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).
Take Five
Hound Dog Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chicago, Chicago babe, Chicago
Chicago, Chicago, Chicago
Oh yeah, sure enough, Chicago babe
Be back some old day
Take five, take five babe, take five
Oh yeah, sure enough, take five
Be back some old day
Believe it, believe it babe, believe it
Believe it, believe it, believe it
Believe it, sure enough, believe it babe
Be back some old day
Chicago, Chicago babe, Chicago
Chicago, Chicago, Chicago
Oh yeah, sure enough, Chicago babe
Be back some old day
The song 'Take Five' by Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers is a simple yet powerful blues song that encapsulates the feeling of longing and nostalgia for the city of Chicago. The lyrics "Chicago, Chicago babe, Chicago" are repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the deep longing the singer has for his hometown. The repetition of "Take five" also adds to the overall sense of longing and waiting, as if the singer is counting down the minutes until he can return to Chicago.
The phrase "Be back some old day" further drives home the feeling of nostalgia, indicating that the singer knows he will eventually return to Chicago, but he doesn't know when. The use of "old day" adds to the overall sense of timelessness and longing. The last repetition of "Chicago" is drawn out, adding a melancholic quality to the song and emphasizing the depth of the singer's feelings for his hometown.
Line by Line Meaning
Chicago, Chicago babe, Chicago
Hound Dog Taylor is trying to evoke the spirit of the city of Chicago and express his love for it.
Chicago, Chicago, Chicago
He repeats the name of the city for emphasis and to show his admiration for it.
Oh yeah, sure enough, Chicago babe
The singer is certain of his love for Chicago and assures his listeners that this is the case.
Be back some old day
This statement is a promise to return to the city of Chicago in the future.
Take five, take five babe, take five
The phrase 'take five' is a reference to the jazz standard of the same name. Hound Dog Taylor is offering his own interpretation of the song and encouraging his listeners to take a break and enjoy themselves.
Believe it, believe it babe, believe it
The singer is urging his listeners to believe in themselves and their dreams.
Believe it, sure enough, believe it babe
He repeats the line to emphasize the importance of belief and self-confidence.
Be back some old day
Hound Dog Taylor is once again promising to return to Chicago in the future.
Contributed by Adalyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hilmar Wensorra
In VERY loving memory of Narvel Eatmon (1914 - 1991 R.I.P. Gone but NOT forgotten), the label owner of Bea & Baby ...
たてりんけんじ
めっちゃ⤴️⤴️カッコイー👍🎶
大好きです🎵
Mark Connors
Happy birthday Hound Dog!!
Wolfgang Andreas
Großartig !!!
coolfool60
Killer Dawg!!!
pietro anania
great first release
Daniel Kubacki
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!