It is said that Siegal's earliest musical memories are of the likes of Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis and Chuck Berry, but that it was on hearing the great Little Richard that he really caught the music bug and became nothing short of obsessive about it. This lead him into a life-long passion for the Blues and all of its various branches, and most of all, the man he calls "God" - the inimitable Muddy Waters.
At 16 he began to roadie occasionally for his cousin's band and one night, quite unexpectedly, he was asked to sing. The result was a blown-away audience and a delighted (and rather surprised!) young vocal talent with a long career ahead of him.
It was two years later that he picked up a guitar and taught himself to play, listening to the likes of Muddy, B.B King, Robert Cray and Albert Collins. At 20 he dropped out of Art college and travelled to Berlin, busking for a living. By the time he returned to England he knew that a career in music was the only one for him.
A visit to Nottingham resulted in a five-year stay and hi's first band became popular on the local music scene, with a residency at The Running Horse attracting full houses and appearances at Colne and Burnley festivals. His first album was "Picture Postcards" .
Moving to London to further his career was inevitable and Ian became an established part of the London Blues community almost immediately. Many gigs followed, along with a number of appearances with American Blues acts - Phil Guy, Sugar Blue, Nappy Brown, Eddie Kirkland, Catfish Keith and Jimmie Vaughan to name but few. He has also sung with other bands, notably The Lee Sankey Group and can be heard on the album "Tell Me There's a Sun". All the time Siegal's writing and playing skills developed, and appearances on larger festival stages to bigger audiences - such as Edinburgh, Lugano, Peer, North Sea Jazz - enabled him to hone his skills into becoming one of the most naturally exciting and vibrant talents on the scene today. Awareness among British Audiences of Ian’s talents grew considerably after two consecutive tours opening for Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, including a performance at the Royal Albert Hall; and then in 2005 he toured playing as a duo with Big Bill Morganfield (Muddy Waters’ son). “That’s as near as I can ever get to the great man himself,” says Siegal.
Siegal's first major CD release was in Ian Siegal Band's 2001 album “I Shall Be Standing In The Morning” on which he drafted in some of the top players around to supplement his band, in particular the horns of Nick Payne, Frank Mead, Martin Winning, Sid Gauld and John Beecham, who between them have worked with The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Van Morrison, Albert Collins and Buddy Guy. The album is an entirely original composition, with reviewers drawing comparisons with Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. John and Van the Man.
His solo album “Meat & Potatoes” followed in April 2005 . For this recording he augmented his core trio sound with British guitarist Matt Schofield (who also produced the album), and Jonny Henderson on Hammond organ.
In 2008 his sole album The Dust was released. In 2009, Siegal released the album, Broadside, with musicians Andy Graham (bass) and Nikolaj Bjerre (drums). This album was voted "Blues Album of the Year 2009" by Mojo.
His 2011 release, The Skinny, was recorded by Ian Siegal And The Youngest Sons in North Mississippi with Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars as record producer and also playing on the album. Backing Siegal were the sons of some notable Mississippi blues men, including on guitar Robert Kimbrough, on guitar and bass Garry Burnside, and on drums Rod Bland. Also guesting were Alvin Youngblood Hart and Duwayne Burnside.
In 2012, Ian Siegal & The Mississippi Mudbloods performed at the Manchester Bluesfest recorded by the BBC. Later he was the guest interviewee of Paul Jones on the latter's BBC Radio 2 show. An appearance at the London Bluesfest in 2013 resulted in an album release (April 2014) entitled Man & Guitar recorded by the BBC and released by Nugene Records.
In a twist to his career, he played for several years with France's Orchestre National de Jazz in a program of Billie Holiday songs entitled Broadway in Satin. Backed by a 12-piece orchestra of young hand-picked musicians and accompanied by the French singer Karen Lanaud, Siegal performed Broadway in Satin at festivals across France and South America and East Africa.
In 2016 he recorded the live album "Wayward Sons" as Ian Siegal & Jimbo Mathus.
