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Origin: Sweet Home Chicago / Kokomo Blues

12 Feb 98 - 06:53 PM (#21307)
Subject: sweet home chicago
From: little wing

does anyone know who wrote "sweet home chicago" and who first recorded it, or whose version became the first popular version?

12 Feb 98 - 07:01 PM (#21312)
Subject: RE: sweet home chicago
From: alison

HI

Definately became popular after being in the "Blues Brothers"

Slainte

Alison

12 Feb 98 - 07:06 PM (#21313)
Subject: RE: sweet home chicago
From: Jon W.

An early version was recorded by Robert Johnson in 1936 (I think, no later than 1937 'cause isn't that when he died?). I doubt he wrote it but I wouldn't be surprized if that was the first popular version, I've never heard an earlier one. Another early version is performed by Scrapper Blackwell but the city is Kokomo, not Chicago. I think it's a little later. Robert Johnson might have changed the city to Chicago from an earlier unrecorded version. He didn't know where Chicago was apparently, he thought it was in the "land of California."

13 Feb 98 - 06:16 AM (#21341)
Subject: RE: sweet home chicago
From: dwditty

Jon, you are right in attributing Sweet Home Chicago to Robert Johnson. In fact, despite his output of only 29 recorded songs, Robert's blues have become standards for every blues artist since - Love in Vain, Ramblin' on My Mind, Believe I'll Dust My Broom, etc. All his recorded songs, according to Columbia records, are by Robert. I also checked several recorded versions of Sweet Home Chicago by other artists, and they all atrribute Robert as the author.

13 Feb 98 - 10:02 AM (#21349)
Subject: RE: sweet home chicago
From: Jon W.

Well, I'm part right and part wrong. It turns out that Kokomo Blues was recorded by Scrapper Blackwell in 1928, predating Johnson's Sweet Home Chicago by at least eight years. It seems more likely to me that Kokomo Blues was written by Blackwell, as he was raised and lived in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Kokomo, Indiana is not far north of there. Sweet Home Chicago could have been derived from Kokomo Blues, or both could have been derived from an earlier, unknown (to me) source.

While all of Robert Johnson's recordings attribute authorship to him, he obviously derived many of them from the blues tradition (this makes him in no way a less-important artist).

I will post the lyrics and vocal lines from both songs a little later and you can judge for yourselves.

13 Feb 98 - 10:26 AM (#21352)
Subject: RE: sweet home chicago
From: Tom

In reference to Jon's comment about Rbt. Johnson and his geography skills. I'm sure RJ knew where both Chicago and California were located. The California reference "the land of Calfornia" in Sweet Home Chicago is a reference to a mythical place that is, I believe, derived from Spanish culture of the 16-17th Century. Similar to what we may refer to as Paradise.

Also, many of RJ's songs and lyrics were scooped from the culture at large -- which is typical of blues and any folk tradition. From my understanding, even many classical pieces have folk underpinnings.

13 Feb 98 - 01:47 PM (#21362)
Subject: RE: sweet home chicago
From: therapon

Is the "California place" El Dorado, the city of gold?

13 Feb 98 - 02:06 PM (#21365)
Subject: RE: sweet home chicago
From: little wing

thanks everyone for feedback so far. this was my first venture into this discussion group. i'm actually researching for my boss, whose first love is bluegrass, but also is very knowledgeable of folk and blues roots. the question about "sweet home" has been floating around in his head for a while...blues is my favorite genre of music and dylan my favorite artist. --lw

13 Feb 98 - 02:09 PM (#21366)
Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: KOKOMO BLUES and SWEET HOME CHICAGO
From: Jon W.

As promised, here are the music and lyrics to both songs.

