Smoke’n Dudes BBQ Co Music Spotlight-Skip James
The music that is played inside Smoke’n Dudes BBQ Co. earns us almost as many comments and compliments as the food does. We pride ourselves in this as it is a well thought out mix of blues, country, southern and classic rock that is intended to be interesting and accessible while completing the barbecue experience.
Since we frequently get asked about various songs and artists on our playlist (yes, the same music plays at both locations) we decided to try out a music spotlight feature.
Today we feature the great Skip James.
Nehemiah “Skip” James is among the earliest and most influential Delta bluesmen to record.
In 1931 he won a recording deal with Paramount Records. The 18 songs he recorded that year were released to poor reception initially, as the Depression was in full swing. James gave up on music at this point and disappeared for nearly 30 years completely unaware that his music was influencing generations of bluesmen from Robert Johnson, who reworked Skip’s “22-20 Blues” into his own 32-20 Blues” to Eric Clapton who recorded “I’m So Glad” on the first Cream album.
In 1964 the organizers of the Newport Folk Festival found Skip James in poor health in a hospital in Tunica, Mississippi and coaxed him back into the spotlight where he enjoyed a taste of the success that alluded him three decades earlier.
There are 4 Skip James songs on rotation at Smoke’n Dudes – “Careless Love” “Devil Got My Woman” “Hardtime Killing Floor Blues” and”Good Road Camp Blues” all taken from his later sessions in the 1960s. In addition we also play Chris Thomas King’s version of “Hard Time Killing Floor” which will be recognized by film buffs who’ve seen O Brother Where Art Thou