I'm 75 and this is a song that my mother, who was 44 when I was born, used to sing. I am always grateful for RUclips being able to bring past memories to life.
It's a beautiful thing to hear something being played on a guitar and truly believe the two things actually KNOW each other...'these are the only strings I ever used' - musical integrity x
That's funny cause after the first few notes that is exactly what I was thinking. And the recording mic is clipping but the combination of the two gives this song a kick ass tone!
He recorded with Leroy Carr between 1928 - 1935! Unfortunately, Leroy Carr died on April 29, 1935 at the age of 30 from extreme alcohol abuse, and this devastated Blackwell to the point where he only recorded a few more songs before he quit music for 20 years. R.I.P. Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr!!!
I thought Blues was: for a man who KNOWS WHAT TRUE HAPPINESS IS/SHOULD BE.... But CAN'T ATTAIN IT! For EX: Lost Love, Life, Opportunity/+ Abuse & Sorrow With Being HELD BACK
Guitar player/teacher here. I learned this awhile back from a RUclips video. Someone called it the greatest chord progression ever written -- and I agree! Never get tired of playing or hearing it. It is 100 years old -- but keeps coming back every 20 years or so to a new generation of listeners. It cab ne played as a blues of course, but also as folk, pop and country. Just an incredible composition.
"...Bob Dylan said, "There is a strong line in all our music that can be traced back directly to Scrapper Blackwell. He was a truly great musician ..." Hell, even Robert Johnson covered one of his tunes. But who remembers Scrapper Blackwell? Between 1928 and 1935, Scrapper Blackwell and his partner, pianist Leroy Carr, were the most popular blues duo in America. Their first hit, “How Long, How Long Blues,” was the top blues song of 1928. In fact, so many copies were pressed, causing the original metal masters to wear out! Vocalion Records called Carr and Blackwell back into the recording studio twice to record “How Long, How Long Blues No. 2” and “How Long, How Long Blues No. 3!” Unlike the tragic stories of many other bluesmen, Vocalion paid the duo fairly, each netting $4,000, which translates to $55,000 in today’s money. And they continued to get royalty checks every six months. For the next few years, Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell continued their string of hits, including “Kokomo Blues,” “Blues Before Sunrise” and “Mean Mistreater Mama.” Feeling slighted for Carr’s top billing (and often omitting Blackwell’s own name on the label), Scrapper entered the recording studio in 1931 and 1932 to cut some incredible solo records under his own name. As a former bootlegger, he often sang of making and drinking homemade whiskey, such as “Down in Black Bottom.” Listen to his fluid fingerpicking, recorded four years before Robert Johnson ever cut anything to wax... Blackwell’s solo recordings were hits on their own, guaranteeing his name to always be included with Carr’s on their duo recordings. Blackwell and Carr continued to record together until 1935, ending with a bitter recording session in February of that year. Both musicians left the studio mid-session and on bad terms, stemming from payment disputes. Two months later, Blackwell received a phone call informing him of Carr's death due to heavy drinking and nephritis. Blackwell soon recorded a tribute to his musical partner of seven years ("My Old Pal Blues") and then walked away from his recording career, working in an asphalt factory. Blackwell was rediscovered in the late Fifties, poverty-stricken and living in his cousin’s house. He didn’t even own a guitar. When one was provided for him, he immediately went back to his old chops, not missing a single lick. The folk music boom was on, and Blackwell was just the hero they were looking for. He was brought back into the studio and cut three albums' worth of material. He also started planning festival appearances. All his plans were cut short October 7, 1962, when Blackwell was gunned down in front of his house in an apparent mugging. The crime remains unsolved to this day. Blackwell left a wealth of recordings, showcasing his single-string leads that influenced generations of performers (whether they know it or not). Bob Dylan said, "There is a strong line in all our music that can be traced back directly to Scrapper Blackwell. He was a truly great musician who did deserve more than was ever given him."..."
@@mongoonlyprawningameoflife1218 I had a record of Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell in about 1972 on Columbia label CBS C 30496 (1971) Leroy Carr: Blues Before Sunrise accompanied by Scrapper Blackwell and Josh White track sequence: - Barrelhouse Woman - I Believe I'll Make A Change - Midnight Hour Blues - Take A Walk Around The Corner - Southbound Blues - Mean Mistreater Mama - Big Four Blues - Blues Before Sunrise - It's Too Short - My Woman's Gone Wrong - Hustler's Blues - Bobo Stomp - Shining Pistol - Shady Lane Blues - Corn Likker Blues - Hurry Down Sunshine
So, five minutes and four seconds ago I discovered Scrapper Blackwell and i'm sure i'll never forget him. This performance is overflowing with real musical connectivity, virtuousity and soulfulness on every level. Thanks so much for the post!.
he was shot and killed in a mugging in an Indianapolis alley. He was 59 years old. The police arrested his neighbor at the time for the murder, but the crime remains unsolved. Blackwell is buried in New Crown Cemetery, in Indianapolis.
@MichaelKingsfordGray England has strict gun laws, yet has gun crime. Whats that? Criminals dont follow the law?? Well I'll be dammned. Get the fuck out of here with that bullshit
It's not about acoustic or electric. It's not even about rock. 99% music nowadays sounds perfect. Even in modern metal, they're chasing the perfect tones, they want everything to be on time and they want it completely clean. I think this is the reason people listen to punk rock.
Among his fans was Bob Dylan, who observed, "There is a strong line in all our music that can be traced back directly to Scrapper Blackwell. He was a truly great musician who did deserve more than was ever given him"
That's not just respectful talk from Dylan, it's literally true. E.g. Scrapper was T-Bone Walker's favorite guitarist and it showed. If people had lied in the '70s-'90s that Scrapper sold his soul to the Devil, he'd be famous.
