Earlier Songs
B.B. King's "Rock Me Baby" is based on "Rockin' and Rollin'", a song recorded by Lil' Son Jackson in 1950 (Imperial 5113). King's lyrics are nearly identical to Jackson's, although instrumentally the songs are different. "Rockin' and Rollin'" is a solo piece, with Jackson's vocal and guitar accompaniment, whereas "Rock Me Baby" is an ensemble piece.
Muddy Waters' song "Rock Me", recorded in 1956 (Chess 1652), is also based on Jackson's song. Some of Jackson's lyrics were used, but Waters incorporated a couple of verses from his 1951 song "All Night Long" (which is also based on "Rockin' and Rollin'") (Chess 1509). Muddy Waters' "Rock Me" also uses Jackson's guitar figure and the starting of the vocal on the IV chord and he interpreted it as an unusual fifteen-bar blues (an uneven number of measures, rather than the traditional twelve bars or somewhat less common eight or sixteen bars). Muddy Waters recorded a second version of "Rock Me" for his 1978 album I'm Ready.
Lil' Son Jackson's "Rockin' and Rollin'" was inspired by earlier blues songs. Many songs from the 1920s through the 1940s have some combination of rock, roll, baby, and mama in the title or lyrics, although instrumentally they are different than "Rock Me Baby", "Rock Me", or "Rockin' and Rollin'". Big Bill Broonzy's 1940 song "Rockin' Chair Blues" makes frequent use of the phrase "rock me baby" as in "Rock me baby now, rock me slow ... now rock me baby, one time before you go" (OKeh 6116). Arthur Crudup's 1944 song, "Rock Me Mama". repeats the same refrain as Broonzy, but uses "mama" in place of "baby" (Bluebird 34-0725). Curtis Jones' 1939 song "Roll Me Mama" shares a couple of phrases ("like a wagon wheel", "ain't got no bone") with "Rockin' and Rollin'" (Vocalion 4693).
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Famous quotes containing the words earlier and/or songs:
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