The Sky is Crying - Bobby Parker

Bobby Parker (born August 31, 1937, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States) is an American blues-rock guitarist. He is best known for his 1961 song, "Watch Your Step", a single for the V-Tone Records label that became a hit on the US Billboard R&B chart. Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, but raised in Los Angeles, California, Parker first aspired to a career in entertainment at a young age. By the 1950s, Parker had started working on electric guitar with several blues and R&B bands of the time, with his first stint being with Otis Williams and the Charms. Over the next few years, he also played lead guitar with Bo Diddley , toured with Paul Williams, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, LaVern Baker, Clyde McPhatter, and the Everly Brothers. In the waning years of the decade, he also toured with Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Little Richard. His first single was recorded in 1958, while he was working primarily with Williams' band, and was titled "Blues Get Off My Shoulder". During that same year, he also performed frequently at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. By the early 1960s, Parker had settled into living in the Washington, D.C. area and played at blues clubs there after having left Williams' band. He recorded the single "Watch Your Step" in 1961, a regional hit that was later covered by the Spencer Davis Group, Dr. Feelgood and Santana. The song was also the inspiration for The Beatles 1964 hit single "I Feel Fine". George Harrison said that Lennon's riff was influenced by the riff in "Watch Your Step" which was covered by the Beatles in concerts during 1961 and 1962.[citation needed] On January 1, 2012, Parker's "Watch Your Step" sound recording became Public Domain in Europe, due to the 50 year copyright law limit in the E.U. Due to the success of the song, both in the United States and overseas, he toured the UK in 1968 and recorded his next hit, "It's Hard to be Fair". Jimmy Page was a fan of Parker's and wanted to sign up Parker with Swan Song Records. Page offered an advance of US$2000 to fund the recording of a demo tape, but Parker never completed the recording, and an opportunity for Parker to be exposed to an international audience was lost. For the next two decades, Parker played almost exclusively in the D.C. area. By the 1990s, Parker started to record again for a broader audience. He recorded his first official album, Bent Out of Shape, for the Black Top Records label in 1993, with a follow-up in 1995, Shine Me Up. In 1993, he also was the headliner for the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Festival. Parker continues to perform as a regular act at Madam's Organ Blues Bar in Washington.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Big Fat Butterfly - Saunders King

Saunders Samuel King was born in Staple, Louisiana, United States. He was the son of a preacher, and sang in his father's church while growing up in Oakland, California. As a youngster he learned to play piano, banjo and ukelele, but did not pick up guitar until 1938. At the end of the 1930s he sang with the Southern Harmony Four on NBC radio, and decided to begin playing blues music; he released the tune "S.K. Blues" in 1942, which became a major nationwide hit. The tune featured electric blues guitar, one of the earliest recordings to do so.

The lyrics tell of the singer's dissatisfaction with his bald-headed girlfriend:

"I did more for you baby than the good lord ever done (2X)"
"I went downtown and bought you some hair and the good lord never gave you none"

This verse proved particularly popular and has come to be considered a traditional blues lyric.

The song concludes on a theme of violence toward women:

"Give me back that wig I bought you, I'm gon' let your head go bald (2X)"
"Keep on high timin' me baby, you won't have no hair, no head at all"

King had a series of setbacks in the 1940s which hurt his career; his wife committed suicide in 1942, his landlord shot him with a .45-caliber pistol in 1946, and he was jailed for heroin possession shortly after. He recorded for Aladdin Records, Modern Records, and Rhythm Records, and retired from active performance in 1961, devoting himself to work in the church. In 1979, he played with Carlos Santana, his son-in-law, on the album Oneness.

King was paralyzed by a stroke in 1999, and died the following year in Oakland, California, at age 91
Like my Facebook Page, Post your video on my wall or post great blues photos or events! Share your favorite postings and get more exposure for your favorite band! - ”LIKE”