Once I lived the life of a millionaire Spending my money'n I did not care care Carrying my friends out for a good time Buyin’ bootleg liquor, champagne and wine Lord but I got busted and I fell so low Didn't have no money and nowhere to go This is the truth, Lord, without a doubt Nobody wants you when you're down, I mean Nobody wants you when you’re down Lord, the other day I asked a man for my rent He told me, boy, the money he had spent But I tried my best to try one or two That's everything that I could do Lord, nobody let me have one lousy dime I now get worried now all the time But I'm gon' tell you this is the truth, Lord, without a doubt Nobody wants you when you're down Nobody wants you when you're down Lord, if I could get my hands on a dollar again I would hold it till that eagle grins I would try just for one little house Nobody knows me when I'm down and out Lord, I tried for another day To make troubles in my own way But I'm gon’ tell you the truth, Lord without a doubt Nobody knows me when you’re down, I mean Nobody knows me when you're down
i don't usually comment vids on youtube but this song ... listening to it makes me feel like i'm facing both a captivating work of art and a piece of history. People often say that we're living in a dark and hopeless time, as i have to say is that we have access to this kind of music on internet for free, so let's take this chance and let these songs make our lives more enjoyable ! cheers form France
@@fairygodmomma2313, it’s great to have a positive outlook, as I do day to day but there is definitely dark times ahead, well some places are feeling it already.
Lyrics Once I lived the life of a millionaire Spending my money and I did not care Carryin' my friends out for the good time Buyin' bootleg liquor, champagne and wine Lord, but I got busted and I fell so low Didn't have no money and nowhere to go This is the truth, Lord, without a doubt Nobody wants you when you're down I mean, nobody wants you when you're down Lord, the other day I asked the man for my rent He told me, boy, the money he had spent But I tried my best to try one or two That's everything that I could do Lord, nobody let me have one lousy dime I'm out there worryin' now all the time But I'm gonna tell you this is true, Lord, without a doubt Nobody wants you when you're down Nobody wants you when you're down Lord, if I could get my hands on a dollar again I would hold it 'til that eagle grins I would try him just for one little house Nobody knows me when I'm down and out Lord, I'll try for another day To make my troubles in my own way But I'm gon' tell you the truth, Lord, without a doubt Nobody knows me when you're down I mean nobody knows me when you're down
I just love the sparseness, the roughness, the sharp edges, the tiny (but to me unimportant) timing errors and so on. It just makes it so real and human. I can't stand perfect overproduced things. It's really hard to explain to people with the opposite taste why imperfect is so much better. Edited to add: some people seem to be taking my comment the wrong way. It's not intended as criticism. 50+ year old recordings of live takes are always going to have issues. And any live playing by anyone no matter how virtuoso has imperfections in timing etc. That's what makes it so much better than metronomic machine music.
There's more beauty and honesty in imperfection. Consider the sound of those voices most well known. What would music be without Louis Armstrong or many others who simply and honestly sounded so much better than their contemporaries!
This song has existed over three times my current lifespan, and the universe waited and gave it to me right when it seems most relevant. It is the truth without a doubt, nobody knows you when you're down and out.
All this praise for Scrapper and this performance is well-deserved. I heard some of Bob Dylan's first-hand back in the day in New York, when he learned that I had met Scrapper Blackwell in my home town of Indianapolis, and had gotten him started recording again. Most of the recording I did monaural, on location, not in a studio. Kenneth S. Goldstein asked me to go to Indianapolis and put together 5 Lps for Prestige Bluesville, for which he was producer: one LP of Scrapper alone (Bluesville 1047 Mr. Scrapper's Blues), one with someone else, fine blueswoman Brooks Berry; the others were Guitar Pete Franklin; Mississippi bluesman Shirley Griffith; and Shirley Griffith and J.T. Adams.
Wow, so cool to hear from Arthur Rosenbaum here. Any chance we could get you to share some stories about Scrapper here? You lent him your guitar, right? Always wondered what type of guitar it was, his reaction, did he play like he'd never quit? Must have been devastating when he was killed. This particular recording is amazing not only for the guitar playing, but listen to those vocals - years ahead of his time, bluesy but with the melodic quality of pop. Intimate in a way that was unusual in that era. I mean, Chet Baker intimate
I have no idea why this appeared in my sidebar. I've never heard of this guy before, I've never listened to him but I sure am glad it did. Wonderful music.
Ive been on a blues kick lately, though I’ve fallen so in love with this genre that I don’t know if it’s even a kick. That’s probably why this showed up in my suggestions.
He was self taught, I can't remember him he was killed when I was 2 but he would play me to sleep when I was a baby. He is my Great Uncle Francis Blackwell. My Grandfather which was his brother would play either Uncle Scrapers music or native Indian music and I would have to sit and listen and I swear I felt like my Grandfather was trying to torture me the blues made me angry and I was screaming on the inside, the naive Indian wind instrumental music made me feel like I was the only living soul in the desert or a canyon with a buzzard circling in the sky waiting for me to die. I was a pretty wild little girl and I think it was a way to have me sit sit quietly and still until I gave up and just fell asleep. I played have yourself a merry Christmas to do the same thing for my girls even in the summer, my dog passes out to Bobby Magee.
Fantastic playing. The sound of his guitar playing sounds fresher and more vibrant than many of today's players can manage. A great quality performance. Love it.
When you have the time, you might watch John Mayall's 70th Birthday Concert. It's in the RUclips search files. It includes on stage some former Bluesbreakers guitar players that had successful bands.
How is it that we believe a singer like this more than a modern singer today? I think because sin is'nt sin anymore... a lie is'nt a lie anymore, to steal is not stealing anymore cause there are no rules anymore . Lawlessness has come and cold love at the same time, we thought taking away the law brought us freedom....
