Remembered by many these days as a founding member of the groundbreaking Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elvin Bishop has also tasted pop success with his 1976 smash hit “Fooled Around and Fell In Love.” Bishop’s long and varied career has included other musical stops along the way as well, from deep down gutbucket blues played in smoky South Side Chicago taverns, to raucous roadhouse R&B, to rollicking good time rock & roll. And at every stage along the way, he’s imbued all of his music with deep passion, a uniquely creative spirit, and more than a little bit of sly humor.
Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Elvin Bishop didn’t have much exposure to live music as a youngster. But his family had a radio, and in between the pop schmaltz and the C&W that ruled the airwaves in the 1950s, that radio could sometimes catch the legendary R&B programming beamed throughout the southern part of the U.S. at night by Nashville radio station WLAC. That station introduced Bishop to the classic records of Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, and once his ears had been hooked, there was no turning back for young Elvin. He soon got his first guitar and on his own began scratching out the basic outlines of the blues, R&B and rock & roll that had captured his imagination.
By the time he was preparing to go to college in the late 1950s, Bishop had earned a National Merit Scholarship, allowing him to go to almost any school he chose – and there was only one choice on Elvin’s mind, the prestigious University of Chicago, which just happened to be located on Chicago’s South side, ground zero for much of the urban blues Elvin had been studying only from a distance. He arrived in Chicago in 1959, and before long crossed paths with a kindred spirit in Paul Butterfield. Together, they explored the ghetto blues clubs in the black neighborhoods surrounding the university campus at a time when blues giants like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Howlin’ Wolf could be found playing in neighborhood joints on a weeknight. Elvin soaked it all up, gaining impromptu lessons and invaluable stage time in front of discerning audiences, and forging a fluid yet powerful guitar style of his own.
By 1963, Bishop and Butterfield were ready to graduate – not necessarily from the university, but certainly from their apprenticeship under Chicago’s blues elders. Recruiting Howlin’ Wolf’s former rhythm section of Sam Lay on drums and Jerome Arnold on bass, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was born. In 1965, after adding Mike Bloomfield and Mark Naftalin to the lineup, their revolutionary debut LP was released, kicking open the door for virtually all the young white blues bands that followed.
Bishop remained in the fold for three albums with the Butterfield band, including their innovative “East-West” release (on which Bishop and Bloomfield’s intertwining guitars helped set the stage for the Allman Brothers Band among many others who followed), before venturing out on his own. Elvin released four well-received albums on Epic Records in the early ‘70s, before joining Capricorn Records for a couple of LPs and experiencing his biggest pop success, the national hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” from his 1976 LP “Struttin’ My Stuff”.
As popular musical trends evolved, the recording projects tapered off, but road work kept Elvin busy through the ‘80s, and by the time he hooked up with Alligator in 1988, he was returning to his bluesy roots. And that fertile territory has been his focus ever since.
Delta Groove Productions president Randy Chortkoff has been a fan and follower of Elvin’s music through all the many phases of his career, beginning with Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s, so when the opportunity arose to bring Elvin into the Delta Groove fold, Chortkoff jumped at the opportunity. The result was Elvin’s Grammy nominated 2008 CD “The Blues Rolls On”, a project supported by an all-star cast of blues royalty featuring B.B. King, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, George Thorogood , James Cotton, Kim Wilson, Tommy Castro, John Németh, Angela Strehli, plus many more.
Elvin’s brand new release “Red Dog Speaks”, his second on Delta Groove Music, is the exciting next step in his blues journey. Right out of the gate, Bishop leaves no doubt where his heart is, cleverly introducing his long-time cohort - a 1959 Gibson ES-345 that lovingly answers to the name of “Red Dog”, with a gritty slow blues calculated to set the pace for what’s to come. Along the way he smoothly steers the way from strutting blues and R&B, to a good dose of good-time rock & roll, and even an occasional detour through doo-wop, zydeco and gospel. Elvin has made plenty of talented friends over the years, and many of them jumped at the chance to help out including John Nemeth, Buckwheat Zydeco, Roy Gaines, Tommy Castro, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and Kid Andersen who all make guest appearances. And all of it adds up to an amalgam that can only be called “Elvin Bishop music.”
Bishop's official website is at http://www.elvinbishopmusic.com/
The Little Drummer Boy
Elvin Bishop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
When we come
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum
on my drum?
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him pa -rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum
Elvin Bishop's version of "The Little Drummer Boy" is a classic Christmas carol that tells the story of a poor boy who visits the newborn baby Jesus and offers his music as a gift to the King. The lyrics paint a picture of a journey undertaken by a group of people who are eager to pay homage to the newborn King. They bring with them their best gifts and talents, and even the poor boy who has nothing to offer brings his drum and asks if he can play it for the baby King.
The story takes on a deeper meaning as the poor boy plays his drum and the animals, the Ox and Lamb, keep time with the beat. Mary nods in approval as the little drummer boy plays his best for Jesus, and in that moment, the King himself smiles at him. The song highlights the idea that everyone, no matter how rich or poor, has something to offer to Jesus, and that even the smallest of gifts or talents can be used to honor him.
Line by Line Meaning
Come, they told me pa-rum pum pum pum
They came and informed me with the sound of drums.
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
To see the new-born king.
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
We offer the best of our gifts.
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
To present these offerings before the king.
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
The drums are beating continuously.
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
To show respect and honor to the king.
When we come
When we arrive there.
Little Baby pa-rum pum pum pum
A little baby is there with the drums sounding.
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
I am also a poor boy with no riches.
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
Unable to bring gifts that are worthy of the king.
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
That is suitable and perfect for the king.
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
The sound of drums prevails in the atmosphere.
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum on my drum?
Can I play drums for you instead?
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
Mary agreed with a nod and made the drums sound again.
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb also started to make rhythms and kept their pace with the drums.
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drums with all my heart for the king.
I played my best for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played to the best of my ability to make it special for the king.
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
The sound of drums became louder and more intense.
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
In response, the king smiled at me with affection and love.
Me and my drum
The boy and his drums were happily playing together, and there was happiness all around.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, INTERNATIONAL KORWIN CORP, Sentric Music, Anthem Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati, Katherine Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ReedBender1
Thanks for this......the creative & sensitive backdrop you have created is much appreciated.