I'd Rather Go Blind
Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” Taylor (April 12, 1915 - December 17, 1975) … Read Full Bio ↴Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” Taylor (April 12, 1915 - December 17, 1975) was an American blues guitarist and singer. Taylor was best known for his raw vocal style and searing slide guitar, using a cheap Teisco guitar to great advantage.

Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, Mississippi-native Taylor took up the guitar when he was 20 years old. He made a few appearances on Sonny Boy Williamson's fabled KFFA King Biscuit Time radio broadcasts out of Helena, AR, before coming to Chicago in 1942. It was another 15 years before Taylor made blues his full-time vocation, though. Taylor was a favorite on the South and West sides during the late 50s and early 60s. It's generally accepted that Freddie King copped a good portion of his classic "Hide Away" from an instrumental he heard Taylor cranking out on the bandstand.

Taylor's relentlessly raucous band, the HouseRockers, consisted of only two men, though their combined racket sounded like quite a few more. Second guitarist Brewer Phillips, who often supplied buzzing pseudo-bass lines on his guitar, had developed such an empathy with Taylor that their guitars intertwined with ESP-like force, while drummer Ted Harvey kept everything moving along at a brisk pace.

Hound Dog Taylor began playing guitar when he was 20 and became a full-time musician around 1957. He wasn’t well known outside of the Chicago area until his debut album, Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers, with Alligator Records in 1971. The LP contained the typically rowdy Give Me Back My Wig while Taylor's first Alligator encore in 1973, Natural Boogie, boasted the hypnotic Sadie and a stomping Roll Your Moneymaker.

His fourth Alligator album, Beware of the Dog, was recorded live in 1974 but only released after his death. Hound Dog Taylor died of cancer in 1975 and was buried in the Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1984.

I'd Rather Go Blind
Hound Dog Taylor & the House Rockers Lyrics


We have lyrics for 'I'd Rather Go Blind' by these artists:


Andrew Strong Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
B.B. King Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
B.B. King & Etta James Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
B.B. King & Friends Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
B.B. King/Etta James Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
BB King Friends Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
BB King & Etta James Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
BB King & Friends Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
Beth & Joe Something told me that it was over, baby, yeah When I…
Beth Hart#Joe Bonamassa Something told me that it was over baby yeah When I…
Beth Hart/Joe Bonamassa Something told me that it was over, baby, yeah When I…
Beyoncé Something told me it was over (yeah) when I saw…
Beyonce Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
Black Dub With my knife so dull I'd kill it if I could But…
Chicken Shack Something told me it was over when I saw you…
Chickenshack Something told me it was over when I saw you…
Christine McVie Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
Christine Perfect Something told me it was over when I saw you…
Clarence Carter Something told me it was over When I saw you…
Davina and The Vagabonds Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
Dojo Cuts Something told me it was over, When I saw you and…
Dr. John/Etta James Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
Dua Lipa Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
E. James Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
Etta James Something told me it was over when I saw you and…
Etta James & Dr. John Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
Faces It's hard to believe that this is the place Where we…
Fleetwood Mac Something told me it was over when I saw you…
Grace Potter Something told me that it was over baby yeah When I…
Halie Loren Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
Hucknall Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
JAMES Etta Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
Jeff Beck & Beth hart Something told me that it was over, baby, yeah When I…
Joe Bonamassa & Beth Hart Something told me that it was over baby yeah When I…
Joe Bonamassa feat. Beth Hart Something told me that it was over, baby, yeah When I…
John Verity Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
KITCHEN - Etta James Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
Koko Taylor Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
Lala Romero Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
Liam Bailey Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
LIVING ROOM - Etta James Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…
Mary Coughlan Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
Michael Grimm Something told me it was over,When I saw you and…
Mick Hucknall Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
Moonshine Society Something told me it was over When I saw you…
Paul Kelly I suppose I should get over this I'm not the first…
Paul Weller Something told me it was over When I saw you…
Renee Wilkin Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
Sheba Potts-Wright Just stepped out, over and over again Standin' my pride, eve…
Sidney Youngblood Something told me it was over When I saw you…
Soultans I’d rather go blind Than to hurt you You know how much…
Stan Webb Something told me it was over when I saw you…
Stan Webb's Chicken Shack Something told me it was over when I saw you…
Sydney Youngblood Something told me it was over When I saw you…
Taylor Koko Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
the FRIGHTNRS Something told me it was over (Yeah, yeah) When I saw you…
Trish Toledo Something told me it was over When I saw you and…
Trixie Whitley With my knife so dull I’d kill it if I could But…
VUSI NOVA Something told me It was over (yeah) When I saw you And her…
Youngblood Sydney Something told me it was over When I saw you…
Etta James Something told me it was over (yeah) When I saw you…