There's a grain of truth in that, people on some level for better or worse don't know what things are supposed to be anymore in a way that they didn't before, in it's not just that most folks are lost now, where lost in such a way no one learns how pour themselves into art
The lesson of this song is a hard one. It stings when a young man sees it for the first time, but if a man gets old without learning this then it will cut to the bone.
so true. i feel slow for it taking so long to sink in. I thought it was coincidence when no-one showed when I was completely down-and-out. Only recently has the wisdom of this song dawned on me.
scrapper blackwell's rendition of "nobody knows you when you're down and out" is well made and very different from what everyone else did, and the usage of the guitar gives a more lowly and western feel to the song, more emotional and a warning of being as sad as his tone in the music. to say thanks to him about making this is truly an understatement, and I am grateful to have a piece like his to listen to 24/7 and demonstrate the idea of some warm yet pathetic feeling of being used and being forgotten when "you're down and out"
Haven’t heard this song since 2019, and man, is this an appropriate time. I moved to a new state- nearest family is 3 hours away- for my _DREAM_ job. Nearly doubled my income too. New Years Day I was let go. Ghosted by a couple of people I cared about- including someone I thought was as interested in me as I was in her. Now I’m working _a_ job just for some extra money while I’m scrambling to move to my sister’s but she wants me to get a job in her city before I do. Thank God the interview went well for where I applied- interviewer wanted to hire me but it isn’t solely his decision. So maybe in a few years this’ll all be a wild memory. But right now it’s chaos.
this tune is so addictive, I learnt it on the acoustic and can't stop playing it..don't even have to solo, it feels totally redundant...just the chords....
can you play it just like him though? because i can’t find a video on the internet on how he plays it or what kind of tuning he’s in, but there are other tutorials on how to play it but sound nothing like this piece
@@preztxn240 no man, not like him, I don't think these guys were doing what they did intentionally back then, maybe that was how it mapped out u know, like Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten.. I have managed a pretty decent travis picking with open chords, and then I started applying the same picking to bar chords u know, gives it a different feel, still sounds awesome and enjoy playing it..
I learned this song when I first heard it about 50 years ago and it's always been one of my personal favourites and something I always have on the playlist if I was doing an acoustic number. I even did a cover of it as my first attempt to record using s computer and Audio Sequencing Software.
If I could get a dollar again, I would hold it till that eagle grins! That has to be the best line I've ever heard in a song, genius writing, if you understand old currency, the eagle's beak on them old coins looks like it's making a sad frown face, so I get what dude was trying to convey, I laughed my ass off, I know it ain't funny cause these songs come from the bluest of blue places, but the laughter you feel when you hear something so clever, made my day to even hear it, great stuff
Blues to me is like talking with your best friend like your trials n tribulations but at the end of it you laugh it down with some whiskey and reefer smoke. Just a raw genre that not to many can handle.
Gawdy , lord I can feel that string tension ripping both hands into such a groove . I witnessed a brilliant cherry orange plasma ball of light Oct 2020, the night I discovered this tune , it stopped obove the house next door to me , then ripped the sky in two, right before us. I'll Never forget this duality.
Abiasaf López skip james, charley Patton, son house, Henry Thomas, bbq Bob, blind Willie johnson would be a good start for artists from the era Mr Blackwell is best known for. Pre-war blues
I think this was recorded in the late 50's after Scrapper Blackwell was "rediscovered". Both voice and guitar playing has worn out after years of life struggles and hardships. If you really want to hear how good he was you have to listen to his classics from the 20s and 30s. My favorite tunes of him are "Midnight Hour Blues" with Leroy Carr and "Kokomo Blues", which Later became Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago".
+jerry jah I'm with you this. I post something and didn't look far to see that there were others who felt like me. This is bogus. Listen to Muddys' first hit from 47 and the audio tells it all. Thank you for exposing this.
No it ain't. No one these days could play so good as the old great ones (even if you play it note for note, they felt it buddy). The fact that the recording sounds so great is the biggest deal hear (here).
jamziz22 Exactly,there are MANY greater guitar players than I would ever WANT to be,but there are FEW that have existed with more soul;I came into this world with nothing but a Soul,and that's what I'll leave it with...SOUL ya dig? If you don't then you've never LIVED the blues.
Damn so true. Used to have lots of money and all my family worshipped me. One bad case of depression and a bad strike of unemployement and now they treat the cat better than me. People can't be trusted.
I’m amazed at the clarity of an almost 100 year old recording. They must have stored the original recording tape in a very good place because it’s so clear…as if it was just made.
Tape recorders where invented in Germany circa 1936 and appeared in USA after the 2WW. Scrapper stopped music in 1935, started a new carrier in 1950 and died in 62. So this recording was released between 50 and 62... the song was written presumably before 28.
God, I finally found it at 3:25. Its soo quiet and short though. I would shout AND OUT every time he doesnt say it, but I'm in a car full of people gaaahhh
What can I say? Scrapper Blackwell totally encapsulates the whole Blues Genre with this song. The Chord progressions are so intuitive and natural, it makes for real easy listening.
This is salt of the earth music right here. No glitz, no glamour. Just a man with the blues playing his guitar and belting out a meaningful tune..this is why this is the music I listen to, because it’s the truth.
I left Social Media. But I got into Utube. I always find things I like. Good ole Westerns you cannot get on crappie cable, great drum solos, Great blues Music, good comedy’s (the Honey Mooners)
Odelia Livingstone Hm this seems to be a different case tho, with this being cover. Marty Robbins is covering and honouring the original song. Whereas it seems Randy Newman straight up swiped this melody and used it as his own, which agreed does seem to happen A LOT.
Odelia Livingstone wow feels like I’m talking to a different person all of a sudden. Not sure where the 180 came from. I did the research beforehand, I just posted the name/source that popped up afterward. Anyways.
@@odelialivingstone2446 it's not theft you troglodyte. Art is based around adaptation and repetition if when you see or hear something that reminds you of something else and all you can think of is theft then you're seriously lost in terms of Art
Its lyric, told from the point of view of a one-time millionaire during the Prohibition era, reflects on the fleeting nature of material wealth and the friendships that come and go with it.
A true Bluesman. His guitar play is an amazing extension of his style of music. That smooth silky voice backed with very powerful blues cords and rifts of his guitar produced the timeless sound that is the very essence of the blues. How true is the pain of "Nobody wants you are down and out." Thank you brother man for gift. Beautiful, peace.
Wow! Nice! My late grandfather actually worked with Scrapper even managing him for awhile. He used to tell me stories about their adventures. Thank you for posting this! :)
Видеоклипы
![BETA SQUAD vs AMP FOOTBALL MATCH [OFFICIAL STREAM]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ChEmvP52p0U/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm 75 and this is a song that my mother, who was 44 when I was born, used to sing. I am always grateful for RUclips being able to bring past memories to life.
What a great memory!
dam you old as hell
hope your 119 yo mama still got it.
She still kicking?
God bless you sir.
You can just feel how high the action is on that guitar
It's a beautiful thing to hear something being played on a guitar and truly believe the two things actually KNOW each other...'these are the only strings I ever used' - musical integrity x
You don't get strong hands like you used to.
