Can’t say I did to be honest. That was what was great about the 1960s, discovering the originals of the music British bands were playing. Wondered who this Smokey Robinson was when the Beatles did You Really Got A Hold on me, who Jimmy Reed was when the Stones did Honest I Do, Solomon Burke after the Stones did Everybody Needs Somebody To Love ( which they opened with when I saw them on Cup Final Day 1964) and Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf and many others. The bands then made a point of crediting the people whose music they were covering as they were fans themselves. Hunting down stuff by those people led to discovering yet more blues artists and also originals of pop covers which were nearly always better. PS When Jimmy Reed died penniless after years of over drinking Mick Jagger and Keith Richard’s paid for his funeral.
indeed. i believe the "british invasion" of the 60s groups from here to the usa not only reminded the usa about their blues history, but also brought many of the blues musicians some long awaited royalties and, for some, revived their careers. on a lesser scale, to some extent the lame covers of various songs by pat boone probably sent 50s usans in search of the inevitably better originals.for the record, although boone's covers usually lacked what i think of as "kick", moody river is well worth a listen, and speedy gonzales is decent, especially when you're about ten.
Yes, some widows living in poverty were amazed to get very large cheques for royalties from covers of their late husband’s songs which they were fiddled out of royalties for when alive. Clapton was one who made a point of ensuring they got what was due. Little Richard said he hated Pat Boone doing covers but mellowed when the royalty cheques were larger than what he was getting for his own versions. The only time Howlin’ Wolf appeared on prime time television was the clip below. Look at how awestruck Brian Jones is. A young Billy Preston on piano. Later in life Mick Jagger stopped a show, asked for the lights to be put on and said in the audience was a man who was the reason they were where they were, Howlin’ Wolf…His wife said he was overcome with emotion at the applause he got.
When the Beatles first went to the USA they were asked if there was anything they wanted to see. Paul McCartney replied Muddy Waters. Where’s that asked the journalist.
Remember seeing this at the pictures in a Pathe News intermission. Tina Turner was something back then. P P Arnold one of the Ikettes, John Lennon in the audience. Never thought about Spencer Davis Group’s I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine being a cover (Stevie Winwood one of the best, if not the best British vocalists IMO), Ike and Tina did it in 1961. Co written by the woman who co wrote Love Is Strange. In 1968 the Ike and Tina Revue was on at Brid Spa. A paltry 800:there on the Thursday to see them but 2 days later 3,500 there to see some one hit wonder pop group. No accounting for taste.
I think Johnnie Johnson was a prime example of what you're saying; his band was taken over by the famously stingy Chuck Berry - he made very little money until Keith Richards and Eric Clapton started using and promoting him to other Brit bands; despite the song Johnny B Goode (greatest rock song ever, imo) being inspired by him, Johnson (according to Keith Richards) never saw a penny of the royalties that the song made.
