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).
Kansas City
Hound Dog Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
Well Kansas City baby here I come.
They got some pretty little women boy, I'm gonna get me one.
Well I was standing on the corner, right between fifth and main
Well I was standing on the corner, right between fifth and main
I can't find my baby, and that's the reason why
I'm goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They've got little bitty women there
And I'm gonna get me one
Well I may take a train, I might catch a plane,
If I have to walk it's all the same
Oh, Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They got some little bitty women there, I'm gonna get mo one
Well Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
Well Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They got some little bitty women there, I'm gonna get mo one
They got some little bitty women there, I'm gonna get mo one
They got some little bitty women there, I'm gonna get mo one
The lyrics to “Kansas City” by Hound Dog Taylor were actually written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The song expresses the singer's desire to go to Kansas City to find himself a woman. The repetition of “Kansas City, here I come” in the chorus shows his sense of determination to go to that place. While the song may seem to be a light-hearted celebration of women, it actually touches on the theme of love and loss. The line, “I love that woman, don't you know I'm gonna die,” shows a serious yearning for the singer's lost love. The line “I can't find my baby, and that's the reason why I’m going to Kansas City” further emphasizes this.
The lyrics also express the singer's willingness to do anything to get to Kansas City, to the point where he may have to walk to get there. Overall, “Kansas City” by Hound Dog Taylor is a classic blues song with a simple yet catchy melody and fun lyrics that have stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
I am headed to Kansas City and I am excited about it
Well Kansas City baby here I come.
I am coming to Kansas City and I can't wait to be there
They got some pretty little women boy, I'm gonna get me one.
There are attractive women in Kansas City and I am planning to find myself one
Well I was standing on the corner, right between fifth and main
I was waiting on the street corner at fifth and main
Well, I love that woman, don't you know I'm gonna die
I love my woman so much that I can't imagine living without her
I can't find my baby, and that's the reason why
I am going to Kansas City because I can't find the woman I love
I'm goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
I am definitely going to Kansas City and I am excited about it
They've got little bitty women there
There are petite women in Kansas City
And I'm gonna get me one
I plan to find myself one of those petite women
Well I may take a train, I might catch a plane,
I am open to taking any mode of transportation to get to Kansas City
If I have to walk it's all the same
Even if I have to walk to get to Kansas City, I will do it because it's worth it
Oh, Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
I am really looking forward to getting to Kansas City
They got some little bitty women there, I'm gonna get mo one
There are petite women in Kansas City and I plan to find myself one (or more)
Well Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
I am really excited to be going to Kansas City
They got some little bitty women there, I'm gonna get mo one
Petite women are in Kansas City and I aim to find myself one or more
They got some little bitty women there, I'm gonna get mo one
There are petite women in Kansas City and I plan to find one or more of them
Contributed by Jackson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.