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/
Travelin' Shoes
Elvin Bishop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't been gettin' along
Things don't get better,
I'll soon be long gone
This situation's driving me insane
Somebody fetch my coat and hat and hand me my walking cane
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
I'm trying to tell you, boys
These hard-headed women these days
The way they try and treat a man
Ain't nothing but a doggone shame
I talk and talk and talk
She didn't hear a word I said
Gonna get Hank Aaron's baseball bat
And tenderize her head
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
I'm trying to tell you, boys
I've just about had enough
I'm not gonna stick around
And put up with all this stuff
This situation is enough to kill a man
Somebody fetch my coat and hat and hand me my walking cane
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Whoo!
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
The lyrics to Elvin Bishop's "Travelin' Shoes" suggest a man who is at the end of his rope with his relationship. He and his "old lady" are not getting along and he's about to leave. The situation is driving him insane, and he calls for his coat and hat and his walking cane. The repetition of the line "gotta put on my travelin' shoes" serves as a mantra of determination to leave, to walk away from a situation that cannot be fixed.
The singer blames the troubles in their relationship on "hard-headed women these days," indicating a misogynistic viewpoint. He threatens violence against his partner, saying he'll get a baseball bat and "tenderize her head." There is a sense of anger and frustration throughout the song, as though the singer is overwhelmed by their situation and can only see violence or leaving as a solution.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a toxic relationship that has reached its breaking point, with the singer ready to leave and never look back. The imagery of the walking cane and travelin' shoes indicate that the man is ready to hit the road and try to find some peace somewhere else.
Line by Line Meaning
Me and my old lady
Me and my partner
Ain't been gettin' along
Having issues in the relationship
Things don't get better,
The situation is not improving
I'll soon be long gone
I'll leave soon
This situation's driving me insane
The situation is causing me to go crazy
Somebody fetch my coat and hat and hand me my walking cane
Get my things ready as I am leaving
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
I need to leave
I'm trying to tell you, boys
I want to explain my situation
These hard-headed women these days
Women who are stubborn
The way they try and treat a man
The way women treat men
Ain't nothing but a doggone shame
It's a real shame
I talk and talk and talk
I try to communicate
She didn't hear a word I said
She doesn't understand me
Gonna get Hank Aaron's baseball bat
Going to get a weapon to hurt her
And tenderize her head
Hit her with the bat
Oh yeah
Expression of agreement and excitement
I've just about had enough
I am almost at my breaking point
I'm not gonna stick around
I am leaving
And put up with all this stuff
I can't bear this anymore
This situation is enough to kill a man
This situation is very stressful
Whoo!
Expression of excitement and release
Contributed by Jack L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TheRealForrestGeorge
Me and my old lady
Ain't been gettin' along
Things don't get better,
I'll soon be long gone
This situation's driving me insane
Somebody fetch my coat and hat and hand me my walking cane
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
I'm trying to tell you, boys
These hard-headed women these days
The way they try and treat a man
Ain't nothing but a doggone shame
I talk and talk and talk
She didn't hear a word I said
Gonna get Hank Aaron's baseball bat
And tenderize her head
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
I'm trying to tell you, boys
I've just about had enough
I'm not gonna stick around
And put up with all this stuff
This situation is enough to kill a man
Somebody fetch my coat and hat and hand me my walking cane
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Whoo!
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
@arjhendrix
Me and my old lady
Ain't been gettin' along
Things don't get better
I'll soon be long gone
This situation's driving me insane
Somebody fetch my coat and hat and hand me my walking cane
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
I'm trying to tell you, boys
These hard-headed women these days
The way they try and treat a man
Ain't nothing but a doggone shame
I talk and talk and talk
She didn't hear a word I said
Gonna get Hank Aaron's baseball bat
And tenderize her head
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
I'm trying to tell you, boys
I've just about had enough
I'm not gonna stick around
And put up with all this stuff
This situation is enough to kill a man
Somebody fetch my coat and hat and hand me my walking cane
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Gotta put on my travelin' shoes
Whoo!
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
=================================
@bluescat59
This is the Jam of my youth. The carefree coming of age 70s, the greatest musical decade
@redbarrebel7515
One of my favorite songs to play bass to. I know it's basically two chords, but the bass player has a lot of free reign and can GO NUTS on it. Plus it ALWAYS packs the dance floor.
@barelyoakley
Red Bar Rebel Michael Fly Brooks great bass learned it way back in the 70s
@BWild82
Oh yeah!
@silversurfer100
There was a lot of great music in the 70's to rock the house, and anywhere else you wanted that to happen. It was the era a song would get stretched out to showcase great instrumental work to compliment the vocals. Travelin' Shoes was and still is one of those greats.
@laurah6845
Oh, to be a teen in the 70's. I was there!
Love this song ❤❤❤
@davidklein1667
Class of 72!!!
@TheHokieg
I sure was. Warehouse in New Orleans
@kentclark6420
Elvin is an amazing and inspirational guy! I got to see him, live, in the 70s, in a small venue-pub type place, and he really jammed! It was real down-home fun. And he was a top student in school, winning a full scholarship to University of Chicago as a national merit scholar. I have a feeling he's a more complex personality than as he appears on stage. Not that it's all an act, in fact I think his stage persona is closest to his real spirit and interests. That part of himself that he has the most fun with. And doing all that he's accomplished, including 30 albums. Wow!
@TheStewman27
I had the enormous pleasure of seeing Elvin perform at the Kitchener Blues Festival a few years ago. It was a wonderful show. He performed in denim overalls, barefoot and rocked the tent we were in because of very heavy rain instead of the main stage. I couldn't believe how many of his songs that i knew and loved. But this first album is the one with the most and best ones! thank you Mr. Traveling Shoes!!!!