Poor Boy Blues
"Poor Boy Blues", or "Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home", is a traditional blues song of unknown origin. As with most traditional blues songs, there is great variation in the melody and lyrical content as performed by different artists. However, there is often a core verse containing some variation of the line "I'm a poor boy a long way from home." The song is often associated with a slide guitar accompaniment. Gus Cannon recalled hearing a slide guitarist named Alec or Alex Lee in Coahoma County around 1900, playing a version of the song.[1] Cannon himself, under the pseudonym Banjo Joe, later recorded the song.[2]
| "Poor Boy Blues" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Bo Weavil Jackson | |
| B-side | "Jefferson County Blues" |
| Released | 1926 |
| Recorded | Chicago, 1926 |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 2:45 |
| Label | Vocalion |
| Songwriter(s) | Traditional |
The song is often cited as one of the oldest in the blues genre.[3][1] Bo Weavil Jackson (as "Sam Butler") recorded the song in Chicago in 1926 for Vocalion Records.[4]
Renditions
Many artists have recorded versions, including:
- Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler on their album Neck and Neck (1990)[5]
- Barbecue Bob – "Poor Boy a Long Ways from Home" (Columbia 1927)[6]
- Jeff Beck – "Poor Boy"[7]
- The Black Keys – "The Moan"
- Jeff Buckley – "Poor Boy Long Way From Home"[8]
- R. L. Burnside – "Poor Boy"
- John Fahey – Takoma, 1959, and "Poor Boy", 1965
- Gus Cannon – "Poor Boy Long Ways From Home" (Paramount 12571, 1927)
- HowellDevine – "Poor Boy," Delta Grooves (2012)
- Howlin' Wolf – "Poor Boy"
- Mississippi John Hurt – "Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home" ("Last Sessions", 1966)
- Furry Lewis
- Peg Leg Sam – "Poor Boy" ("Early In The Morning", 1975)
- Poison – "Poor Boy Blues"
- Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee – "Po' Boy"
- Ramblin' Thomas – "Poor Boy Blues" (Paramount 12722A, 1928)
- Booker "Bukka" White – "Po' Boy" (field recording by John Lomax, 1939)
- Eric Clapton – "Poor Boy changed to Bad Boy" From the Album Eric Clapton (1970)
- Mississippi John Hurt "Poor Boy a Long way from Home" From The Complete Recordings (2006)
References
- Robert Palmer (1981). Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
- "Poor Boy, Long Ways from Home (1927) by Banjo Joe (Gus Cannon) on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- Evans, David (1987). Big Road Blues : Tradition and Creativity in the Folk Blues. Da Capo. ISBN 0-306-80300-3.
- Backwoods Blues (1926 – 1935), Document Records
- "Neck and Neck caters to fans of Atkins, not Knopfler - The Tech". tech.mit.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
- "Barbecue Bob - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
- "Emotion & Commotion by Jeff Beck". Genius. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
- Jeff Buckley – Poor Boy Long Way from Home, retrieved 2020-09-12