X: 1
T:Kokomo Blues
M:12/8
L:1/8
Q:80
C:Scrapper Blackwell
R:Shuffle Blues
A:Indiana
P:Vocal Line
B:The Anthology of Blues Guitar, Woody Mann
K:D
Z2 D-D3-D6|Z AA A2 G (=F2 D-D2) =C| (A, F,2) Z3 Z6| Z12|
Z2 D-D6 Z3| AAA-A2 G (=F D-D2) =C| (A, F,2) Z3 Z6| Z12 |
Z AA AAG- -G A2-A3| Z A2 GAA (=F D-D2) =C| F,3 Z3 Z6| Z12

X: 2
T:Sweet Home Chicago
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:110
C:Robert Johnson
S:Blues tradition
R:Shuffle Blues
A:Delta
P:Vocal Line
B:The Complete Robert Johnson, Woody Mann
K:E
V:1
Z4 Z2 Z e-|e4 Z4| =gg gf (e2 =d)d | (=GE-E4) Z2|
Z4 Z2 Z e-|e4 Z4| =gg gf (e =d2) d| (=G E3) Z4|
Z4 Z G GGA-|A/2A/2A/2G/2 AB- B Z AB| e=G-G2 Z A ^GE-|E2 Z2 Z4| Z8

V:2
Z4 Z2 Z3/2 E/2|B/2>B/2 B/2^A/2 (BE2) Z Z2|B/2^A/2 B/2=c/2 ^c2 Z4|
Z c B/2B/2c/2=G/2 B/2B/2 Z B|.B3/2 B/2 B/2B/2 (c2=G) Z E/2E/2|
e3 E2 Z Z2| =g>g g>f (e =d2) d| (=G E3) Z4|
Z4 Z G GGA-|A/2A/2A/2G/2 AB- B Z AB| e=G-G2 Z A ^GE-|E2 Z2 Z4| Z8

KOKOMO BLUES
Scrapper Blackwell

Ummm, baby don't you want to go? (2x)
Pack your little suitcase, Papa's going to Kokomo.

Ummm, baby where you been so long? (2x)
I can tell Mama, that somethin' going on wrong.

Ummm, baby you don't know, you don't know. (2x)
I was all ready, going back to Kokomo.

And me 'n' my baby, had a falling out last night. (2x)
Somehow'r another, my baby won't treat me right.

Ummm, baby what's the matter now? (2x)
Trying to quit your Daddy, baby but you don't know how.

And I'll sing this verse, baby I can't sing no more (2x)
My train is ready, and I'm going to Kokomo.


SWEET HOME CHICAGO
Robert Johnson

Oh, baby don't you want to go? (2x)
Back to the land of California, to my sweet home, Chicago.

Oh, baby don't you want to go? (2x)
Back to the land of California, to my sweet home, Chicago.

Now, one and one is two, two and two is four,
I'm heavy loaded baby, I'm booked, I gotta go,
Cryin' baby, honey don't you want to go?
Back to the land of California, to my sweet home, Chicago.

Now two and two is four, four and two is six,
You gonna keep on monkeyin' 'round with your friends boy,
you gonna get your business thrown out in the streets.
Cryin' baby, honey don't you want to go?
Back to the land of California, to my sweet home, Chicago.

Now six and two is eight, eight and two is ten,
This wife (?), she trick you one time, she sure gonna do it again,
I'm cryin' hey--, baby don't you want to go?
Back to the land of California, to my sweet home, Chicago.

I'm going to Califoria, some passenger runs (?) my way,
Somebody will tell me that you need my help some day,
Cryin' hey hey, baby don't you want to go?
Back to the land of California, to my sweet home, Chicago.

As you'll notice, it's really just the first verse of Sweet Home Chicago that is adapted from Kokomo. The rest of the verses (not counting the repeat of the first verse) are quite different, at least for the first four bars. This may be Robert Johnson's innovation. All other later versions of the song I have heard use this innovation but not as well (IMHO) as Robert. I've never heard anyone but him sing the difficult third verse (2+2=4, 4+2=6, etc.) which is doubly double timed.

Caveat: These lyrics are as I hear and interpret them. Robert Johnson's version is somewhat difficult to understand and the places I have doubts are marked by (?)

Caveat 2: I got the vocal lines from Woody Mann's books except for the second part of Sweet Home Chicago, which I got by ear from the recording. Since my ear is far from perfect, it may not be all that accurate (besides the impossibility of accurately representing blues melodies in musical notation, not to mention ABC, in the first place).

13 Feb 98 - 02:17 PM (#21367)
Subject: RE: sweet home chicago
From: Jon W.

Tom, thanks for the enlightenment. I suppose I relied too heavily on something I read once--liner notes of the record, perhaps? I would agree with you wholeheartedly except for Robert's last verse, which still leaves a tiny seed of doubt in my mind.