Who wrote Voodoo Chile

[3db]

I read off a Hendrix cpmilation CD that I have that Voodoo chile was written by a Blues artist but did not spcfiy who? Maybe this is incorrect or I read it wrong... Did Hendrix actuallly right Voodoo Chile. If not who did?

[MindGoneHaywire]

Hendrix is credited for it. It may be a variation on an old blues, though. So many songs are.

[3db]

Hendrix is credited for it. It may be a variation on an old blues, though. So many songs are.

Its an old delta blues song. I wish I knew who wrote it. Be interested to see what else this "blue's man" wrote and with out knowing his name, it'll be impossible to find out

[noddin0ff]

Three possibilities...in my best guessing order...Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon.

but I'm pretty sure this is a Hendrix original. (w/ influence of HW?)

[Zombie]

I think the riff is often credited to Muddy Waters from his version of "Catfish Blues", itself a song with a long history. If you go to the original notes for the Hendrix blues demos by Michael Fairchild there are some insightful comments about it. Apparently in later releases they dumbed down the notes ...


1994 MCA Release of Jimi Hendrix :Blues - booklet by Michael Fairchild

CATFISH BLUES (Traditional, arranged by Jimi Hendrix). Recorded by the JHE at Vitus Studios, Bussem, Holland on Nov. 10, 1967. In concert Jimi often introduced Catfish as "Muddy Waters blues", but its origins go back to field hollers pre-dating blues recordings. Jimi described catfish as "a fish that you can see in the Mississippi River." A recorded evolution of Catfish Blues "floating verses" and riffs traces the course of Delta performers: Rollin' and Tumblin' Blues by Hambone Willie Newburn (1929), If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day by Robert Johnson (1936), Catfish Blues by Robert Petway (1940), Deep Sea Bluesby Tommy McLennan (1942), Rolling Stone by Muddy Waters (1950), Still A Fool by Muddy Waters (1951), and Oh Yeah by Bo Diddley (1958). Jimi concludes his blues collage by quoting two Delta riffs that were staples for Cream in 1967: Cat's Squirrel by Dr. Ross (1959) and All I Want Is A Spoonful by Papa Charlie Jackson (1925), later adapted as Spoonful by Willie Dixon (1960) for Howlin' Wolf. Usually Jimi would also throw in some verses of Rollin' and Tumblin' by Muddy Waters (1950).

VOODOO CHILE BLUES (by Jimi Hendrix). These outtakes of Jimi's autobiographical epic were recorded at the Record Plant around 7 am on May 2, 1968 with Steve Winwood (organ), Jack Casady (bass), and Mitch Mitchell (drums). A demo tape of Jimi alone, quietly sketching Catfish Blues riffs, captures what appears to be a spontaneous evolution of Voodoo Chile out of re-arranged fragments of Catfish Blues. "I think really what it was," explained Track Records co-founder Chris Stamp, "was Jimi was making these extraordinary futuristic guitar sounds, but also you could hear almost the whole history of the blues in it, or something. There was a connection between the blues history of the guitar and the way that Jimi was taking it into the future."

http://www.rockprophecy.com/blues.html

[MindGoneHaywire]

Wow, great stuff. I mean, there are so many derivatives in rock, not to mention other forms, that it's good that there are some jottings somewhere that take some note of this.

Some people get defensive when you bring up that Led Zeppelin actually got caught doing this...though they were more blatant about it than a lot of other people. The Rolling Stones seemed to want to make sure that the bluesmen were properly credited...bringing Howlin' Wolf onto an American teenybopper show was priceless. I think that Hendrix & Clapton, from what I've seen, Duane Allman also, were fairly respectful of tradition, not often just putting their names on someone else's work after perhaps re-writing a line or two...or not even bothering to do that. And others, as well. It can be funny how fans of these acts sometimes have absolutely no interest in the music that inspired them. Of course, to each their own, but I've heard so many people who love Led Zeppelin, put down guys like the Chess roster as 'boring' or something, & it's music they'd never listen to. What can you do.

[Zombie]

Wow, great stuff. I mean, there are so many derivatives in rock, not to mention other forms, that it's good that there are some jottings somewhere that take some note of this.

Yeah, Fairchild did a great job on the notes for that release. Not so sure about his writings on Hendrix the asteroid obsessed prognosticator, and all his crying about being squashed by Paul Allen, but whatever. At least the internet keeps all the views out there, and not just the ones with the most clout behind them.