Artist: Robert Johnson
Author: Robert Johnson
Label: Vocalion
Year: 1936
Title was a line in Kokomo Arnold's Sagefield Woman Blues; melody hails from that same composition and also from his Sissy Man Blues, both early '30s. Lyrically based on Mr. Carl's Blues by Roosevelt Sykes ('33) with Carl Rafferty. Ed Komara from the Blues Archive in Oxford, MS mentions a few more melodic antecedents: I Believe I'll Make A Change (Pinetop & Lindberg, alias The Sparks Brothers - '32, Leroy Carr - '34, Josh White - '34) and Believe I'll Go Back Home (Jack Kelly - '33). A Vocalion 78 in very good condition easily values $4.000.
Covers:
Arthur Crudup [as Dust My Broom]
Robert Jr. Lockwood [Robert Johnson's stepson as Dust My Broom on Mercury]
Elmore James [idem on Trumpet, in '52 as I Believe on Meteor, reissued on Ace in '55 (as I Believe My Time Ain't Long and as Dust My Blues) and in '52 as She Just Won't Do Right on Checker; on the Trumpet version Elmore introduced the famous slide lick with a life of its own: B.B. King used it in Please Love Me, n°1 R&B in '53; Big Joe Turner used it in TV Mama, The Clovers in Down In The Alley ('57) and so on]
Spencer Davis Group [as Dust My Blues]
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers [as Dust My Blues]
Yardbirds [as Dust My Broom and using the same riff in The Nazz Are Blue]
Rising Sons [with Taj Mahal]
Fleetwood Mac [debut single as I Believe My Time Ain't Long]
Cuby & The Blizzards [as Dust My Blues]
Ruben & The Jets [as Dust My Blue]
Johnny Winter [and in 2011 with Derek Trucks]
R.L. Burnside [as I Believe My Time Ain't Long]
Mick Jagger & The Red Devils [produced by Rick Rubin]
Melinda Doolittle [American Idol; also covers Johnson's Walkin Blues]
Oldest Elmore James version as Elmo James on Trumpet, Lillian McMurry's label in Jackson, MS, where she ran a radio repair shop with recording facilities. Everyone who recorded there was accompanied by Elmore on guitar, until he got his own chance. Unprepared he played this Robert Johnson composition, just that song, without even a B-side. And so it came out on Trumpet coupled with Bobo Thomas' Catfish Blues. Later Elmore recorded Dust My Broom again for Meteor (I Believe), Flair, Chief, Chess ('59) and finally for Bobby Robinson on Fire.
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)