Top 10 performances of American roots music by Gregg Allman and Taj Mahal

Awards season is in full swing and next up is the 57th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony which will take place Sunday, February 8. Nominated this year in the Best American Roots Performance category are Gregg Allman and Taj Mahal for their live performance of Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues” as released on the album All My Friends: Celebrating the Songs & Voice of Gregg Allman.

Both musicians have careers spanning five decades and both are well known for playing key roles in the evolution of American roots music. Of particular interest, both are also well known for their renditions of “Statesboro Blues.” Taj Mahal’s modernized interpretation of the 1920s McTell song, which appeared on his debut, self-titled album, is said to have been the inspiration behind not only the later version by the Allman Brothers Band, but also Duane Allman’s inspiration for taking up slide guitar.

Gregg had bought a bottle of Coricidin and Mahal’s debut album for Duane when he was laid up with a broken elbow. According to Gregg, Duane had really not heard slide guitar before he heard Jessie Ed Davis playing it on Taj’s album.

The Allman Brothers Band’s (ABB) version of “Statesboro Blues” is the most recognized today, and although their arrangement was much like Mahal’s, he was never upset about it. On the contrary, Mahal said in a 2013 interview, “I was thrilled….Those guys are from the South, they have a big affinity for the blues and it was just wonderful.”

This top 10 includes roots music performances individually by Gregg Allman, Taj Mahal, The Allman Brothers Band, including some with Mahal joining them, and, of course, the live performance of “Statesboro Blues” from 2014 by Gregg Allman and Taj Mahal with a few of Gregg’s friends.

The original Blind Willie McTell 1928 recording of “Statesboro Blues” can be heard at The Archive.

image of Gregg Allman courtesy of INFevents.com

[new page = #10]

”Leavin’ Trunk”

John Adam Estes, better known as Sleepy John Estes, wrote the original version of this song in 1930 and named it “Milk Cow Blues.” Estes was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer whose style has for the most part been referred to as Tennessee country blues. Taj Mahal renamed and basically remixed the song, replacing the “milk cow” with just the blues in general. Here, Mahal performs the song with the Allman Brothers Band at the ABB Beacon concert, March 3, 2009.

[new page = #9]

”Fishing Blues”

Here, Mahal is performing a fan favorite of an East Texas song by blues singer Henry “Ragtime Texas” Thomas. Thomas, born circa 1874, was one of the earliest born black musicians to release 78s in the 1920s. His repertoire of 23 songs, recorded between 1927 and 1929, gives us some idea of rural black music in the late 1800s with consideration given to the fact that he was a hobo street singer. Most of Thomas’ songs were not what we would classify as blues today, but were from a period when styles were still being formed. His songs mostly ranged from ballads to rags. “Fishing Blues” is thought to have vaudevillian origins.

[new page = #8]

“44 Blues”

Here’s Taj Mahal performing “44 Blues” live with the Allman Brothers Band at The Beacon, March 9, 2009. The origins of this song trace back to early 1920s Louisiana as an instrumental. It was taught from one musician to the next, had lyrics written to it, and it was first recorded by Roosevelt Sykes in 1929. It is a blues standard that has been recorded by many, given different titles, different lyrics and, when recorded by Howlin’ Wolf in 1954, which is the most recognizable version, a different blues genre, Wolf and backup musicians transforming the song into a Chicago blues piece. In subsequent recordings of the song, the Chicago blues style is used most often.

[new page = #7]

”The Weight”

“The Weight” is an American Southern folk rock song released on The Band’s 1968 debut album, Music from Big Pink. Though it peaked at #63 in the U.S., it found a greater reception in the U.K. and Canada. It is the group’s best known song and has endured as a modern standard and a strong influence on American popular music. In this video, Levon Helm, vocalist and drummer of The Band, joins the Allman Brothers Band at their March 9, 2009 Beacon concert. Taj Mahal joins the performance midway into it.

