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San Francisco blues

03 Jan 26 - 05:26 AM (#4233715)
Subject: san fransisco blues
From: GUEST,Joe

Do you have any memory of folk people on how this song and its dates were clearly written.
joe. if you have more memorys please share


03 Jan 26 - 09:55 AM (#4233721)
Subject: RE: san fransisco
From: Joe Offer

Hi, Joe. Do you mean the San Francisco Bay Blues?

Do you remember any of the song and can you give us a line or two?


03 Jan 26 - 02:40 PM (#4233737)
Subject: RE: San Francisco blues
From: GerryM

Guest Joe, do you mean the one that goes, "I got the blues for my baby down by the San Francisco Bay"?


03 Jan 26 - 04:49 PM (#4233745)
Subject: RE: San Francisco blues
From: GUEST,Donald R Meixner

"San Francisco Bay Blues" is an American folk song and is generally considered to be the most famous composition by Jesse Fuller.[1] Fuller first recorded the song in 1954, which was released by the World Song label in 1955.[2] A "one-man band" rendition of the song featuring a kazoo solo was recorded by Fuller during a 1962 concert. It appears on a Smithsonian Folkways compilation, Friends of Old Time Music.[1]

Topic Records issued the original Jesse Fuller version on a 10-inch vinyl LP called Working on the Railroad in 1959 and included it as track six of the first CD of the Topic Records 70 year anniversary boxed set Three Score and Ten.

During the 1960s American boom in popular commercial recordings of folk and folk-inspired music, the song was recorded by more than a dozen soloists and folk groups, including Ramblin' Jack Elliott, the Weavers, the Rooftop Singers, Tom Rush, Richie Havens, and Peter Paul and Mary. Since Fuller's introduction, there have been at least 88 recordings of the song in English and other languages, including jazz band arrangements as well as folk-pop groups according to the online database Second Hand Songs.[3]


06 Jan 26 - 06:07 AM (#4233885)
Subject: RE: San Francisco blues
From: PHJim

I think it was in an old Sing Out! where I read that after a few disappointing experiences with bands, Jesse to start his own one man band.
Apparently it was successful because he said, "Since this band was formed, not once has a member shown up late or drunk."

Jesse was also the inventor of the


06 Jan 26 - 06:14 AM (#4233886)
Subject: RE: San Francisco blues
From: PHJim

Jesse was also the inventor of the fotdella (sp?), a foot-powered bass instrument made from parts from an old piano.
He also played 12-string guitar, mouth-harp and kazoo on a rack and high-hat.


07 Jan 26 - 08:28 AM (#4233942)
Subject: RE: San Francisco blues
From: GUEST,gillymor

I learned SF Bay Blues from the jazzy version by Richie Havens. Havens had a very original guitar style and played in open tunings, I adapted a progression from the Mickey Baker book in standard and have been playing it for more than a half century. SF Bay Blues
I've also been playing Ninety Nine Years and One Dark Day for a long time and just found out recently that this song, which has become a Bluegrass standard, was written by Fuller.