Canned Heat Blues_Sloppy Henry.wmv

Canned Heat Blues Waymon "Sloppy" Henry_No Copyright Infringement Intended

Sloppy Henry's version of "Canned Heat Blues" was recorded in Atlanta on August 13, 1928. It is included on the Document Peg Leg Howell set (vol. 1), apparently on the basis that Peg Leg may have played second guitar on the session. The instrumental sound is somewhat akin to Oscar Woods with Ed Schaffer backing him--a guitar duet with slide lead and boom-chang, possibly flat-picked rhythm guitar, though Sloppy Henry's sound is a lot more rough than Buddy Woods's was. Neither the slide playing nor the back-up sounds much like Peg Leg Howell; his slide sound was a lot cleaner and the rhythm guitarist is not nearly as nifty as Peg Leg was.
This song has terrific lyrics, and Sloppy Henry sang them with real relish. He was a great vocal groover, and even in the Blues, great rhythmic singers were not all that common. After the fourth verse, the song goes into a 12-bar break, holding the I chord, and it is tremendously exciting the way Sloppy Henry sings it. I couldn't identify a recurring glitch in the accompaniment through this passage until I realized the rhythm guitarist is rocking from a I to a IV chord before each vocal phrase, when he should have been rocking from a V7 chord to a I chord.
This is a terrific number that is really ripe for being picked up and performed by somebody. I live down in the alley, full of canned heat as I can be, honey as I can be, oh my baby
I live down in the alley full of canned heat as I can be
Look like everybody in that alley sure done got mad with me Liza bought so much canned heat, won't sell her no more, won't sell her no more, hear
me talkin'
Liza bought so much canned heat won't sell her no more
She's got the cans and the labels layin' all around her door Canned heat whiskey'll make you sleep all in your clothes, lay down in your clothes, hear, babe, I said
Canned heat whiskey make you sleep all in your clothes
When you wake up next morning feel like you stayed outdoors I say, whiskey, whiskey, many folks' downfall, many folks' downfall, aahooh,
Whiskey--many folks' downfall
When I can't get my whiskey, I ain't no good at all Walked in my room, the other night, man come in, he wanted to fight
Took my gun, my right hand, "Hold me folks, I don't want to kill no man."
When I said that, struck me 'cross my head, first shot I fired then the man fell dead, I
said, Canned heat whiskey drove me to the county jail
Got me layin' up on my bunk and I got nobody to go my bail

It seems like this one should be on the Juke. It is definitely worth a listen.

All best,
Johnm

(From: WeenieCampbell.com

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• pre-war_blues
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