Fame was born in Leigh in Lancashire. At sixteen years of age he entered into a management agreement with Larry Parnes, who gave artists new names such as Marty Wilde and Billy Fury. Fame was already playing piano for Billy Fury in a backing band called The Blue Flames, which later became billed as "Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames". The band had great success with rhythm and blues. Their greatest success was "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" in 1968, which was a number-one hit in the United Kingdom and in the United States; they also had UK number-one hits with "Yeh, Yeh" (1965) and "Get Away" (1966). Although he enjoyed regular chart success with singles in the late 60s, it was a peculiar quirk of chart statistics that his only three Top 10 hits all made number one.
Fame continued playing into the 1970s, enjoying a hit with Alan Price (ex-keyboard player of The Animals), "Rosetta", in 1971. He has also toured as one of the Rhythm Kings, with his friend Bill Wyman playing bass.
From the late 1980s, until the 1997 album The Healing Game he was a core member of Van Morrison's band, as well as his musical producer, playing keyboards and singing harmony vocals on tracks like "In the Days before Rock 'n' Roll", whilst still recording and touring as an artist in his own right. He frequently plays residences at jazz clubs such as Ronnie Scott's. He has also played organ on Starclub's album..
Georgie Fame's swinging, surprisingly credible blend of jazz and American R&B earned him a substantial following in his native U.K., where he scored three number one singles during the '60s. Fame played piano and organ in addition to singing, and was influenced by the likes of Mose Allison, Booker T. & the MG's, and Louis Jordan. Early in his career, he also peppered his repertoire with Jamaican ska and bluebeat tunes, helping to popularize that genre in England; during his later years, he was one of the few jazz singers of any stripe to take an interest in the vanishing art of vocalese, and earned much general respect from jazz critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
Fame was born Clive Powell on June 26, 1943, in Leigh, Lancashire (near Manchester, England). He began playing piano at a young age, and performed with several groups around Manchester as a teenager, when he was particularly fond of Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1959, his family moved to London, where the 16 year old was discovered by songwriter Lionel Bart (best known for the musical Oliver). Bart took Powell to talent manager Larry Parnes, who promoted British rockers like Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Johnny Gentle, and Vince Eager. Powell naturally had to be renamed as well, and as Georgie Fame, he played piano behind Wilde and Eager before officially joining Fury's backing band, the Blue Flames, in the summer of 1961. (The Blue Flames also included guitarist Colin Green, saxophonist Mick Eve, bassist Tony Makins, and drummer Red Reece.) When Fury let the band go at the end of the year, Fame became their lead singer, and they hit the London club circuit playing a distinctive blend of rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and ska. Their budding reputation landed them a residency at the West End jazz club the Flamingo, and thanks to the American servicemen who frequented the club and lent Fame their records, he discovered the Hammond B-3 organ, becoming one of the very few British musicians to adopt the instrument in late 1962. From there, the Blue Flames became one of the most popular live bands in London. In 1963, they signed with EMI Columbia, and in early 1964 released their acclaimed debut LP, Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo. It wasn't a hot seller at first, and likewise their first three singles all flopped, but word of the group was spreading.
Finally, in early 1965, Fame hit the charts with "Yeh Yeh," a swinging tune recorded by Latin jazz legend Mongo Santamaria and given lyrics by vocalese virtuoso Jon Hendricks of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. "Yeh Yeh" went all the way to number one on the British charts, and Fame started living up to his stage name (although the song barely missed the Top 20 in America). His 1965 LP Fame at Last reached the British Top 20, and after several more minor hits, he had another British number one with "Getaway" in 1966. After one more LP with the original Blue Flames, 1966's Sweet Thing, Fame broke up the band and recorded solo; over the next few years, his backing bands included drummer Mitch Mitchell (later of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) and the young guitarist John McLaughlin (Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra).
At the outset, Fame's solo career was just as productive as before, kicking off with the Top Ten big-band LP Sound Venture (recorded with Harry South's orchestra); thanks to its success, he toured with the legendary Count Basie the following year. Several hit singles followed over the next few years, including "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde," which became his third British chart-topper in late 1967 and, the following year, his only Top Ten hit in America. But by 1969, his success was beginning to tail off; hoping to make inroads into the more adult-oriented cabaret circuit, Fame was moving more and more into straight-up pop and away from his roots. In 1971, he teamed up with onetime Animals organist Alan Price and recorded an album of critically reviled MOR pop, Fame & Price; the partnership produced a near-Top Ten hit in "Rosetta," but ended in 1973. Fame re-formed the Blue Flames with original guitarist Colin Green in 1974 and attempted to return to R&B, but his records for Island attracted little attention. He spent much of the '70s and '80s making ends meet by performing on TV and the cabaret circuit, as well as writing advertising jingles; he also continued to make records, to little fanfare.
