Down the Road a Piece
Encyclopedia
"Down the Road a Piece" is a boogie-woogie
song written by Don Raye
. In 1940, it was recorded by the Will Bradley Trio
and became a top 10 hit in the closing months of the year. Called "a neat little amalgam of bluesy rhythm and vivid, catchy lyrics," the song was subsequently recorded by a variety of jazz, blues, and rock artists.
Orchestra as the "Will Bradley Trio" (a misnomer as Bradley does not perform on the song, while a fourth, the song's writer Don Raye, does). Three musicians are mentioned in the lyrics:
"Eight Beat Mack" refers to drummer Ray McKinley, "Doc" refers to bass player Doc Goldberg
, and "Beat Me Daddy Slack" refers to pianist Freddie Slack
(a reference to "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar
", a hit recorded earlier in 1940 by Slack with the Bradley/McKinley Orchestra). Vocals for "Down the Road a Piece" were provided by McKinley and Raye.
in 1945 and the Glenn Miller
Orchestra (led by Ray McKinley) in 1946, subsequent recordings of "Down the Road a Piece" often changed the lyrics that referred to the musicians. Amos Milburn
, who recorded the song in 1946, included the reference to "Eight Beat Mack", but changed the next line to "You remember me in beat me daddy's shack" removing references to the other two. When Ella Mae Morse
sang the song in the early 1950s, she deleted Doc and Slack from the lyrics and replaced them with "Sam and Spider-Finger Jack", but kept the "Eight Beat Mack" reference, in spite of the fact that McKinley was not in the band, but Slack was. In 1956, Merrill Moore sang "Eight Beat Joe ... Beat Me Daddy Moe". Chuck Berry
, who recorded the song in 1960, changed the lyrics further, removing "Eight Beat Mack" and replacing him with "Kicking McCoy", and re-wrote much of the song. Berry's version was copied by many later rock musicians, such as the Rolling Stones and Foghat
.
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
song written by Don Raye
Don Raye
Don Raye , born Donald MacRae Wilhoite, Jr., in Washington, D.C., was an American vaudevillian and songwriter, best known for his songs for the Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", "The House of Blue Lights", "Just For A Thrill" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."While known for...
. In 1940, it was recorded by the Will Bradley Trio
Will Bradley
Wilbur Schwictenberg was an American trombonist and bandleader who also performed under the name Will Bradley...
and became a top 10 hit in the closing months of the year. Called "a neat little amalgam of bluesy rhythm and vivid, catchy lyrics," the song was subsequently recorded by a variety of jazz, blues, and rock artists.
Original song
"Down the Road a Piece" was recorded in 1940 by members of the Will Bradley/Ray McKinleyRay McKinley
Ray McKinley was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader.McKinley got his start working with local bands in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, before joining Smith Ballew in 1929, when he met Glenn Miller. The two formed a friendship which lasted from 1929 until Miller's death in 1944....
Orchestra as the "Will Bradley Trio" (a misnomer as Bradley does not perform on the song, while a fourth, the song's writer Don Raye, does). Three musicians are mentioned in the lyrics:
The drummer man's a guy they call 'Eight Beat Mack'
And you remember Doc and ol' 'Beat Me Daddy' Slack
"Eight Beat Mack" refers to drummer Ray McKinley, "Doc" refers to bass player Doc Goldberg
Doc Goldberg
Doc Goldberg was a jazz bassist. He played in the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Will Bradley Trio, alongside Freddie Slack on piano and Ray McKinley on drums. Before that, he played in George Hall's orchestra. He also played bass for George Paxton and His Orchestra.Bassist and photographer Milt...
, and "Beat Me Daddy Slack" refers to pianist Freddie Slack
Freddie Slack
Frederick Charles Slack was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader.He played with the Jimmy Dorsey Band in the 1930s and was a charter member of the Will Bradley Orchestra when it formed in 1939...
(a reference to "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar
Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar
"Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" is a song written in 1940 by Don Raye, with credit given to Ray McKinley. It follows the American boogie-woogie tradition of syncopated piano music. The song was first recorded in 1940 by the Will Bradley orchestra, with Freddie Slack on piano...
