Outside Woman Blues
Encyclopedia
"Outside Woman Blues" is a standard blues song originally recorded by Blind Joe Reynolds
in 1929. The song has been covered by numerous artists most notably by Cream
in 1967.
that clocked in at 3:27 and had a writing credit given to Arthur Reynolds with arrangement
by Eric Clapton
. This song was one of the more bluesier tunes on an album known for its Psychedelic
sound, along with the Jack Bruce
/Pete Brown
composition "Take It Back". It was also one of only two remakes on the album, along with "Mother's Lament".
The song also appears on the Cream live albums BBC Sessions and Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005. The song appears on the compilation album Those Were the Days
.
Eric Clapton
has performed the song live as a solo artist.
Blind Joe Reynolds
"Blind Joe" Reynolds , was a singer-songwriter.Reynolds is thought to have been born in Tallulah, Louisiana in 1904, although his death certificate stated his birthplace as Arkansas in 1900. He was blinded by a shotgun blast to the face in Louisiana in the mid-late 1920s, which resulted in the...
in 1929. The song has been covered by numerous artists most notably by Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
in 1967.
Background
"Outside Woman Blues" is one of few known recordings made by Blind Joe Reynolds. Other songs recorded by Blind Joe have the words "Woman Blues" in the title including "Cold Woman Blues", "Goose Hill Woman Blues", and "Third Street Woman Blues".Cream version
Cream's first version of "Outside Woman Blues" appeared on their 1967 album Disraeli GearsDisraeli Gears
Disraeli Gears is the second album by British supergroup Cream. It was released in November 1967 and went on to reach #5 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also their American breakthrough, becoming a massive seller there in 1968, reaching #4 on the American charts...
that clocked in at 3:27 and had a writing credit given to Arthur Reynolds with arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
. This song was one of the more bluesier tunes on an album known for its Psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
sound, along with the Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
/Pete Brown
Pete Brown
Peter Ronald Brown is an English performance poet and lyricist.Best known for his collaborations with Jack Bruce, Brown also worked with The Battered Ornaments, formed his own group Pete Brown & Piblokto!, and worked with Graham Bond and Phil Ryan. Brown also writes film scores and formed a film...
composition "Take It Back". It was also one of only two remakes on the album, along with "Mother's Lament".
The song also appears on the Cream live albums BBC Sessions and Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005. The song appears on the compilation album Those Were the Days
Those Were the Days (Cream album)
Those Were the Days is a retrospective compilation of the music of Cream, released on September 23, 1997.It comprises four CDs and catalogues every track from their four studio albums, plus live material recorded in 1968....
.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
has performed the song live as a solo artist.
Other cover versions
The following list of artist have also recorded version(s) of "Outside Woman Blues":- Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
performed the song several times and is included on Woke Up This Morning and Found Myself DeadWoke Up This Morning and Found Myself DeadWoke Up This Morning and Found Myself Dead is a posthumous live album by Jimi Hendrix released in Canada 1980 by Stony Plain Recording Co. and in the USA by Red Lightnin' Records...
.
- The song was also performed by the Jimi Hendrix led group Band of GypsysBand of GypsysBand of Gypsys was a blues rock band led by Jimi Hendrix and backed by Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. Hendrix formed the band after the dissolution of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Band of Gypsys is also the band's eponymous live album recorded on two separate nights, 31 December 1969 and 1 January...
.
- The Atlanta Rhythm SectionAtlanta Rhythm SectionThe Atlanta Rhythm Section, sometimes abbreviated ARS, is an American southern rock band. In 1970 former members of the Candymen and the Classics IV joined together and became the session band for the newly opened Studio One in Doraville, Georgia....
on their 1976 album A Rock and Roll AlternativeA Rock and Roll AlternativeFor the Tamia song, see So Into You.A Rock and Roll Alternative is an album by southern rock band Atlanta Rhythm Section, released in 1976....
.
- Back Door SlamBack Door SlamBack Door Slam is the name of the blues rock band started by Davy Knowles on the Isle of Man in 2003/4. The band got its name from a Robert Cray song of the same name...
on their 2007 debut album Roll AwayRoll Away (Album)Roll Away is the debut album by the British blues rock power trio Back Door Slam. It was recorded with the classic lineup of Davey Knowles on guitar, Adam Jones on Bass and Ross Doyle on drums and released on June 18, 2007 in the Isle of Man, July 1 in the United States, and September 25, 2007 in...
.
- Gwyn AshtonGwyn AshtonGwyn Ashton is a blues/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter.-Biography:Welsh-born singer/songwriter/guitarist Gwyn Ashton migrated to Adelaide, South Australia in the 1960s, picked up a guitar at 12 and at 16 started his musical journey, playing bars and festivals across the country.He relocated...
released a version on Two Man Blues Army.
- Doyle Bramhall IIDoyle Bramhall IIDoyle Bramhall II is a guitarist and vocalist in his band Smokestack and was also the second guitarist in Eric Clapton's band from 2004 to 2009.-Discography:with Arc Angels*Arc Angels...
performed the song at the Crossroads Guitar FestivalCrossroads Guitar FestivalThe Crossroads Guitar Festival is a music festival and benefit concert first held in 2004 and again in 2007 and 2010. The festivals benefit the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center located in Antigua. The concerts are also intended to be a showcase for a variety of...
in 2007.
- Son LewisSon LewisSon Lewis is an American blues singer and guitarist. He was nicknamed "Son" or "Sonny" by his family, to differentiate him from his father, Andrew Lewis Sr.-Family:...
has performed the song several times.
- Rick DerringerRick DerringerRick Derringer is an American guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer.-1960s:When he was seventeen years old, his band The McCoys recorded "Hang on Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, which became the number one song in America before "Yesterday" by The Beatles knocked it out of the top spot. The song was...
performed the song on L.A. Blues Authority: Cream of the Crop.
- Van HalenVan HalenVan Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
performed the song live at least once.
- Johnny WinterJohnny WinterJohn Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
has also performed the song at least once.