from Wikipedia:
The Talking blues was a style of rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free but the rhythm is strict. The music genre or technique developed in the blues in the early 20th century from influences including African music, British folk song, and the music-hall stage (as put by English politician Robert Somers: “Sambo is a natural-born cockney”). (van der Merwe 1989, pp. 146–148)
It typically consisted of a repetitive guitar, utilizing the same three chord pattern as blues, as well as a large portion of folk music and even punk, ska, “pop”, and “rock”, sometimes accompanied by a melodic line with rhythmic, rhyming speaking over it. Tex Williams was most well known for his talking blues, and Woody Guthrie popularized the style. Several sources (including the Almanac Singers) cite Guthrie as the creator/innovator of Talking Blues, or at least the modern form it has involved into. Bob Dylan also utilized this style and brought life back to it in the 1960’s, in light of the strong influence Guthrie had on him. It came to be a trademark of country music (ibid), and can be considered an early predecessor to rap.
I got to thinking about this post while I was writing the Todd Snider post. I was listening to “Happy New Year” and got to thinking about how much I like talking blues tracks. While Happy New Year isn’t so much a talking blues track it is derivative of the class. I am not sure why I am such a sucker for them but I like ‘em in every form. From Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) to Talkin’ Al Kida Blues to Talkin’ Dust Bowl Blues. I just like them. In 2001 NPR’s All Things Considered did a really interesting show on Talking Blues.
Talking Blues is a song form that can trace its surface roots to a recording by the Greenville Trio in April of 1926. Its lineage goes much deeper — to spirituals — and an odd combination of the religious and the profane. The talking blues have served as a vehicle for social commentary for Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and hundreds of others. Musician and researcher Stephen Wade — creator of the stage show, Banjo Dancing, and a contributor to numerous folklore journals — traces the history of the talking blues.
You can listen to the show here.
Here are some Talking Blues tracks for you:
Alan Jackson – The Talkin Song Repair Blues
Betty Sanders – Talking Un-American Blues
Baz Luhrmann – Everybodys Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
Bob Dylan – Talkin Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
Bob Dylan – Talking World War III Blues
Bob Dylan – Talkin Hava Negeilah Blues
Bob Dylan – Talkin John Birch Paranoid Blues
Dan Bern – Talkin Alien Abduction Blues
Dan Bern – Talkin Al Kida Blues
Dan Bern – Talkin Mrs Ani Difranco Blues
Dan Bern – Talkin Woody Bob Dan Bruce Blues
Donovan – Talkin Pop Star Blues
Johnny Cash – Vietnam Talking Blues
Ramblin Jack Elliott – Talkin Sailor Blues
Scotty Stoneman – Talking Fiddle Blues
Tom Glazer – Social Workers Talking Blues
Townes Van Zandt – Talking KKK Blues
Townes Van Zandt – Talking Thunderbird Blues
Townes Van Zandt – Talkin Karate Blues
Woody Guthrie – Mean Talking Blues
Woody Guthrie – Talking Dust Bowl Blues
Woody Guthrie – Talking Fishing Blues
Woody Guthrie – Talkin Hard Luck Blues
Woody Guthrie – Washington Talkin Blues
15 Responses to “Talking Blues”
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To hear another great talkin blues musician you should check out chris boullion-dont hold me to that spelling- and the song hard luck blues. That song is as funny-if not funnier- as any woody guthrie talkin blues. I\\\’m not sure if you did write about him because I don\\\’t know if I got to see the whole article but apparently chris boullion was such a bad singer-and youll hear it at the end of hard luck blues- that when he went to record the producer told him to just speak the words.
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I’ve always loved Talking Blues. Very nice compilation, thank you kindly for the effort.
These make for wonderful lesson plans in English, history and music classrooms. I will share with my students and friends.
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Now this is a very nice comp of talkin’ blues! this is the first time that I’ve come to your site…look’s like i’ll be comin’ back.
Just wanted to let you know that I posted the infamous Dylan 1965 (electric & acoustic)Newport gig over on “Doctor Mooney’s 115th Dream”…
Cheers,
DoctorMooney
http://doctormooney.blogspot.com
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Like the good doctormooney, this is my first visit as well. (A quick search on Dylan via Elbo.ws and voila!)
very nice compilation. some i’ve heard, others not.
from your blog title, i surmise you’re a DBT fan… “9 Bullets” is one of my favorite songs from Pizza Deliverance. Do they perform it live anymore?
cheers,
kevin
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Ray Wylie Hubbard has a lot of stuff that fits the bill. If you like I can send you some of his stuff. He’s pretty amazing.
This entry was informative. I didn’t even know what to call the style before reading this. The list is great even if I don\’t like every song on there. Keep up the good work!
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Thanks, this page is great. Another talking blues you might like, also by Todd Snider, not sure the title but possibly “Hey Hey My My Rock and Roll Will Never Die”.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9319xcmG9J4
God I wish I could find more live Todd Snider stuff. If anyone has any to share, feel free to email me, wrybread at gmail dot you know what.
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Great post! I find you kind of hit and miss thru checking the Hype Machine, but I’m going to have to start coming here regularly.
Other suggestions for great talkin’ blues: Loudon Wainwright is one of the all-time best–he has lots of ‘em. There was a song off an album I had in the 70s called Talkin New York something something…can’t remember now. Do remember this verse: “Well the mayor was a mayor called the mayor Abe Beame and he dreamed up this here Big Mac scheme, and that ol’ scheme kinda petered out and President Ford had to bail him out.” wow.
Also Phil Ochs.
Did you ever DO the Todd Snider post? If not, please do so! Soon…I know it’ll be great.
Thanks!
I do have to say, typing those letters in the box below is HARD! This is the hardest one I’ve ever seen. I lost a whole response to you–now I know to save it first.
Brad
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Agreed about Loudon Wainwright and the talkin blues. One of his I remember is Talking Bob Dylan.
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That Todd Snider song mentioned up there is actually called Talkin’ Seattle Grunge Rock Blues. It’s the hidden track on Songs From The Daily Planet.
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Hello,
Thanks for the Talkin\’ Blues post. Unfortunately, the links to the mp3\’s show up as a \
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Sorry.. garbled my last comment. meant to say that the mp3 links are broken. Hopefully you can put them back online. Thank you. – Tom
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Hi, Tom.
Thanks for reading!
Unfortunately, we’re forced to remove the music files after a shortish amount of time has passed, so that no one mistakes this blog as a vehicle for music piracy.
The NPR show linked above looks like it’s still available though, if you want to check some out!
Cheers,
Trevor
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I have been hired by the Santa Barbara Blues society to teach a remedial English class at the middle school level. It is a novel concept, to try and improve English skill through lyric reading and writing. I thought about the talking blues and checked out your site. I cannot thank you enough. Teaching basic AAB blues form is cool, but the talking blues is wonderful. Your blog says it is a free melody with a strict rhythm, which is true. However, Woody and Dylan and others held either the first two chords or the last chord ad lib, so the rhythm is the same, but the form is elastic.
Thank you especially for the list of tracks, greatly helpful to this musician who is creating a new class. Thanks.
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Try these
Jaime Brockett – Talkin Green Beret New Super Yellow Hydraulic Banana Teenie Bopper BluesAlso
Jaime Brockett – Legend of the USS Titanic
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Check out the “Talking NPR blues”- Utah Phillips.
It’s great… BTW thank you to everyone here; this place helped me find so many great TB songs!