Theodore Roosevelt "H… Read Full Bio ↴Twelve fingered rough and ready blues maestro.
Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor (April 12, 1915 - December 17, 1975) was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer.
Career
Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi in 1915 (although some sources say 1917). He originally played piano, but began playing guitar when he was 20. He moved to Chicago in 1942.
He became a full-time musician around 1957 but remained unknown outside of the Chicago area where he played small clubs in the black neighborhoods and also at the open-air Maxwell Street Market. He was known for his electrified slide guitar playing roughly styled after that of Elmore James, his cheap Japanese Teisco guitars, and his raucous boogie beats. He was also famed among guitar players for having six fingers on his left hand.
After hearing Taylor with his band, the HouseRockers (Brewer Phillips on second guitar and Ted Harvey on drums) in 1970 at Florence's Lounge on Chicago's South Side, Bruce Iglauer - at the time a shipping clerk for Delmark Records - tried to get him signed by his employer. Having no success getting Delmark to sign Taylor, Iglauer formed a small record label with a $2500 inheritance and recorded Taylor's debut album, Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers, on his fledgling Alligator Records in 1971. It was the first release on Alligator, now a major blues label. It was recorded in a studio in just two nights. Iglauer began managing and booking the band, which toured nationwide and performed with Muddy Waters and Big Mama Thornton.[citation needed] The band became particularly popular in the Boston area, where Taylor inspired a young protégé named George Thorogood. A live album Live At Joe's Place documented a Boston appearance from 1972.
Their second release, Natural Boogie, was recorded in late 1973, and led to greater acclaim and touring. In 1975, Taylor and his band toured Australia and New Zealand with Freddie King and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. His third Alligator album, Beware of the Dog, was recorded live in 1974 but was only released after his death. More posthumous releases occurred as well, including Genuine Houserocking Music and Release the Hound, on the Alligator label as well as some bootleg live recordings.
Taylor died of lung cancer in 1975, and was buried in Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.
Taylor was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1984.[citation needed]
Discography
Hound Dog Taylor and The HouseRockers (1971)(Alligator Records)
Natural Boogie (1974)(Alligator Records)
Beware The Dog! (1976)(Alligator Records)
Genuine Houserocking Music (1982)(Alligator Records)
Hound Dog Taylor - Deluxe Edition (1999)(Alligator Records)
Release The Hound (2004)(Alligator Records)
Legacy
George Thorogood dedicated "The Sky Is Crying" (song 9) to "the memory of the late great Hound Dog Taylor" on his Live album (EMI America CDP 7 46329 2).
Held My Baby Last Night
Hound Dog Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I held my baby last night, until everything was allright
I held my baby last night, until everything was allright
She woke up early this morning,
She said baby, everything was alright
She said daddy daddy, please come back to me
Would you please come back to me
And I swear your love is free
Now here it's three o'clock in the morning
And my baby she ani't come home
(I'm gonna jump on you girl)
Yeah! No my baby she ain't come home!
Don't tell me nothing
I know that something is going on wrong
The lyrics of Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers's song 'Held My Baby Last Night' tells the story of a man who held his significant other tight until everything was all right. The song opens with the singer disclosing how he spent his evening holding his baby until everything was resolved. He goes on to reveal that she woke up early the following morning and assured him that everything was all right. She then requested that he returns to her as she loves him, and her love is free. However, the mood of the lyrics quickly changes as the singer warns his significant other that he knows something is wrong because she hasn't come home, as it's already three o'clock in the morning. The lyrics hint that there's a possibility that his love interest may be up to something wrong, given that she hasn't come home.
The lyrics of this song express the emotions of a character who is in a relationship that may be on the rocks. The singer is put in a position where he has to hold his significant other tight to make everything all right, and even then, there is still doubt. The song's lyrics are relatable, as many people have been in relationships where there's a similar situation, where there's a need to hold the other person tight to make everything all right or a feeling of doubt lingers despite efforts to assuage it.
Line by Line Meaning
I held my baby last night, until everything was allright
I was able to comfort my lover last night and make her feel okay
She woke up early this morning,
My lover woke up early in the morning
She said baby, everything was alright
My lover told me that everything was all right
She said daddy daddy, please come back to me
My lover begged me to come back to her
Would you please come back to me
She wanted me to return to her
Daddy Daddy, love you baby,
My lover expressed her love for me
And I swear your love is free
She assured me that her love does not come with conditions or expectations
Now here it's three o'clock in the morning
It is currently three in the morning
And my baby she ani't come home
My lover has not returned home
(I'm gonna jump on you girl)
This line is a vocalization and has no literal meaning
Yeah! No my baby she ain't come home!
I am expressing frustration and worry that my lover has not come home
Don't tell me nothing
I do not want to hear any excuses or explanations
I know that something is going on wrong
I have a strong suspicion that something is not right
Contributed by Lucy L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.