That's funny cause after the first few notes that is exactly what I was thinking. And the recording mic is clipping but the combination of the two gives this song a kick ass tone!
Hahahahahahhahahahah i legit thought the same thig
Great observation
This was our cousin, he died 8 years before I was born. Just checking my family history. I love this!!!
wait he was your cousin?
@@romarssieverything9667 yes my mother would call him scrappy and told stories about him on the Blackwell-Tucker side.
@@MzLetty101 That's amazing
He recorded with Leroy Carr between 1928 - 1935! Unfortunately, Leroy Carr died on April 29, 1935 at the age of 30 from extreme alcohol abuse, and this devastated Blackwell to the point where he only recorded a few more songs before he quit music for 20 years.
R.I.P. Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr!!!
@@iicjguitar0416 thank you for that information!!!!
Blues dont like the rich man, Blues dont like the happy man...Blues loves you and me
I ain't rich and I ain't happy. Well...
I thought Blues was: for a man who KNOWS WHAT TRUE HAPPINESS IS/SHOULD BE.... But CAN'T ATTAIN IT! For EX: Lost Love, Life, Opportunity/+ Abuse & Sorrow With Being HELD BACK
Awesome quote.
mark grice !
Vinicius _ At least you got blues
Like most spectacular things, i found this by accident.
me too!
same!
good
Robert Rios
...it found you good sir✌
Robert Rios :
That's Life, my friend :-)
Guitar player/teacher here. I learned this awhile back from a RUclips video. Someone called it the greatest chord progression ever written -- and I agree! Never get tired of playing or hearing it.
It is 100 years old -- but keeps coming back every 20 years or so to a new generation of listeners. It cab ne played as a blues of course, but also as folk, pop and country.
Just an incredible composition.
Beautiful
Clapton does it really we)
Used in so many songs. Mamas and papas, lovin spoonful, clapton
Uses the circle of fifths perfectly!
Händel's Passacaliga also has a slapping chord progression.
I'm a simple man. I hear a good chorc progression; I like.
He was shot and killed in a robbery at age 59 ..the perilous life of a blues musician… R.I.P. Scrapper
One of great joys in life is finding a hidden gem amongst all the noise!
"...Bob Dylan said, "There is a strong line in all our music that can be
traced back directly to Scrapper Blackwell. He was a truly great
musician ..."
Hell, even Robert Johnson covered one of his tunes. But who remembers Scrapper
Blackwell?
Between 1928 and 1935, Scrapper Blackwell and his partner, pianist
Leroy Carr, were the most popular blues duo in America. Their first hit,
“How Long, How Long Blues,” was the top blues song of 1928. In fact, so
many copies were pressed, causing the original metal masters to wear
out! Vocalion Records called Carr and Blackwell back into the recording
studio twice to record “How Long, How Long Blues No. 2” and “How Long,
How Long Blues No. 3!”
Unlike
the tragic stories of many other bluesmen, Vocalion paid the duo
fairly, each netting $4,000, which translates to $55,000 in today’s
money. And they continued to get royalty checks every six months.
For
the next few years, Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell continued their
string of hits, including “Kokomo Blues,” “Blues Before Sunrise” and
“Mean Mistreater Mama.” Feeling slighted for Carr’s top billing (and
often omitting Blackwell’s own name on the label), Scrapper entered the
recording studio in 1931 and 1932 to cut some incredible solo records
under his own name. As a former bootlegger, he often sang of making and
drinking homemade whiskey, such as “Down in Black Bottom.” Listen to his
fluid fingerpicking, recorded four years before Robert Johnson ever cut
anything to wax...
Blackwell’s solo recordings were hits on their own, guaranteeing his
name to always be included with Carr’s on their duo recordings.
Blackwell
and Carr continued to record together until 1935, ending with a bitter
recording session in February of that year. Both musicians left the
studio mid-session and on bad terms, stemming from payment disputes. Two
months later, Blackwell received a phone call informing him of Carr's
death due to heavy drinking and nephritis.
Blackwell soon recorded
a tribute to his musical partner of seven years ("My Old Pal Blues")
and then walked away from his recording career, working in an asphalt
factory.
Blackwell
was rediscovered in the late Fifties, poverty-stricken and living in
his cousin’s house. He didn’t even own a guitar. When one was provided
for him, he immediately went back to his old chops, not missing a single
lick. The folk music boom was on, and Blackwell was just the hero they
were looking for. He was brought back into the studio and cut three
albums' worth of material. He also started planning festival
appearances.
All his
plans were cut short October 7, 1962, when Blackwell was gunned down in
front of his house in an apparent mugging. The crime remains unsolved to
this day.
Blackwell
left a wealth of recordings, showcasing his single-string leads that
influenced generations of performers (whether they know it or not). Bob
Dylan said, "There is a strong line in all our music that can be traced
back directly to Scrapper Blackwell. He was a truly great musician who
did deserve more than was ever given him."..."
Thanks for that history!
So you've heard this before then?
@@mongoonlyprawningameoflife1218
I had a record of Leroy Carr and
Scrapper Blackwell in about 1972 on
Columbia label
CBS C 30496 (1971)
Leroy Carr: Blues Before Sunrise
accompanied by Scrapper Blackwell and Josh White
track sequence:
- Barrelhouse Woman
- I Believe I'll Make A Change
- Midnight Hour Blues
- Take A Walk Around The Corner
- Southbound Blues
- Mean Mistreater Mama
- Big Four Blues
- Blues Before Sunrise
- It's Too Short
- My Woman's Gone Wrong
- Hustler's Blues
- Bobo Stomp
- Shining Pistol
- Shady Lane Blues
- Corn Likker Blues
- Hurry Down Sunshine
@@aaron4wilkins but did you know I used to make cigarettes for him in prison
@@mongoonlyprawningameoflife1218 wow! really/ if so - that's just awesome! :)
That guitar sounds like it's hurtin' as much as he is. Amazing.
not even close
On god tho
agree SK.
@@pugobio9871 repent or perish
@@lachlan7802 i repent
This version playing draws me into the blues far more than any modern version of it
Makes sense
That's because it's real. It's not an impression, it's the original.
