Jim Ford has influenced many including Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Bobby Womack and Sly Stone. He has been covered by all but Sly in the aformentioned quartet. In a now legendary interview on the Dick Cavett show, Sly Stone said, "Jim Ford was the baddest white man on the planet." Sly then said, "In order to get to it, you gotta go through it." Cavett asked "Who said that? Emerson or Thoreau?" Sly says, "Jimmy Ford!"
Ford's output is limited and the records that are available are uneven, at best. What's good is great and what isn't, really isn't.
But in a conversation this weekend with a record dealer friend who had an original copy of Ford's "Harlan County" for sale, we both agreed his version of "Spoonful" might be the coolest and grooviest cover of the Willie Dixon blues classic out there.
When you're over the cover of "Spoonful," check out my favorite Jim Ford track, this one covered by Bobby Womack.
13 comments:
Dang, that version of Spoonful is leaping out of my humble computer speakers! What a sound.
That fusion of country and soul puts me in the mind of those "Country Got Soul" comps.
Jim's version of Spoonful is some crazy fun. Will have to check out more from Jim Ford. The Bobby Womack cover is wonderful.
- Paul in DK
All I can say about that Spoonful is "Wow"
Hadn't heard that Bobby Womack cover before. Aces!
Bill
Harlan County seems to pop up frequently on compilation.
Synchronicity, baby! Country act Myron Elkins was profiled somewhere (the NYT?) and the writer said Elkins turned him onto Jim Ford's album Harlan County, which he said was the best classic album he'd latched onto in ages. That had me checking it out just two days ago, along with an earlier album by the Whiffs...and Roxy Music...and (soon) the new Lemon Twigs, when I can play it from start to finish really loud in the car. So much music, so little time.
That Spoonful sounds like a lost Delaney and Bonnie track. Great.
Never heard of of him before but thanks to you I'm off to find some of his stuff and give it a whirl.Thats why I come to this blog to widen my knowledge. Thanks
Didn’t know him, but sure like these tunes a lot….Thanks!
In Bobby Womack's last interview which was published in Glide Magazine, he said Jim Ford claimed to have written "Ode To Billy Joe," and sold it on the down low to Bobbie Gentry's people:
https://glidemagazine.com/120431/bobby-womack-revisiting-one-last-interviews/
That's a crazy story, T. Watts, given all the other great songs Bobbie Gentry is credited with that no one ever questioned. He should have kept it for himself! (Plus, she wasn't anyone and didn't have any people when doing the first album.) But it's a fun take on Ford. Just read the story with a take on Dylan and many others. Thanks for the link. I did play the Harlan County album by Ford. It was uneven as Sal suggested his work tends to be. I can see why people would find him interesting, but it wasn't a find the way say Mickey Newbury was for me.
Pretty good, but as I've just been listening to Cream's somewhat epic version from the LA Forum in 1968 on one of my favourite boots, way too short! Nice to hear though. Cheers!
I'm wondering about the guitar playing on Spoonful - James Burton?
Post a Comment