Gallo del Cielo
Ian Siegal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No money in his pocket, just a locket of his sister framed in gold
He rode into El Sueco, stole a rooster called Gallo Del Cielo
Then he swam the Rio Grande with that fighter nestled
Deep beneath his arm.
El Gallo Del Cielo was a rooster born in heaven so the legends say
His wings they had been broken, he had one eye
And he'd fought a hundred fights, and the legends say
That one night near El Sueco
They'd fought Gallo seven times, and seven times he'd
Left brave roosters dead.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in San Antonio
I have 27 dollars and the good luck of your picture
Framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole
From father long ago.
Outside of San Diego, in the onion fields of Paco Monteverde
The Pride of San Diego lay sleeping on a fancy bed of silk
And they laughed when Zaragoza pulled the one-eyed
Del Cielo from beneath his coat
But they cried when Zaragoza walked away with a
Thousand dollar bill.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Barbara
I have fifteen hundred dollars and the good luck of
Your picture framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole
From father long ago.
Now the moon has gone to hiding and the lantern light
Spills shadows on a fighting sand
Where a wicked black named Zorro faces Gallo del Cielo in the night
But Carlos Zaragoza fears the tiny crack that runs across his rooster's beak
And he fears he has lost the fifty thousand dollars riding on the fight.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Clara
Yes, the money's on the table, I am holding to
Your good luck framed in gold
And everything we've dreamed of is riding on the spurs of Del Cielo
I pray that I'll return to buy the land Villa stole from father long ago.
Then the signal it was given, and the cocks rose
Together far above the sand
El Gallo del Cielo sunk a gaff into Zorro's shiny breast
They were separated quickly but they rose and fought
Each other thirty seven times
And the legends say that everyone agreed that del Cielo fought the best.
Then the screams of Zaragoza filled the night outside
The town of Santa Clara
As the beak of del Cielo lay broken like a shell within his hand
And they say that Zaragoza screamed a curse upon the
Bones of Pancho Villa
When Zorro rose up one last time and drove del
Cielo through the sand.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in
San Francisco
I have no money in my pocket, I no longer have
Your good luck framed in gold
I buried it last evening with the bones of my
Beloved Del Cielo
And I'll not return to buy the land Villa stole from
Father long ago.
Do the rivers still run muddy outside of my beloved
Casas Grandes?
Oes the scar upon my brother's face turn red when
He hears mention of my name?
Do the people of El Sueco curse the theft of Gallo del Cielo?
Well, tell my family not to worry, I will not return
To cause them shame.
The song "Gallo del Cielo" tells a story of a man named Carlos Zaragoza who sets out on a journey with nothing but a locket of his sister framed in gold. Carlos steals a fighting rooster called Gallo Del Cielo and swims the Rio Grande with the rooster close to his chest. The lyrics describe how Gallo Del Cielo was no ordinary bird as it was born in heaven and was a champion fighter, having won many fights in its lifetime. Carlos is determined to make it big and win a huge amount of money to buy back the land that was stolen from his father long ago. The song represents the grit and determination of its characters as well as their struggle for survival.
Line by Line Meaning
Carlos Zaragoza left his home in Casas Grandes when the moon was full
Zaragoza left his hometown during a full moon
No money in his pocket, just a locket of his sister framed in gold
He only had a valuable locket from his sister as his possession
He rode into El Sueco, stole a rooster called Gallo Del Cielo
He went to a place called El Sueco and stole a rooster named Gallo Del Cielo
Then he swam the Rio Grande with that fighter nestled
Deep beneath his arm.
He swam across the Rio Grande with the rooster in his arms
El Gallo Del Cielo was a rooster born in heaven so the legends say
His wings they had been broken, he had one eye
Rollin' crazy in his head
And he'd fought a hundred fights, and the legends say
That one night near El Sueco
They'd fought Gallo seven times, and seven times he'd
Left brave roosters dead.
Gallo Del Cielo was a legendary rooster whose wings were broken, had one crazy rolling eye, and defeated many brave roosters in a fight. It is said that in one night near El Sueco, they fought him seven times, and he emerged victorious every time.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in San Antonio
I have 27 dollars and the good luck of your picture
Framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole
From father long ago.
