Other people’s songs: You’re gonna quit me

By Aaron Galbraith and Tony Attwood

Aaron: The first recording of the song was in November 1926 by Blind Blake, and here it is

Tony: Blind Blake is one of those blues artists of whose life little is recorded, and indeed many of the pieces of information we have are contradicted in other references to him.   But we do know he lived from 1896 and died aged just 38.   His proper name was Arthur Blake and the recordings that are left were made between 1926 and 1932.  But otherwise… even his mother’s name is open to debate.

As you can hear from this recording he was a fine guitarist, but as was the way with so many black blues singers of the era, he was reduced to playing for money in the streets in the latter part of his life.

Aaron: According to the SecondHandSongs website it doesn’t look like this song was performed much beyond that recording above. Here is one from 1976 by Harry Tuft.

Tony: This version finds all the beauty that there is inherent in the original, and then adds some more.  It’s a gorgeous rendition, keeping the blues feel but adding layers on top of that.  And indeed, Harry Tuft’s voice helps enormously.  He was also closely associated with the Denver Folklore Centre, which was very close to his heart – and indeed Denver has, I believe, recognised all that he has done.

Aaron: Bob’s version was included on his 1992 album Good as I Been to You.

Tony: I think Dylan is revealing here a very high level of respect for the history of this song, and the result really is remarkable, both in terms of how Dylan uses his voice and the guitar accompaniment.   It absolutely comes over to me that he is wanting us all to know the song and its origins; it’s all about the song, not about Bob Dylan.

Aaron: There have only been a handful of versions since then, the best of which for me is by the New Orleans jazz band Tuba Skinny from 2019.

Tony:  More fun… especially when the band comes in just before the one-minute mark – I’ve not heard this before and that certainly was something of a surprise.  But a very pleasant one.   It’s very well done; seems to fit perfectly.  Do stay with this recording all the way through – the band get so much out of the piece without ever losing sight of its origins and meaning.

Other people’s songs…

1. Other people’s songs. How Dylan covers the work of other composers
2. Other People’s songs: Bob and others perform “Froggie went a courtin”
3. Other people’s songs: They killed him
4. Other people’s songs: Frankie & Albert
5. Other people’s songs: Tomorrow Night where the music is always everything
6. Other people’s songs: from Stack a Lee to Stagger Lee and Hugh Laurie
7. Other people’s songs: Love Henry
8. Other people’s songs: Rank Stranger To Me
9. Other people’s songs: Man of Constant Sorrow
10. Other people’s songs: Satisfied Mind
11. Other people’s songs: See that my grave is kept clean
12. Other people’s songs: Precious moments and some extras
13. Other people’s songs: You go to my head
14. Other people’s songs: What’ll I do?
15. Other people’s songs: Copper Kettle
16. Other people’s songs: Belle Isle
17. Other people’s songs: Fixing to Die
18. Other people’s songs: When did you leave heaven?
19. Other people’s songs: Sally Sue Brown
20. Other people’s songs: Ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
21. Other people’s songs: Step it up and Go
22. Other people’s songs: Canadee-I-O
23. Other people’s songs: Arthur McBride
24. Other people’s songs: Little Sadie
25. Other people’s songs: Blue Moon, and North London Forever
26. Other people’s songs: Hard times come again no more
27. Other people’s songs: You’re no good
28. Other people’s songs: Lone Pilgrim (and more Crooked Still)
29. Other people’s songs: Blood in my eyes
30. Other people’s songs: I forgot more than you’ll ever know
31.  Other people’s songs: Let’s stick (or maybe work) together.
32. Other people’s songs: Highway 51
33. Other people’s songs: Jim Jones
34. Other people’s songs: Let’s stick (or maybe work) together.
35. Other people’s songs: Jim Jones
36. Other people’s songs: Highway 51 Blues
37. Other people’s songs: Freight Train Blues
38. Other People’s Songs: The Little Drummer Boy
39. Other People’s Songs: Must be Santa
40. Other People’s songs: The Christmas Song
41. Other People’s songs: Corina Corina
42. Other People’s Songs: Mr Bojangles
43. Other People’s Songs: It hurts me too
44. Other people’s songs: Take a message to Mary
45. Other people’s songs: House of the Rising Sun
46. Other people’s songs: “Days of 49”
47. Other people’s songs: In my time of dying
48. Other people’s songs: Pretty Peggy O
49. Other people’s songs: Baby Let me Follow You Down
50. Other people’s songs: Gospel Plow
51. Other People’s Songs: Melancholy Mood
52. Other people’s songs: The Boxer and Big Yellow Taxi
53. Other people’s songs: Early morning rain
54. Other people’s Songs: Gotta Travel On
55. Other people’s songs: “Can’t help falling in love”
56. Other people’s songs: Lily of the West
57. Other people’s songs: Alberta
58. Other people’s songs: Little Maggie
59. Other people’s songs: Sitting on top of the world
60. Dylan’s take on “Let it be me”
61. Other people’s songs: From “Take me as I am” all the way to “Baker Street”
62. Other people’s songs: A fool such as I
63. Other people’s songs: Sarah Jane and the rhythmic changes
64. Other people’s songs: Spanish is the loving tongue. Author drawn to tears
65. Other people’s songs: The ballad of Ira Hayes
66. Other people’s songs: The usual
67. Other people’s songs: Blackjack Davey