Ol’ grimey, you sure said it.
Sounds like you're on the front porch with him and passing a joint or a pint around with your friends.
I like the Sam Cooke version more
So, five minutes and four seconds ago I discovered Scrapper Blackwell and i'm sure i'll never forget him. This performance is overflowing with real musical connectivity, virtuousity and soulfulness on every level. Thanks so much for the post!.
Same for me, wonderful discovery.
Check out Claptons version it’s also I really dig both, Clapton does amazing job keeping it original like this.❤
@@silviac22111111q
😊😊1
He's wonderful.
he was shot and killed in a mugging in an Indianapolis alley. He was 59 years old. The police arrested his neighbor at the time for the murder, but the crime remains unsolved. Blackwell is buried in New Crown Cemetery, in Indianapolis.
I'd rather be shot than stabbed in the face@MichaelKingsfordGray
@MichaelKingsfordGray same here, wouldn't be nice
@MichaelKingsfordGray England has strict gun laws, yet has gun crime. Whats that? Criminals dont follow the law?? Well I'll be dammned. Get the fuck out of here with that bullshit
thanks for the historical info
Please don't hate me but do you have any kin named Mike?
Probably the best sounding 90 year old recording ive ever heard. The fidelety is incredible and thats not even talking about the song
This was recorded in 1961 in Indianapolis for his come-back album Mr. Scrapper's Blues, not 1930.
How are people so stupid they think this was recorded in 1930 ffs
It's a lot more fun to play the blues than to live them..
It aged really well.
@@TRC2002 Recording quality, because he thought it was recorded in the 30s. Why so mad?
A prime example of "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable"
One of the most underrated songs in American history
It sounds like a string breaks with every strum.
Exquisite.
Nædrin as a guitar player , I fell that in my spine lol
It's because it's not tuned right I tried playing it the other day and I couldn't get the tune because it's random lol
What is it tuned at
@@DockingFreidmanRecords E Flat and a half
Love it Nædrin.
Hear that twang? Hear that soul? They calls it blues, I calls it gold.
youse a call it gold aite
Yes shaggynonynous! Yes
And I agree!
I love the original blues musicians. Thank God for them.
Are you THE Eric Hutchinson, the artist, singer/songwriter?
@ladolcevita0617 Sorry, not me. There are alot of us out there.
@@erichutchinson6882 Thanks! 😊
I love how raw this is. Most music today is too refined, too filtered. It loses it’s flaws, it’s imperfections and sometimes it’s humanity.
We talking about women or music
It's not about acoustic or electric. It's not even about rock. 99% music nowadays sounds perfect. Even in modern metal, they're chasing the perfect tones, they want everything to be on time and they want it completely clean. I think this is the reason people listen to punk rock.
We talking bout music or documentaries?
@@jacobolsen6696 women?! what r you on
@@jacobolsen6696both, I believe
Among his fans was Bob Dylan, who observed, "There is a strong line in all our music that can be traced back directly to Scrapper Blackwell. He was a truly great musician who did deserve more than was ever given him"
amen to that, brother.
That holds true even today. There are always more "hidden" musicians than famous ones.
Tim Hale
I just want to name one of those hidden artists. Blind Connie Williams. That's it, i'm ghost.
That's not just respectful talk from Dylan, it's literally true. E.g. Scrapper was T-Bone Walker's favorite guitarist and it showed. If people had lied in the '70s-'90s that Scrapper sold his soul to the Devil, he'd be famous.
The sky is.. blue
The sea is.. blue
The land is.. green with envy.
Yes sah...
I pray this song just finds you. It's a treasure.
until now I had never heard of Mr. Scrapper Blackwell ...and now that I have ...I will never forget him ...thank you culturalcannibals
Once I lived the life of a millionaire
Spending my money'n I did not care care
Carrying my friends out for a good time
Buyin’ bootleg liquor, champagne and wine
Lord but I got busted and I fell so low
Didn't have no money and nowhere to go
This is the truth, Lord, without a doubt
Nobody wants you when you're down, I mean
Nobody wants you when you’re down
Lord, the other day I asked a man for my rent
He told me, boy, the money he had spent
But I tried my best to try one or two
That's everything that I could do
Lord, nobody let me have one lousy dime
I now get worried now all the time
But I'm gon' tell you this is the truth, Lord, without a doubt
Nobody wants you when you're down
Nobody wants you when you're down
Lord, if I could get my hands on a dollar again
I would hold it till that eagle grins
I would try just for one little house
Nobody knows me when I'm down and out
Lord, I tried for another day
To make troubles in my own way
But I'm gon’ tell you the truth, Lord without a doubt
Nobody knows me when you’re down, I mean
Nobody knows me when you're down
Thank you
Thank you for lyrics!
Thanks for the lyrics
thanks... :)
Funny how these life experiences come back around every so often. We have this great music to help ease the pain.
i don't usually comment vids on youtube but this song ... listening to it makes me feel like i'm facing both a captivating work of art and a piece of history. People often say that we're living in a dark and hopeless time, as i have to say is that we have access to this kind of music on internet for free, so let's take this chance and let these songs make our lives more enjoyable ! cheers form France
You might dig the music I make or the local lake area music we post on lake affected
Underrated comnment
In a few years we'll all be living through a truly dark and hopeless time very similar to what our great grandparents endured, unfortunately...
@@fairygodmomma2313
Imagine bliss , live reality .
@@fairygodmomma2313, it’s great to have a positive outlook, as I do day to day but there is definitely dark times ahead, well some places are feeling it already.
Lyrics
Once I lived the life of a millionaire
Spending my money and I did not care
Carryin' my friends out for the good time
Buyin' bootleg liquor, champagne and wine
Lord, but I got busted and I fell so low
Didn't have no money and nowhere to go
This is the truth, Lord, without a doubt
Nobody wants you when you're down
I mean, nobody wants you when you're down
Lord, the other day I asked the man for my rent
He told me, boy, the money he had spent
But I tried my best to try one or two
That's everything that I could do
Lord, nobody let me have one lousy dime
I'm out there worryin' now all the time
But I'm gonna tell you this is true, Lord, without a doubt
Nobody wants you when you're down
Nobody wants you when you're down
Lord, if I could get my hands on a dollar again
I would hold it 'til that eagle grins
I would try him just for one little house
Nobody knows me when I'm down and out
Lord, I'll try for another day
To make my troubles in my own way
But I'm gon' tell you the truth, Lord, without a doubt
Nobody knows me when you're down
I mean nobody knows me when you're down
Best blues song, period.