Zaragoza sends love to his beloved Theresa from San Antonio and tells her that he has $27 and her picture framed in gold. He plans to use all of it on Gallo Del Cielo's fight and then reclaim their father's land stolen by Villa.
Outside of San Diego, in the onion fields of Paco Monteverde
The Pride of San Diego lay sleeping on a fancy bed of silk
And they laughed when Zaragoza pulled the one-eyed
Del Cielo from beneath his coat
But they cried when Zaragoza walked away with a
Thousand dollar bill.
Zaragoza went to Paco Monteverde's onion fields near San Diego, where the Pride of San Diego, a well-known cockfighting rooster, was kept on a fancy bed of silk. People laughed when Zaragoza brought out Gallo Del Cielo but later cried when Zaragoza walked away with $1,000 after winning the fight.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Barbara
I have fifteen hundred dollars and the good luck of
Your picture framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole
From father long ago.
Zaragoza tells Theresa that he is in Santa Barbara with $1,500 and her picture framed in gold. He plans to use the money on Gallo Del Cielo's fight and then reclaim their father's stolen land.
Now the moon has gone to hiding and the lantern light
Spills shadows on a fighting sand
Where a wicked black named Zorro faces Gallo del Cielo in the night
But Carlos Zaragoza fears the tiny crack that runs across his rooster's beak
And he fears he has lost the fifty thousand dollars riding on the fight.
The fight takes place at night, and a black rooster named Zorro fights against Gallo Del Cielo. However, Zaragoza is worried that the crack in Gallo's beak will cost him the $50,000 he has bet on him.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Clara
Yes, the money's on the table, I am holding to
Your good luck framed in gold
And everything we've dreamed of is riding on the spurs of Del Cielo
I pray that I'll return to buy the land Villa stole from father long ago.
Zaragoza is in Santa Clara and tells Theresa that the money is on the table, and he's holding onto her gold-framed picture. Their dreams depend on Gallo Del Cielo's victory, and he prays that he wins so he could reclaim their father's stolen land.
Then the signal it was given, and the cocks rose
Together far above the sand
El Gallo del Cielo sunk a gaff into Zorro's shiny breast
They were separated quickly but they rose and fought
Each other thirty-seven times
And the legends say that everyone agreed that del Cielo fought the best.
The fight begins, and Gallo Del Cielo and Zorro start fighting fiercely. They fight thirty-seven times, and everyone agrees that Gallo fought the best.
Then the screams of Zaragoza filled the night outside
The town of Santa Clara
As the beak of del Cielo lay broken like a shell within his hand
And they say that Zaragoza screamed a curse upon the
Bones of Pancho Villa
When Zorro rose up one last time and drove del
Cielo through the sand.
Zaragoza screams when Gallo Del Cielo's beak gets broken during the fight. He screams a curse upon the bones of Pancho Villa when Zorro emerges victorious and kills Gallo Del Cielo.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in
San Francisco
I have no money in my pocket, I no longer have
Your good luck framed in gold
I buried it last evening with the bones of my
Beloved Del Cielo
And I'll not return to buy the land Villa stole from
Father long ago.
Zaragoza tells Theresa he is in San Francisco with no money and no lucky picture framed in gold. He buried it along with Gallo Del Cielo's remains, and he has no intention of going back to reclaim their father's stolen land.
Do the rivers still run muddy outside of my beloved
Casas Grandes?
Zaragoza wonders if the rivers around his home in Casas Grandes still run muddy (suggesting if things are still the same there).
Oes the scar upon my brother's face turn red when
He hears mention of my name?
Zaragoza is worried and wonders if his brother still holds a grudge against him and his mention makes his brother angry or agitated.
Do the people of El Sueco curse the theft of Gallo del Cielo?
Well, tell my family not to worry, I will not return
To cause them shame.
Zaragoza asks if the people in El Sueco blame him for the theft of Gallo Del Cielo. But he tells his family not to worry as he won't go back there to cause them any shame.
Contributed by Josiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.