[new page = #6]

”If the River Was Whiskey”

Charlie Poole was an old-time banjo player and bandleader of the North Carolina Ramblers, a popular string band of the 1920s. Their music was a strong influencer of bluegrass and modern country music. Poole based this song on W.C. Handy’s 1915 “Hesitating Blues,” which was a very popular arrangement of a traditional tune. Here, the Taj Mahal Trio perform the song at the 28th Annual Claremont Folk Music Festival, May 3, 2008.

[new page = #5]

”I Can’t Be Satisfied”

In 2011, Allman paid his dues to the roots musicians that helped shape his destiny, with the release of Low Country Blues, produced by T-Bone Burnett. Allman delivers masterful covers of music from Muddy Waters, Sleepy John Estes, Otis Rush and others. This video is from the Savannah, Georgia rehearsal sessions for this album.

“I Can’t Be Satisfied,” which is included on Low Country Blues, is the 1948 Muddy Waters electric Delta blues piece that brought him fame as well as the title “King of the Electric Chicago Blues.”

[new page = #4]

”Floating Bridge”

Allman’s 2011 solo album, Low Country Blues, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and reached No. 1 on the Top Blues Albums chart. The album was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Blues Album.

Included on the album is a rendition of Sleepy John Estes’ 1937 haunting recollection of nearly drowning. Allman delivers the tale with chilling effect. This video is from the Savannah, Georgia rehearsal sessions for this album.

[new page = #3]

”Come on in My Kitchen”

“Come on in My Kitchen” is a Delta blues showpiece by the legendary Robert Johnson. Johnson’s performance of this song could be described as passionate, haunting, overpowering. There have been numerous covers since Johnson’s original 1936 recording, but none more impressive that I have heard than those by Taj Mahal and The Allman Brothers Band. Both artists take this song and create a unique experience with it, Mahal in a true Delta blues vein and the Allman Brothers Band in true Americana form.

The video below is an excellent performance by Taj Mahal, but the truth is, I couldn’t choose one of these performances over the other. I would have included the ABB video also, but the rights owner is not allowing it to be embedded. So, do yourself a favor after viewing Mahal’s and check out this totally different but equally excellent “unplugged” performance by the Allman Brothers Band here.

[new page = #2]

”Statesboro Blues”

January 10, 2014 was a magical night at the historic Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. A gathering of musicians including the Allman Brothers Band, Trace Adkins, Jackson Browne, Vince Gill, Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Martina McBride, Dr. John, Widespread Panic, and many more paid tribute to, in my opinion, the greatest blues and soul singer of our time, Mr. Gregg Allman.

All My Friends: Celebrating the Songs & Voice of Gregg Allman was a concert event that delivered on its name. The all-star lineup performed Allman’s songs in tribute to the blues rock icon. There were also collaborations between Allman and some of these friends. One performance that stood out in particular was the collaboration between Allman and Taj Mahal on the blues standard that they both made famous individually, Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues.” The performance is up for a Grammy award this coming Sunday, at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, for Best American Roots Performance, and definitely delivers on what it takes to win. Allman and Mahal are in top form, as well as the “house” band, especially keyboardist Chuck Leavell. It was a performance to be remembered. See for yourself, and join me in wishing them the best of luck in receiving the Grammy they deserve.

[new page = #1]

”Stormy Monday”

This is the song that sealed my fate as a lifetime Gregg Allman and the Allman Brothers Band fan back in 1971 with the release of their first live album, At Filmore East. The song, originally titled ”Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad),” was written by Aaron Thibeaux “T-Bone” Walker, a pioneer of “jump” and “electric” blues. T-Bone’s use of electric guitar in the song piqued the interest of other musicians such as B. B. King. The song is a popular blues standard and has crossed the genres of blues, jazz, soul, rock and even pop. This video is not live footage, but the music is. Though there are many videos of ABB and Gregg Allman performing this song live, there will never be a performance like the one the original Allman Brothers Band gave in their 1971 Filmore East concert. With Duane Allman, Dickie Betts and Gregg Allman all giving soulful solo performances, and Gregg’s voice at its peak, this is the performance you should listen to.