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If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
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Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)
Artist: Bo Weavil Jackson
Author: traditional
Label: Vocalion
Year: 1926
Alias Sam Butler. There's of course many a Poor Boy Blues song as there are quite a few poor boys in the South, period. No matter the diversity in melody line, long as there's the line 'I'm a poor boy long way from home' in the lyrics, they're in.
Covers:
Ramblin' Thomas [reissued on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music]
Lead Belly [as When A Man's A Long Way From Home]
Howlin' Wolf [as Poor Boy, with own words]
Paul Butterfield Blues Band [idem]
R.L. Burnside [Alan Lomax field recording as Poor Boy Long Way From Home which he learned from Howlin' Wolf but giving it his own North Mississippi boogie style that lives on through Jon Spencer, The Black Keys, Kenny Brown and The NMA]
Black Keys [as The Moan, inspired by RL Burnside's Poor Boy and on Delta Kream in '21 as Poor Boy A Long Way From Home]
Geoff Muldaur [on The Harry Smith Project Revisited]
Jeff Beck [with Imelda May as Poor Boy]
Jeff Buckley [posthumous]
Not to be confused, neither with Carl Perkins' song, a country hit for Bob Luman in '66, nor with Mark Knopfler & Chet Atkins' ('90), a song written by Paul Kennerley. John Fahey ('65) and Leo Kottke ('71) follow the Bukka White instrumental Po' Boy ('39) recorded at Parchman. Mississippi Fred McDowell's Long Way From Home is also a different song, so is Gus Cannon's Poor Boy Long Ways From Home ('27). There's plenty a po' boys in the South.
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)