In 1989, Fame played organ on Van Morrison's Avalon Sunset album, which grew into a fruitful collaboration over the course of the '90s; Fame played on all of Morrison's albums through 1997's The Healing Game, received co-billing on Morrison's 1996 jazz album How Long Has This Been Going On, and even served a stint as Morrison's musical director. Meanwhile, Fame's own solo work during the '90s received some of his best reviews since the '60s, starting with 1991's jazzy Cool Cat Blues, which featured a duet with Morrison on "Moondance." 1995's Three Line Whip featured his sons Tristan and James Powell on guitar and drums, respectively, and 1996's The Blues and Me further enhanced his growing jazz credibility. In 1998, Fame split with Morrison to record and tour with former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman's new group the Rhythm Kings, contributing organ and vocals to several albums. In 2000, now signed to Ben Sidran's Go Jazz label, Fame released the acclaimed Poet in New York, which established him as an impressive student of jazz's vocalese tradition.
Lay me Down
Georgie Fame Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My father said in silent prayer
Let the light of love
Peace be everywhere
Let us learn to take our share
The day he passed away
Before he died
The lord's light shines on me
Lay me down by that old railroad track
Lay me down with the world at my back
Spent my life and broke my back in slavery
Lay me down and let me be free
All our lives a guiding hand
He worked his heart out on the land
From the morning sun
Until the day was done
The good lord gave him strength to carry on
The city took his land away
But not half the crops
He had to pay
Get down on your knees and pray
Lay me down by that old railroad track
Lay me down with the world at my back
Spent my life and broke my back in slavery
Lay me down let me be free
Lay me down by that old railroad track
Lay me down with the world at my back
Spent my life and broke my back in slavery
Lay me down let me be free
Sing it children
[Lay me down by that old railroad track]
That's where I wanna be
[Lay me down with the world at my back]
Spent my life and broke my back in slavery
Lay me down let me be free
C'mon children
Lay me down by that old railroad track
Lay me down with the world at my back
Spent my life and broke my back in slavery
Lay me down let me be free
Georgie Fame's "Lay Me Down" is a tribute to the singer's late father, who was a farmer and a guiding figure in Georgie's life. The song is an emotional reflection on life, death, and the struggle for freedom. The lyrics begin with Georgie quoting his father's hope for a better world, filled with love and peace. The phrase "Let us learn to take our share" calls on the listener to do their part to create that better world. The second verse recounts the hard work and dedication of Georgie's father, who worked tirelessly on the land until he was forced off of it. Despite this, he remained steadfast in his faith and hoped to be reunited with the Lord after his death. The chorus of the song, "Lay me down by that old railroad track, lay me down with the world at my back," speaks to his father's desire to be laid to rest in a place where he can be free from the toils of life.
The third verse shifts perspective, reflecting on the singer's own struggles with slavery, which represents any sort of physical or mental bondage. The repetitive phrase "spend my life and broke my back in slavery" reveals the weight of oppression that Georgie is no longer willing to bear. The song ends with a call for others to join in, transforming a personal story into a larger anthem for freedom. By urging listeners to join in on the chorus, the singer invites all those who have suffered to share in the hope for a better future.
The song’s first demo was recorded by Georgie Fame and his sons Tristan (bass) and James (drums) in a small South London studio. It was the last song Georgie recorded before suffering a stroke which seriously affected his performing career.
The full recording appeared on the album "Cool Cat Blues," which was released on the Go Jazz label in 1991.
The album was produced by Ben Sidran, who brought in B-3 organ player and Jazz Crusader Joe Sample for the sessions.
The album was a mix of new original songs and versions of older blues and R&B standards.
Many of the tracks on the album featured a string section conducted by Sidran.
"Lay Me Down" was one of the most personal songs on the album.
Georgie Fame was a respected jazz and blues musician in the UK who had several top ten hits over the years.
He began his career with the Blue Flames, a band that included future members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Fame also worked as a session musician, playing on records by artists such as Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, and Bill Withers.
Chords: Dm, G, C, F
Line by Line Meaning
Let us find a better way
My father prayed for us to discover a better way of doing things
My father said in silent prayer
My father silently asked for divine guidance
Let the light of love
May universal love light our way
Peace be everywhere
May there be peace and calm in all corners of the world
Let us learn to take our share
May we learn to share the world's resources equally
The day he passed away
The day my father died
Before he died
Just before his demise
I heard him say
I heard him express
The lord's light shines on me
He felt a divine presence illuminating him
Lay me down by that old railroad track
Bury me by the railway line
Lay me down with the world at my back
Lay me facing away from the world
Spent my life and broke my back in slavery
I've worked and been exploited my entire life
Lay me down and let me be free
Set me free from the chains of life
All our lives a guiding hand
My father was a guiding light in our lives
He worked his heart out on the land
He put all his effort into working the land
From the morning sun
From sunrise
Until the day was done
Until sunset
The good lord gave him strength to carry on
He believed he received divine strength to persist
The city took his land away
The city confiscated his land
But not half the crops he had to pay
But he only received a fraction of what he was owed for his crops
Get down on your knees and pray
Kneel down and ask for divine help
Sing it children
Children, sing this song
That's where I wanna be
That's where I desire to rest
C'mon children
Come on, kids
Contributed by James A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.