Let me guess you didn't find this song, this song found you.
Found it on reddit
It found me through a nirvana worm hole and I don’t particularly like nirvana
My bf sent it :P, guess I've found a gem
@@merionamezani2096 Must be one lucky fella.
This time I looked it up by name.
I just love the sparseness, the roughness, the sharp edges, the tiny (but to me unimportant) timing errors and so on. It just makes it so real and human. I can't stand perfect overproduced things. It's really hard to explain to people with the opposite taste why imperfect is so much better.
Edited to add: some people seem to be taking my comment the wrong way. It's not intended as criticism. 50+ year old recordings of live takes are always going to have issues. And any live playing by anyone no matter how virtuoso has imperfections in timing etc. That's what makes it so much better than metronomic machine music.
Michael Fisher intimacy
Darn tootin'.
It always inspires me to make music, and not give a shit if it sounds perfect. Just to get it done and put it out there
There's more beauty and honesty in imperfection. Consider the sound of those voices most well known. What would music be without Louis Armstrong or many others who simply and honestly sounded so much better than their contemporaries!
Real boats rock. (bonus points for finding where that quote is from)
Any guitarist is going to love those amazing voicings laid bare by only a non electronic instrument and its beautiful artist.
Great❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thankfully, preserved by electricity.
Most truth in a song ever , people avoid ya like the plague if your down n out , when ya need people the most , what a great song !!!! 👌👍👌
in 10 years this will be a 100 year old recording
Isn't a lovely to be able to listen to 90 year old recordings of real artists.
fucking incredible!
Groovyfingerz, you are so bloody right, Amen.
when was this recorded?
Theo the kid, I think it was 1930, incredible!
Heartbreaking. Should be sent in space on a golden vinyl.
The Blues never lies!!!
This song has existed over three times my current lifespan, and the universe waited and gave it to me right when it seems most relevant.
It is the truth without a doubt, nobody knows you when you're down and out.
Same😊 turned up at just the right time.
@@janevessey7233 Well I hope better fortune and better friends come along for us both in the near future.
From the Timberwolf. Proof of the fact that we all get the Blue's Brother Man. Keep on keeping on. Best wishes.
Hope things look up for you brother
Damn does this comment ring the same bell to me, came to me as I’m digging my self out of a hole
He’s playing the guitar like it’s his last time. Like he’s saying his last words.
Youre reading into it. Guys played like this all over the delta
That’s part of the magic, the guitar is whining and wants you to listen
I hear it too
really ironic and sad.
All this praise for Scrapper and this performance is well-deserved. I heard some of Bob Dylan's first-hand back in the day in New York, when he learned that I had met Scrapper Blackwell in my home town of Indianapolis, and had gotten him started recording again. Most of the recording I did monaural, on location, not in a studio. Kenneth S. Goldstein asked me to go to Indianapolis and put together 5 Lps for Prestige Bluesville, for which he was producer: one LP of Scrapper alone (Bluesville 1047 Mr. Scrapper's Blues), one with someone else, fine blueswoman Brooks Berry; the others were Guitar Pete Franklin; Mississippi bluesman Shirley Griffith; and Shirley Griffith and J.T. Adams.
Wow, so cool to hear from Arthur Rosenbaum here. Any chance we could get you to share some stories about Scrapper here? You lent him your guitar, right? Always wondered what type of guitar it was, his reaction, did he play like he'd never quit? Must have been devastating when he was killed. This particular recording is amazing not only for the guitar playing, but listen to those vocals - years ahead of his time, bluesy but with the melodic quality of pop. Intimate in a way that was unusual in that era. I mean, Chet Baker intimate
Hiya Art!
I took your class in toxic artists materials some thiry five years ago! Also went w/ the class to Rev. Finsters. Best from Saskatoon!
How wonderful Arthur.
@@greg7656 Anton says, It could have been a Harmony Sovereign.
When did you record Scrapper? (Anton's question)
"You don't hear the blues when it's played son you feel it."
This hit home really hard after a tough year. First time I’ve really related to some blues
You got this, dude. Keep fighting.
Nothing makes ya feel better when your down than the blues.
Ain't no better cure for the blues than the blues..
I have no idea why this appeared in my sidebar. I've never heard of this guy before, I've never listened to him but I sure am glad it did. Wonderful music.
Almost.... the only thing that the internet is good for.
Same
Yeah but you have been listening to this all your life
Ive been on a blues kick lately, though I’ve fallen so in love with this genre that I don’t know if it’s even a kick. That’s probably why this showed up in my suggestions.
Ryan Alvidres-Ivie I've been on a self imposed blues exile for the last couple of years, can't get enough of it.
Those chords in his runs are amazing.
WOW, he can play music without even moving!!! He's a legend!
They hadn't invented moving yet in those days.
@@squeakeththewheel meme potential 😂💦👀✅🤠
I hate you
He was self taught, I can't remember him he was killed when I was 2 but he would play me to sleep when I was a baby. He is my Great Uncle Francis Blackwell. My Grandfather which was his brother would play either Uncle Scrapers music or native Indian music and I would have to sit and listen and I swear I felt like my Grandfather was trying to torture me the blues made me angry and I was screaming on the inside, the naive Indian wind instrumental music made me feel like I was the only living soul in the desert or a canyon with a buzzard circling in the sky waiting for me to die. I was a pretty wild little girl and I think it was a way to have me sit sit quietly and still until I gave up and just fell asleep. I played have yourself a merry Christmas to do the same thing for my girls even in the summer, my dog passes out to Bobby Magee.
@@kathiawoola1465 wow so interesting history!
Am I the only one who thinks "you've got a friend in me" was taken and remade from this song!!!