We have lyrics for these tracks by Hound Dog Taylor & the House Rockers:


Ain't Got Nobody (Hound Dog Taylor) Well I ain't got nobody Im sitting here …
Buster's Boogie Buster Boogie…
It Hurts Me Too You said you was hurtin' Said you almost lost your mind Well…
Roll Your Moneymaker Roll your moneymaker, honey you really can shake her Shake y…
She's Gone Well, I know you don't love me Hey, I know the…
Sitting at Home Alone Lord, ain't it lonesome, well, when you're sitting at home…
Sitting Here Alone Lord, ain't it lonesome, well, when you're sitting at home…
Sitting Home Alone Lord, ain't it lonesome, well, when you're sitting at home…


We have lyrics for these tracks by Hound Dog Taylor:


Ain't Got Nobody (Hound Dog Taylor) Well I ain't got nobody Im sitting he…
Buster's Boogie Buster Boogie…
Crossroads (Robert Johnson) I was standing at the crossroad My head…
Dust My Broom (Elmore James) I'm gettin' up early mornin' I believe I'…
Freddie's Blues (Hound Dog Taylor) You know sometime boy Your just sitti…
Give Me Back My Wig (Hound Dog Taylor) Give me back my wig Honey now let you…
Gonna Send You Back to Georgia (Hound Dog Taylor) Yeah I'm gonna send you back to Georgi…
Held My Baby Last Night (Elmore James) I held my baby last night, until everything …
I Just Cant Make It (Hound Dog Taylor) Well I just can't make it Well I just…
it You said you was hurtin' Said you almost lost your mind Well…
It's Alright (Hound Dog Taylor) Yes I love ya, I love ya Woman I'm…
Kansas City (Leiber & Stoller) Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here…
Let's Get Funky (Hound Dog Taylor) Say what - I hear ya Yeah, I hear…
My Baby's Coming Home (Taylor & Eatmon) Yes I ain't worried 'bout my baby She'…
Rock Me (Traditional) Rock me baby Rock me all night long Yeah …
Roll Your Moneymaker Roll your moneymaker, honey you really can shake her Shake …
Sadie (Hound Dog Taylor) Sadie, will you come back home tonight…
She's Gone Well, I know you don't love me Hey, I know the…
Sitting At Home Alone Lord, ain't it lonesome, well, when you're sitting at home…
Take Five (Hound Dog Taylor) Chicago, Chicago babe, Chicago Chicag…
The Sun Is Shining (Elmore James) The sun is shining Oh it's always raining…
What'd I Say (Ray Charles) See the gal with the red dress on? She can…



Wild About You Baby (Elmore James) Yes I'm wild about you woman But you don'…


The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Comments from YouTube:

ster

Absolutely Stunning!  He really sounds a lot like Elmore James especially on the slide guitar.  He was famous for using really cheap equipment and its amazing that he could get such great sounds out of it.  I love this gem!  

Maxx England

Some of the secret is not to worry about the equipment, just play the music and the meaning of it.

Doctorhamfat

Elmore James was his cousin, and so was J.B. Hutto.

Raymantico

one of the most exciting acts I ever caught--and I've seen a lot

Kim Cook

Totally ageee

J Dove

Man, that is some of the greasiest tone ever let loose on sound waves. HoundDog Taylor was one of the best at doing what he do. God Bless him.

C&B Gunworks

One of the true pioneers, god bless his soul

Cora Visser

Brilliant this is real legend he left so much great music behind him for us.so we keep it alive for ever.

Jef Gat

Fortunate to have caught this show. Ann Arbor was a very cool place in the early 70's...

john appleseed

Lucky You!!!!!!!


Go Irish!

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