", a hit recorded earlier in 1940 by Slack with the Bradley/McKinley Orchestra). Vocals for "Down the Road a Piece" were provided by McKinley and Raye.
Lyrics
Although the original lyrics were used by Harry GibsonHarry Gibson
Harry "The Hipster" Gibson was a jazz pianist, singer and songwriter.Gibson played New York style Stride piano and boogie woogie while singing in a wild, unrestrained style. His music career began in the late 1920s, when as the young Harry Raab, his birth name, he played stride piano in Dixieland...
in 1945 and the Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
Orchestra (led by Ray McKinley) in 1946, subsequent recordings of "Down the Road a Piece" often changed the lyrics that referred to the musicians. Amos Milburn
Amos Milburn
Amos Milburn was an African American rhythm and blues singer and pianist, popular during the 1940s and 1950s...
, who recorded the song in 1946, included the reference to "Eight Beat Mack", but changed the next line to "You remember me in beat me daddy's shack" removing references to the other two. When Ella Mae Morse
Ella Mae Morse
Ella Mae Morse , was an American popular singer. Morse blended jazz, country, pop, and R&B.-Career:Morse was born in Mansfield, Texas, United States. She was hired by Jimmy Dorsey when she was 14 years old. Dorsey believed she was 19, and when he was informed by the school board that he was now...
sang the song in the early 1950s, she deleted Doc and Slack from the lyrics and replaced them with "Sam and Spider-Finger Jack", but kept the "Eight Beat Mack" reference, in spite of the fact that McKinley was not in the band, but Slack was. In 1956, Merrill Moore sang "Eight Beat Joe ... Beat Me Daddy Moe". Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, who recorded the song in 1960, changed the lyrics further, removing "Eight Beat Mack" and replacing him with "Kicking McCoy", and re-wrote much of the song. Berry's version was copied by many later rock musicians, such as the Rolling Stones and Foghat
Foghat
Foghat are a British rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. Their style can be described as "blues-rock," or boogie-rock dominated by electric and electric slide guitar. The band has achieved five gold records...
.
Other versions
- Freddie SlackFreddie SlackFrederick Charles Slack was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader.He played with the Jimmy Dorsey Band in the 1930s and was a charter member of the Will Bradley Orchestra when it formed in 1939...
Orchestra (1941, Decca 4043) as "That Place Down The Road A Piece" with vocals by Don Raye (featuring different lyrics and music). - Harry GibsonHarry GibsonHarry "The Hipster" Gibson was a jazz pianist, singer and songwriter.Gibson played New York style Stride piano and boogie woogie while singing in a wild, unrestrained style. His music career began in the late 1920s, when as the young Harry Raab, his birth name, he played stride piano in Dixieland...
(1945, AFRS Transcription, Jubilee 151). - Stan KentonStan KentonStanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
(1945, duet with Harry GibsonHarry GibsonHarry "The Hipster" Gibson was a jazz pianist, singer and songwriter.Gibson played New York style Stride piano and boogie woogie while singing in a wild, unrestrained style. His music career began in the late 1920s, when as the young Harry Raab, his birth name, he played stride piano in Dixieland...
, AFRS Transcription, Jubilee 156). - Ray McKinleyRay McKinleyRay McKinley was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader.McKinley got his start working with local bands in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, before joining Smith Ballew in 1929, when he met Glenn Miller. The two formed a friendship which lasted from 1929 until Miller's death in 1944....
& His Orchestra (1946, Majestic 7189) - Glenn MillerGlenn MillerAlton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
Orchestra (1946) under Ray McKinley (who led the Glenn Miller band after Miller died in 1944). - Amos MilburnAmos MilburnAmos Milburn was an African American rhythm and blues singer and pianist, popular during the 1940s and 1950s...
(1946, Aladdin 161). - Ella Mae MorseElla Mae MorseElla Mae Morse , was an American popular singer. Morse blended jazz, country, pop, and R&B.-Career:Morse was born in Mansfield, Texas, United States. She was hired by Jimmy Dorsey when she was 14 years old. Dorsey believed she was 19, and when he was informed by the school board that he was now...