Johnny Murillo Randy Newman’s Monsters Inc theme is a remake of Thelonious Monk’s Bye-ya. So, I wouldn’t be surprised
Well now that you said it, I'm deffo thinking it over 🤔
"You've got a friend in me" us from the night before. This is from the next morning! (Also yes I thought that too)
Was thinking the same thing lol
That's exactly what I thought...I even left a comment here and I just yours now. Great minds think alike lol
Blues are the only thing in life that can make you feel good about feeling bad.
Fantastic playing. The sound of his guitar playing sounds fresher and more vibrant than many of today's players can manage. A great quality performance. Love it.
Young fella named Clapton does all right with this.
"You gotta friend in me" can't unhear.
Truer words were never sung. Great tune.
Im loving the amount of blues RUclips has been recommending me
When you have the time, you might watch John Mayall's 70th Birthday Concert. It's in the RUclips search files. It includes on stage some former Bluesbreakers guitar players that had successful bands.
Can you recommend some more blues songs for me to listen to? Loving music like this and looking for more!
A recording of the deepest blues, an acceptance of things you can't or are disinclined to change. Broken but not shattered. Moving.
You don’t get artists like this no more. Legendary
How is it that we believe a singer like this more than a modern singer today?
I think because sin is'nt sin anymore... a lie is'nt a lie anymore, to steal is not stealing anymore cause there are no rules anymore . Lawlessness has come and cold love at the same time, we thought taking away the law brought us freedom....
There's a grain of truth in that, people on some level for better or worse don't know what things are supposed to be anymore in a way that they didn't before, in it's not just that most folks are lost now, where lost in such a way no one learns how pour themselves into art
The lesson of this song is a hard one. It stings when a young man sees it for the first time, but if a man gets old without learning this then it will cut to the bone.
Drogo Baggins word
so true. i feel slow for it taking so long to sink in. I thought it was coincidence when no-one showed when I was completely down-and-out. Only recently has the wisdom of this song dawned on me.
Due to some crazy circumstances i been homeless in the rain for over a week and now more then ever i ask people how are you doing.
@@alexcastle9126 counting my blessings. good luck, i hope you get somewhere soon.
@@johnsmith-sp6yl thank you sir absolutely the most kind words ive heard all week.
scrapper blackwell's rendition of "nobody knows you when you're down and out" is well made and very different from what everyone else did, and the usage of the guitar gives a more lowly and western feel to the song, more emotional and a warning of being as sad as his tone in the music. to say thanks to him about making this is truly an understatement, and I am grateful to have a piece like his to listen to 24/7 and demonstrate the idea of some warm yet pathetic feeling of being used and being forgotten when "you're down and out"
Haven’t heard this song since 2019, and man, is this an appropriate time.
I moved to a new state- nearest family is 3 hours away- for my _DREAM_ job. Nearly doubled my income too.
New Years Day I was let go.
Ghosted by a couple of people I cared about- including someone I thought was as interested in me as I was in her.
Now I’m working _a_ job just for some extra money while I’m scrambling to move to my sister’s but she wants me to get a job in her city before I do.
Thank God the interview went well for where I applied- interviewer wanted to hire me but it isn’t solely his decision.
So maybe in a few years this’ll all be a wild memory.
But right now it’s chaos.
this tune is so addictive, I learnt it on the acoustic and can't stop playing it..don't even have to solo, it feels totally redundant...just the chords....
can you play it just like him though? because i can’t find a video on the internet on how he plays it or what kind of tuning he’s in, but there are other tutorials on how to play it but sound nothing like this piece
@@preztxn240 no man, not like him, I don't think these guys were doing what they did intentionally back then, maybe that was how it mapped out u know, like Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten.. I have managed a pretty decent travis picking with open chords, and then I started applying the same picking to bar chords u know, gives it a different feel, still sounds awesome and enjoy playing it..
Hi Antonis me to every day for weeks
I learned this song when I first heard it about 50 years ago and it's always been one of my personal favourites and something I always have on the playlist if I was doing an acoustic number. I even did a cover of it as my first attempt to record using s computer and Audio Sequencing Software.
@@noneofyourbeeswax01 Would you teach us?
If I could get a dollar again, I would hold it till that eagle grins! That has to be the best line I've ever heard in a song, genius writing, if you understand old currency, the eagle's beak on them old coins looks like it's making a sad frown face, so I get what dude was trying to convey, I laughed my ass off, I know it ain't funny cause these songs come from the bluest of blue places, but the laughter you feel when you hear something so clever, made my day to even hear it, great stuff
Ain't it a conundrum? How the blues can make you happy?
Another variation I have heard, referring to the Buffalo Nickel of long ago, was to squeeze the nickel until the buffalo shits.
@@skydiverclassc2031 that is great, I've never heard that before.
And when a woman sings it it's dirty. See Lois Lane singing it.
Blues to me is like talking with your best friend like your trials n tribulations but at the end of it you laugh it down with some whiskey and reefer smoke. Just a raw genre that not to many can handle.
Gawdy , lord I can feel that string tension ripping both hands into such a groove . I witnessed a brilliant cherry orange plasma ball of light Oct 2020, the night I discovered this tune , it stopped obove the house next door to me , then ripped the sky in two, right before us. I'll Never forget this duality.
🙏
No microphone, amps or autotune.... just a great musician, voice and his old beaten guitar ! Wonderful !
I think there was probably a microphone involved in this recording
Lmao
@@user-cz2jo4nq2i and also probably an amp in-line with the mic and tape machine
Um, I'm not a guitarist, but I'm a musician who's pretty sure this is an electric guitar.
@@alkh3myst Nope. Sounds like a regular, old steel string acoustic with probably pretty high action.
How I have I been a blues fan for 40 years and not heard this before? Puts every other version to shame.
Any blues artists you might want to recommend?
I would like to know some blues artist too, if you could recommend, David.
Some personal favorites: Howlin Wolf, Elmore James, Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy
Except from Lennon's version mate, can't argue with that
Abiasaf López skip james, charley Patton, son house, Henry Thomas, bbq Bob, blind Willie johnson would be a good start for artists from the era Mr Blackwell is best known for. Pre-war blues
This might be the most honest song ever created.
This is the epitome of the blues! So true,raw and painful. Beautiful !
Doesn't matter what music you listen to cause you will always come back to dem blues
The fact that this song was written back then and played this way back then is astonishing.
