Backyard Music Jammin' 8-16-09 Part 10 of 19 [Bobby McGee - Kris Kristofferson Cover]

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WEIRDALROXMYSOX
November 04, 2009

Part 10 of our backyard jam, now I am singing the great Kris Kristofferson tune "Me & Bobby McGee". I love this tune. "Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, ...

Part 10 of our backyard jam, now I am singing the great Kris Kristofferson tune "Me & Bobby McGee". I love this tune.

"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller. Janis Joplin notably covered the song on the album Pearl. The song was recorded only a few days before her death in October 1970.

Some sources state that Gordon Lightfoot issued the first recorded version; another story tells how Kristofferson popped his head into the studio with freshly written verses as Roger Miller was recording the song. Regardless, Miller was the first artist to have a hit with the song, peaking with it at #12 on the US country charts in 1969. Lightfoot's version hit #13 pop, and #1 country in his native Canada in 1970. In a 2008 autobiography, Don Reid and Harold Reid of the Statler Brothers say Kristofferson promised it to them, but when they later inquired about recording it, they learned Miller had already cut the song. The Reids say there were no hard feelings, and were happy about Miller's success with the song. The song was later included on a Statler Brothers album, but was not released as a single.

By far the best known recording is by Janis Joplin on her 1971 Pearl album. Kristofferson had sung the song for Joplin but did not know she had covered it until after her death. Joplin's version topped the charts to become her only number one single and only the second posthumous number one single in rock & roll history (the first was "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding). In 2004, the Janis Joplin version of this song was ranked #148 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Kristofferson performed the song live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 and a CD and DVD of the event were issued 30 years later as Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival 1970. The Janis Joplin version was used prominently in the epilogue of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's epic film of Berlin Alexanderplatz.

In the original version of the song, Bobby is a woman; Janis Joplin, who was a lover and a friend of Kristofferson's from the beginning of her career to her death, changed the sex and a few of the lyrics in her cover. Kristofferson states he did not write this song for her, but the song is associated with her. Especially, he has said, in the line, "Somewhere near Salinas, Lord, I let her slip away."

1969 Roger Miller on the album Roger Miller 1970
1969 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition on the album Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town
1970 Ramblin' Jack Elliott on the album Bull Durham Sacks & Railroad Tracks
1970 Gordon Lightfoot on the album Sit Down Young Stranger
1970 Kris Kristofferson on his debut album Kristofferson ( Listen (help·info)) (Kristofferson's version also appears in the film "Two-Lane Blacktop")
1970 Bill Haley & His Comets on the album Rock Around the Country. (According to the biography Bill Haley by John Swenson, Kristofferson gave Haley's version his seal of approval.)
1970 Sam The Sham from the Atlantic single "Me And Bobby McGee/Key To The Highway" (Atlantic #2757)
1971 Janis Joplin U.S. number-one single, and on the album Pearl ( Listen (help·info))
1971 & 1972 Jerry Lee Lewis (flip side to "Would You Take Another Chance on Me") and on "The Killer Rocks On"
1971 Dottie West on the album Have You Heard...
1971 The Grateful Dead on the album Skull & Roses
1971 Loretta Lynn on the album I Wanna Be Free
1972 Johnny Cash on the live På Österåker
1973 Waylon Jennings on the album Lonesome, On'ry and Mean
1973 Chet Atkins on the album Alone
1973 Thelma Houston on Thelma Houston (1972)
1973 Olivia Newton-John on the album Let Me Be There
1974 Cornelis Vreeswijk on the album Getinghonung (Swedish lyrics: Jag och Bosse Lidén)
1975 Lonnie Donegan
1979 Gianna Nannini (Io E Bobby McGee) on the album California
1992 Micke Muster on the album Live In Norway
1994 Melissa Etheridge on the album Acoustic
1999 LeAnn Rimes on the album LeAnn Rimes
1999 Barb Jungr on the album Bare
2000 Sleepy LaBeuf on the album Larger than Life 3
2002 Anne Murray on the album Country Croonin'
2002 Jennifer Love Hewitt on the album Bare Naked
2002 Waterloo & Robinson (Ich und BobbyMcGee) on the album Marianne
2003 Jerry Jeff Walker on the album To Old To Change
2004 Pink on the album Live in Europe
2004 Gunter Gabriel on the album Freiheit ist ein Abenteuer
2005 Allison Crowe on the double-album Live at Wood Hall
2005 Dolly Parton on the album Those Were The Days ( Listen (help·info))
2005 Arlo Guthrie on the album Live In Sydney
2005 Tori Amos live in Hartford 4 Oct 2005
2006 Dale Ann Bradley on the album Catch Tomorrow
2007 Angela Kalule on the album Last King Of Scotland OST
2007 Caroline af Ugglas on the album Joplin på Svenska
2007 Loquillo y los trogloditas on the album Companeros de Viaje
2007 Jennie Devoe on the album Busted Flat

Category: Music

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Backyard Music Jammin' Pickin Grinnin' Outdoors Kris Kristofferson Janis Joplin Cover Roger Miller LeAnn Rimes Arlo Guthrie Dolly Parton The Grateful Dead Waylon Jennings Chet Atkins Johnny Cash Loretta Lynn Ramblin' Jack Elliot Gordon Lightfoot Bill Haley Comets Jerry Lee Lewis Olivia Newton-John Lonnie Donegan Jeff Walker Bobby Gentry Roy Clark Buck Owens Willie Nelson Platters Charley Pride Joan Baez Statler Brothers

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Pilestick (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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Really cool jam! I like your version.

WEIRDALROXMYSOX (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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Thanks very much! Check out the rest of my videos, many many more to come!

aManOnaJourney (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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Kenny Rogers and The First Edition recorded "Me & Bobby McGee" in May of 1969 and shortly thereafter released on their "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" album

Kenny and The First Edition version is very good. The definitive bass was performed by Kenny

The First Edition and Roger Miller were connected to each other several times. Miller also recorded the First Edition hit "Ruby, Dont Take Your Love to Town" and First Edition band member Mary Arnold married Miller (Kenny introduced them)

WEIRDALROXMYSOX (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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Thanks for sharing that, very interesting.

buckandbilloshow (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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Good one Josh, always loved this KK/Roger Miller song and hated the way Joan Biaz ruined it *my opinion.

WEIRDALROXMYSOX (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

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Yeah I didn't care for her version either, but KK & Roger Miller did a great job.

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Backyard Music Jammin' 8-16-09 Part 10 of 19 [Bobby McGee - Kris Kristofferson Cover]

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