(1952, Capitol), with Freddie Slack on piano. - Chuck MillerChuck Miller (musician)Charles Nelson "Chuck" Miller was an American singer and pianist who had a US top ten hit in 1955 with his version of "The House of Blue Lights".He was born in Wellington, Kansas, and learned to play piano as a child...
(1958, Mercury 71308X45). - Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
(1960) from Rockin' at the HopsRockin' at the HopsRockin' At The Hops is a Chuck Berry album which was released in 1960 under Chess Records. Its opening track, "Bye Bye Johnny", was a sequel to Berry's earlier hit, "Johnny B. Goode".- Songs :...
. - Manfred MannManfred MannManfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
(1964) from The Five Faces of Manfred MannThe Five Faces of Manfred MannThe Five Faces of Manfred Mann is the first studio album by British beat/R&B group Manfred Mann. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 11 September 1964 by His Master's Voice. In late October/early November, the album was released in Canada by Capitol Records...
. - The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
(1965) from The Rolling Stones No. 2The Rolling Stones No. 2-Personnel:*Mick Jagger – lead vocals, harmonica, tambourine, percussion*Keith Richards – guitars, backing vocals*Brian Jones – guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals*Charlie Watts – drums, percussion...
(UK), The Rolling Stones, Now!The Rolling Stones, Now!-Personnel:The Rolling Stones*Mick Jagger – lead vocals, harmonica, tambourine, and percussion*Keith Richards – guitar and backing vocals*Brian Jones – guitar and slide guitar, harmonica and backing vocals...
(U.S.). - Big Joe DuskinBig Joe DuskinBig Joe Duskin was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist. He is best known for his debut album, Cincinnati Stomp , and the tracks "Well, Well Baby" and "I Met a Girl Named Martha".-Biography:...
(1978) from Cincinnati Stomp. - Brownsville StationBrownsville Station (band)Brownsville Station was a rock band from Michigan that was popular in the 1970s. Original members included Cub Koda , Mike Lutz , T.J. Cronley , and Tony Driggins...
(1978) from Air Special. - Chuck E. WeissChuck E. Weiss-History:Chuck E. Weiss grew up in Denver, Colorado, where his parents owned a record store . Through his parents, and by spending time at the local blues bar Ebbett's Field, he met Lightnin' Hopkins. Lightnin' was impressed with his drum playing and took him on tour, where Weiss had the...
(1981) from The Other Side of Town. - FoghatFoghatFoghat are a British rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. Their style can be described as "blues-rock," or boogie-rock dominated by electric and electric slide guitar. The band has achieved five gold records...
(1983) from Zig-Zag WalkZig-Zag WalkZig-Zag Walk is the twelfth studio album by the British hard rock band Foghat, released in 1983. Unlike the previous year's In the Mood for Something Rude, which consisted of all outside material, lead singer Dave Peverett wrote five of the album's ten songs, with guitarist Erik Cartwright...
. - Bob Hall & Dave PeabodyDave PeabodyDave Peabody is an English singer-songwriter, blues and folk musician, record producer and photographer, active since the late 1960s, who has appeared on more than 60 albums...
(1984) from Down the Road Apiece. - Steve Gibbons Band (1986) from On the Loose.
- Mr. BMr. B. (Mark Braun)Mr. B. , is an American musician.-Early life:Born in Flint, Michigan, Mark Lincoln Braun was the youngest of the three children of Phil and Sally Braun. He became interested in the piano through recordings that his father had played and began studying under the likes of Boogie Woogie Red and other...
(1987) from Shining the Pearls. - Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
(1995) from Young Blood. - Michael KaeshammerMichael KaeshammerMichael Kaeshammer is a Canadian boogie-woogie pianist, vocalist, composer, and arranger.After studying classical piano for seven years in his German homeland, a 13-year-old Kaeshammer discovered boogie-woogie and stride piano as played by Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson, Pinetop...
(1996) from Blue Keys. - Joe GrusheckyJoe GrusheckyJoe Grushecky is an American rock musician known for his work with the Iron City Houserockers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and for his works since the late the 1980s with his act Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers and his solo career...
& The Houserockers (1999) with Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
on vocals from Down the Road Apiece Live.