 - The Tribal Drum: The rise of rhythm and blues. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
- ^ a b
ISBN 0-306-80415-8.
- ISBN 0-87930-613-0
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 357.
- ^ Blues Foundation (November 10, 2016). "2008 Hall of Fame Inductees: My Babe – Little Walter (Checker, 1955)". The Blues Foundation. Retrieved February 7, 2007.