+jerry jah shut up
I think this was recorded in the late 50's after Scrapper Blackwell was "rediscovered". Both voice and guitar playing has worn out after years of life struggles and hardships. If you really want to hear how good he was you have to listen to his classics from the 20s and 30s. My favorite tunes of him are "Midnight Hour Blues" with Leroy Carr and "Kokomo Blues", which Later became Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago".
+jerry jah I'm with you this. I post something and didn't look far to see that there were others who felt like me. This is bogus. Listen to Muddys' first hit from 47 and the audio tells it all. Thank you for exposing this.
No it ain't. No one these days could play so good as the old great ones (even if you play it note for note, they felt it buddy). The fact that the recording sounds so great is the biggest deal hear (here).
jamziz22 Exactly,there are MANY greater guitar players than I would ever WANT to be,but there are FEW that have existed with more soul;I came into this world with nothing but a Soul,and that's what I'll leave it with...SOUL ya dig? If you don't then you've never LIVED the blues.
A 4chan user posted this to encourage another user having a tough time when it came to finding a new place to live.
It’s fitting. Cheers.
4chan being wholesome? now thats something new
RUclips recommends some beautiful things man.
right? there are so many great rabbit holes to explore
Lordy Lord what a beautiful blues...
Stockholm - Sweden.
Damn so true. Used to have lots of money and all my family worshipped me. One bad case of depression and a bad strike of unemployement and now they treat the cat better than me. People can't be trusted.
I know the feeling.
you not alone brother,you not alone !
I’m amazed at the clarity of an almost 100 year old recording. They must have stored the original recording tape in a very good place because it’s so clear…as if it was just made.
I believe this version was recorded in 1962.
There was no tape until maybe 1950.
the song probably is older than 90 years but the recording is from 1962
Tape recorders where invented in Germany circa 1936 and appeared in USA after the 2WW. Scrapper stopped music in 1935, started a new carrier in 1950 and died in 62. So this recording was released between 50 and 62... the song was written presumably before 28.
Albums are your best option for true tone reproduction media.
Clapton honors this golden oldie as only he could.
Despite all of the pain in this recording, over timeI have found it paradoxically comforting, almost gives me a giddy warm glow.
There's some nice melodic vocals comin through here,not the usual blues singer....its a gem,
My cat, Junior definitely approves. Every time I play this, he comes and rubs all over my phone.
My goodness, when he finally says "...and out" it's euphoric
Where? WHERE TELL ME!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
God, I finally found it at 3:25. Its soo quiet and short though. I would shout AND OUT every time he doesnt say it, but I'm in a car full of people gaaahhh
@@chrisjohnson4380 sorry, I should have put a time stamp!
Listening to this song on my last day in this planet.
wait what :/
What can I say? Scrapper Blackwell totally encapsulates the whole Blues Genre with this song. The Chord progressions are so intuitive and natural, it makes for real easy listening.
Truer words never been spoken. People cry for a rich celebrity passing away but nobody talks about the thousands who hang themselves every year
This is salt of the earth music right here. No glitz, no glamour. Just a man with the blues playing his guitar and belting out a meaningful tune..this is why this is the music I listen to, because it’s the truth.
You gotta love a bluesman called "Scrapper" Blackwell.
AMEN BROTHER!!! GOD BLESS.🙏🇺🇸👍🏻
Bessie Smith is the all time champion with this song
I left Social Media. But I got into Utube. I always find things I like. Good ole Westerns you cannot get on crappie cable, great drum solos, Great blues Music, good comedy’s (the Honey Mooners)
Coolest voice ever.
You know real music when you hear it
Hey I am 75 and this is a great song and a tremendous guitar player!!! Wow
This is a great version... I didn't know this song was "old".
I guess we know where Randy Newman got “You’ve got a Friend in me” from now.
Brucifer Wienerdog and where Amos Lee got “Sweet Pea.”
Odelia Livingstone Hm this seems to be a different case tho, with this being cover. Marty Robbins is covering and honouring the original song. Whereas it seems Randy Newman straight up swiped this melody and used it as his own, which agreed does seem to happen A LOT.
Odelia Livingstone Bahaha glad you like the name. Yeah Thomas Haynes Bayly - 1833 was the original source that I found
Odelia Livingstone wow feels like I’m talking to a different person all of a sudden. Not sure where the 180 came from. I did the research beforehand, I just posted the name/source that popped up afterward. Anyways.
@@odelialivingstone2446 it's not theft you troglodyte. Art is based around adaptation and repetition if when you see or hear something that reminds you of something else and all you can think of is theft then you're seriously lost in terms of Art
Its lyric, told from the point of view of a one-time millionaire during the Prohibition era, reflects on the fleeting nature of material wealth and the friendships that come and go with it.
Beelthazus do you know when this came out , originally
@Dagwood Dogwood , Groucho Marx said this about the Crash of '29: "I lost a million dollars. I would have lost more, but it was everything I had"!
As it states in Wikipedia; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobody_Knows_You_When_You%27re_Down_and_Out
Was he a millionaire though? Wasn’t that a shitload of money at the time
Says who
A----MAZING! I'm blown away.
You can say that again 👏
He have a soulful voice!
This is my favorite song 🎶 so tell me are you a fan of Scrapper Blackwell..?
the key to making legendary music is finding the soul in old songs like this and giving it a new life
Played this one for 50 years, don't know where I first heard it. Still one of the best.
A true Bluesman. His guitar play is an amazing extension of his style of music. That smooth silky voice backed with very powerful blues cords and rifts of his guitar produced the timeless sound that is the very essence of the blues. How true is the pain of "Nobody wants you are down and out." Thank you brother man for gift. Beautiful, peace.
“The blues ain’t nothing but a pain in your heart”
This hit me right in the feels Ty Snowrunner
What a rare gem. I found it and wasn't even looking for it. But I'm so grateful that I did.
Wow! Nice! My late grandfather actually worked with Scrapper even managing him for awhile. He used to tell me stories about their adventures. Thank you for posting this! :)
Damn really?
The dynamics of the guitar when he starts singing. Musicians back then mixed themselves. Just incredible!
He's right, couldn't be a more true saying, nobody knows you when your down and out
The ROOT of all modern music coming into your ears from a young handsome and full of blues Scrapper Blackwell.