"He Was a Friend of Mine" is a traditional folk song in which the singer laments the death of a friend. In 1961 Rolf Cahn and Eric Von Schmidt cut the first version of "He Was A Friend Of Mine", (recorded by Bob Dylan the same year).
It was contained on the next album on the Folkways-label (FA 2417)
Listen here:
But at the bottom of the liner-notes of the Folkways-album by Rolf Cahn and Eric Von Schmidt they mention this:
"He Was A Friend Of Mine", sung with the title "Shorty George" by Smith Casey, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Texas, 1939.
And indeed Cahn and Von Schmidt's "He Was A Friend Of Mine" is an almost exact cover-version of Smith Casey's mesmerizing "Shorty George". Casey cut the song and ten others for John Lomax in 1939. Traditionally the Shorty George was the train that took convicts (and visitors) to and from the prison.
Originally released in 1942 as part of an album of five 78 rpm (two 12", three 10") records
In 1956 it was re-issued by the Library of Congress on the next album:
Afro-American Blues and Game Songs
Library of Congress AAFS L4:
The LP album was accompanied by liner note booklet, packed with information about the recordings and the traditions they represented.
Edited by Alan Lomax, 1942. PDF, 10 pp.,
Listen here:
Or here
But already in February 1934 James Baker (Iron Head) recorded a version of "Shorty George", at Central State Farm, Sugarland, Texas, with a bit different melody, and with floating lyrics.
Listen here:
Leadbelly recorded the song on a number of occasions, also a bit different than the one Casey sang. He even sings: "Well-a Shorty George, he AIN'T no friend of mine"
Listen here to Leadbelly's version recorded on February 5, 1935 in New York City
Just to add some confusion, Sippie Wallace recorded a song by the same title which is UNRELATED to the versions above.
(-) Sippie Wallace (1923)
SHORTY GEORGE BLUES (Composers: GEORGE and HOCIEL THOMAS)
Recorded October 26, 1923
Matrix 08491=A
Released on Okeh 8106A
Listen here:
This one's also UNRELATED
(-) Tiny Franklin (1924)
SHORTY GEORGE BLUES (Composers: GEORGE and HOCIEL THOMAS)
Piano acc. by the composer George Thomas
Recorded December 10, 1923
Matrix G11696
Released on Gennett 5345
Listen here:
More cover-versions of "Shorty George"/ "He Was A Friend Of Mine":
(c) Bob Dylan (1961)
Bob Dylan picked up the song from the Cahn/von Schmidt recording and made some changes to the song when he recorded it for his first album on November 20, 1961. However, Dylan's recording was not included in the album. That recording of the song eventually had its official issuance in 1991 on volume 1 of Columbia Records' Dylan Bootleg Series.
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Dave Van Ronk (1963)
Listen here:
(c) Dian And The Greenbriar Boys 1963 (as "He Was A Friend")
(with an arrangement and lyrics by Hoyt Axton)
Listen here:
(c) Bobby Bare (1964)
(dedicated to Jim Reeves who died in a plane-crash in 1964)
(c) Byrds (1965)
(dedicated to John F Kennedy who was killed in 1963)
(c) The Byrds also performed the song during their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival on June 17, 1967, where band member David Crosby made controversial remarks alleging that Kennedy had not been killed by Lee Harvey Oswald alone, but was actually the victim of a U.S. Government conspiracy.
(c) Mark Spoelstra 1965 (as "Just A Hand To Hold")
Mark says he wrote it after he left Cambridge, when he was in Fresno
doing alternative service, in 1964. It's partly influenced on the van Ronk
song, but with an entirely different theme, based on a true story.
And that story was contained in Broadside Magazine # 49:
(The Grateful Dead (SEE THIRD VIDEO BELOW) commonly performed "He Was a Friend of Mine" during live concerts between 1966 and 1970, but their version was in fact based on the Mark Spoelstra song, "Just a Hand to Hold".
Recorded in 1965 by Mark Spoelstra on his LP Five And Twenty Questions.
Here's Mark's version:
(c) Leaves (1966) (as "He Was a Friend of Mine")
Listen here: The Leaves - YouTube
(c) Grateful Dead 1969) (SEE NOTES ABOVE ON THE MARK SPOELSTRA VIDEO)
(c) Ramblin' Jack Elliott (1998)
(in remembrance of "Sweet Pete")
(c) Cat Power (2005)
From a John Peel session in 2000
(c) Willie Nelson (2005)
(in movie: "Brokeback Mountain")
On the website Roots of the Grateful Dead the next song is mentioned as a possible precursor:
Ethel Ridley 1925
"He Was A Good Man (But He's Dead And Gone)"
Label: Ajax 17131
Recorded circa March 1925, New York City
And numerous more cover-versions
fantastic post. We would like to stay in contact.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenLead Belly was my great uncle.
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