She Lyin'
Encyclopedia
She Lyin' is an album by American
blues singer Skip James
, recorded in 1964 and released in 1993. It was originally recorded for Takoma Records
and was James' first recording since his rediscovery in 1964.
, Bill Barth
and Henry Vestine
found him in a hospital in Tunica, Mississippi
. The "rediscovery" of both James and of Son House
at virtually the same moment was the start of the "blues revival" in America.
Fahey and his partner in Takoma Records
, ED Denson
, signed James to a recording contract. Along with Barth, they arranged for sessions with sound engineer Gene Rosenthal in Rosethal's basement studio in Silver Spring, Maryland. Due to legal issues concerning the rights to the songs, the recording was not released by Takoma and in 1971 Fahey sold the record to Rosenthal.
The studio sessions are supplemented in this release with live performance recordings made by Rosenthal at the Ontario Place Coffee House in Washington, D.C.
during the same period.
Although James was not initially covered
as frequently as other rediscovered musicians, the British
rock
band
, Cream
's version of "I'm So Glad" provided him the only windfall of his career. Cream based their version on James's simplified 1960s recording, instead of the faster, more intricate 1931 original. Deep Purple
covered "I'm So Glad" on their first album, Shades of Deep Purple
.
Production notes:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues singer Skip James
Skip James
Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter, born in Bentonia, Mississippi, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, recorded in 1964 and released in 1993. It was originally recorded for Takoma Records
Takoma Records
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by John Fahey in the late 1950s.. It was named after Fahey's hometown, the Washington, D.C. suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland.-History:...
and was James' first recording since his rediscovery in 1964.
History
After an early career of performing and recording for various labels in the 1930s, James recorded nothing and drifted in and out of music, virtually unknown. In 1964, blues enthusiasts John FaheyJohn Fahey (musician)
John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
, Bill Barth
Bill Barth
William Henry "Bill" Barth was an American blues guitarist who, along with John Fahey and Henry Vestine, located 1930s blues great Skip James in a hospital in Tunica, Mississippi in 1964.-Memphis Country Blues Society:Barth co-founded the Memphis Country Blues Society, a non-profit organization...
and Henry Vestine
Henry Vestine
Henry Charles Vestine a.k.a. "The Sunflower", was an American guitar player known mainly as a member of the band Canned Heat. He was with the group from its start in 1966 to July 1969...
found him in a hospital in Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica is a town in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, located near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s the town was one of the most impoverished places in the United States, semi-famous for the particularly deprived neighbourhood known as "Sugar Ditch Alley", named for the open...
. The "rediscovery" of both James and of Son House
Son House
Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. was an American blues singer and guitarist. House pioneered an innovative style featuring strong, repetitive rhythms, often played with the aid of slide guitar, and his singing often incorporated elements of southern gospel and spiritual music...
at virtually the same moment was the start of the "blues revival" in America.
Fahey and his partner in Takoma Records
Takoma Records
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by John Fahey in the late 1950s.. It was named after Fahey's hometown, the Washington, D.C. suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland.-History:...
, ED Denson
ED Denson
Eugene "ED" Denson is an American music group manager, producer, record label owner, and - later - lawyer, who has made notable contributions to folk, blues, and early San Francisco rock.-Biography:Denson was born in Washington D.C. in 1940...
, signed James to a recording contract. Along with Barth, they arranged for sessions with sound engineer Gene Rosenthal in Rosethal's basement studio in Silver Spring, Maryland. Due to legal issues concerning the rights to the songs, the recording was not released by Takoma and in 1971 Fahey sold the record to Rosenthal.
The studio sessions are supplemented in this release with live performance recordings made by Rosenthal at the Ontario Place Coffee House in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
during the same period.
Although James was not initially covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
as frequently as other rediscovered musicians, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
's version of "I'm So Glad" provided him the only windfall of his career. Cream based their version on James's simplified 1960s recording, instead of the faster, more intricate 1931 original. Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
covered "I'm So Glad" on their first album, Shades of Deep Purple
Shades of Deep Purple
Shades of Deep Purple is the debut album by English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in 1968 on Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Tetragrammaton in the United States....
.
Reception
In his review for Allmusic, Ron Wynn called the newly re-discovered James "still capable of playing entrancing, dynamic music, but was much less consistent and not as striking a vocalist" and the release in general "just as solid as the albums James recorded for Columbia during the same period."Track listing
All songs written by Skip James except as noted.- "All Night Long" – 1:20
- "Broke and Hungry" – 1:46
- "I'm So GladI'm So Glad"I'm So Glad" is a song originally recorded by Skip James in the early 1930s. The song is derived from a 1927 song by Art Sizemore and George A. Little entitled "So Tired"...
" – 2:54 - "Bad Whiskey" – 1:32
- "Cypress Grove Blues" (James, Henry ThomasHenry Thomas (blues musician)Henry Thomas was an American pre-World War II country blues singer, songster and musician. He was often billed as "Ragtime Texas".-Life and career:Thomas was born in Big Sandy, Texas, United States....
) – 4:02 - "Catfish Blues" – 5:02
- "Goin' Away to Stay" – 2:26
- "Crow Jane" – 2:05
- "Devil Got My Woman" – 3:09
- "She Lyin'" – 1:12
- "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues" – 2:16
- "Drunken Spree" – 3:32
- "Black Gal" – 3:15
- "Illinois Blues" – 3:00
- "Worried Blues" – 3:27
- "Look Down the Road" – 2:57
Personnel
- Skip JamesSkip JamesNehemiah Curtis "Skip" James was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter, born in Bentonia, Mississippi, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
– vocals, guitar, piano
Production notes:
- John FaheyJohn Fahey (musician)John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
– producer - Bill BarthBill BarthWilliam Henry "Bill" Barth was an American blues guitarist who, along with John Fahey and Henry Vestine, located 1930s blues great Skip James in a hospital in Tunica, Mississippi in 1964.-Memphis Country Blues Society:Barth co-founded the Memphis Country Blues Society, a non-profit organization...
– producer - ED DensonED DensonEugene "ED" Denson is an American music group manager, producer, record label owner, and - later - lawyer, who has made notable contributions to folk, blues, and early San Francisco rock.-Biography:Denson was born in Washington D.C. in 1940...
– producer - Gene Rosenthal – producer, compilation producer, engineer, mixing, digital editing, photography
- George Mitchell – digital editing
- Dan Doyle – compilation producer
- Dick Bangham – art direction, design
- Linda Gibbon – artwork, graphic design
- Jim Marshall – photography
- Richard K. SpottswoodRichard K. SpottswoodRichard K. "Dick" Spottswood is a musicologist and author from Maryland who has catalogued and been responsible for the reissue of many thousands of recordings of vernacular music in the United States. He earned his B.A. from the University of Maryland in 1960, and his Master's degree in Library...
– liner notes - Larry Hoffman – liner notes