Monday, February 8, 2016

1000 SONGS - Day 350 SONG # 381

DAY 350: A Song about Me & Myself


In the original 30 days song-challenge, there might have been categories like "a song that describes you". Among those songs describing me (although it is a song representing the female side) there is the "Gin House Blues". Two songs are filed under that title nowadays, both of them first recorded by Bessie Smith (1894-1937). The original one, with the title "Gin House Blues" was written by Fletcher Henderson and Henry Troy, recorded by Bessie Smith in  1926. The other one, originally called "Me and my Gin" (the one that describes me) was recorded by Bessie Smith in 1928. It was allegedly written by a man named Harry Burke. Be that as it may, it has become the song to be known as "Gin House Blues". Andy Fairweather Low (of Amen Corner) did a version of it, and the first version you find when you google the title, is one rather superfluos live version done by Mr. Low and Old Slowhand. As I do not appreciate their mutual effort too much, I do not include it here. In contradistinction to these merry ol' englishmen, Nina Simone did a really good version of that song (as was to be expected). So let's get to the Bessie Smith version first, then to the rendering of Queen Simone (what a great version!), and, for completeness' sake, add the original "Gin House Blues" in Bessie's version.