Brim picked up his early guitar licks from the gramophone records of Tampa Red and Big Bill Broonzy, before venturing first to Indianapolis in 1941 and Chicago four years later. He met his wife Grace in 1947; fortuitously, she was a capable drummer and harmonica player who played on several of Brim's records. She was also the vocalist on a 1950 single for the Detroit based Fortune Records, that signaled the beginning of Brim's discography.
Brim recorded for Random Records, J.O.B. Records, Parrot Records (the socially aware "Tough Times"), and Chess Records ("Rattlesnake," his answer to Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog" was pulled from the shelves by Chess for fear of a plagiarism lawsuit). All of his 1950s recordings for the Chess label were later included on the compilation LP/CD "Whose Muddy Shoes" (which also included the few recordings Elmore James made for the label; because they share this LP/CD, it has sometimes been assumed that they performed or recorded together, but this is not the case.) On some tracks Little Walter played the harmonica, whilst Jimmy Reed, Snooky Pryor, or James Dalton were also featured blowing the harp. Cut in 1953, the suggestive "Ice Cream Man" had to wait until 1969 to enjoy a very belated release. Brim's last Chess single, "I Would Hate to See You Go," was waxed in 1956 with a combo consisting of Little Walter, guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr., bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Fred Below.
In between touring, Brim operated dry-cleaning businesses and a record store. When the royalties from Van Halen’s recording of "Ice Cream Man" came through, they enabled him to open John Brim’s House of the Blues Broadway Nite Club in Chicago.
Brim continued to perform occasionally around Chicago, and was a regularly featured performer on the Chicago Blues Festival beginning in 1991.
He was tempted back into the recording studio again in 1989 to record four songs for the German Wolf label, and renewed interest in him finally led to his recording his first solo CD, Ice Cream Man, for Tone Cool Records in 1994. It received a W. C. Handy nomination as the best Traditional Blues Album of the Year.
Van Halen covered "Ice Cream Man" on their first album and David Lee Roth did the same on Diamond Dave. "Ice Cream Man" was also covered by Martin Sexton on his 2001 live double album, Live Wide Open.
Brim also appeared at the 1997 San Francisco Blues Festival.
He recorded again in 2000, 50 years after his recording debut, and continued to tour, playing in Belgium in 2001. One of his final appearances was at the 2002 Chicago Blues Festival.
Brim, who lived in Gary, Indiana remained active on the Chicago blues scene until his death, on 1 October 2003 at the age of 81. He is survived by seven daughters and two sons. One son predeceased him.
Sun Is Shining
John Brim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sun is shining, although it's raining in my heart,
You know I love you baby, ah,
But the best of friend must part.
My baby left me this morning, ah,
And didn't even, ah, say goodbye,
My baby left me this morning,
She said she wasn't gonna leave me, ah,
But she told poor me a lie.
I had a dream, I had a dream one rainy night, ah,
Ah, I had a dream, I had a dream one rainy night, ah,
Went out, when I found my baby, ah,
She told me, "Daddy everything was alright."
The song "Sun Is Shining" by John Brim is a classic blues piece, that sings of heartbreak and loss. The opening lines of the song, "The sun is shining, although it's raining in my heart," express a sense of contrast and contradiction, indicating that while everything may be going well on the surface, the singer's emotions are in turmoil. He is clearly in love with someone, as evidenced by the line, "You know I love you baby," but there is a sense of pain and sadness creeping in. The line, "But the best of friends must part," suggests that the relationship has come to an end, and that the singer is resigned to the fact that he must let go.
The second verse reflects the singer's sense of bewilderment and betrayal, as he talks about how his partner left him without even saying goodbye. The line, "She said she wasn't gonna leave me, but she told poor me a lie," suggests that the singer was blindsided by the breakup, and that his partner had been giving him false assurances all along. He is hurt and angry, but also confused, as he tries to make sense of what has happened.
The final verse is more hopeful, as the singer talks about a dream he had where he found his partner, and she reassured him that everything was going to be alright. However, the dream is "one rainy night," suggesting that it is fleeting and tenuous. The song ends on this ambiguous note, with the singer still yearning for what he has lost, but holding onto hope that things may one day be better.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun is shining, although it's raining in my heart,
Even though the outside world might seem sunny and bright, my heart is heavy with sadness and pain due to my situation.
You know I love you baby, ah,
I have strong feelings of love and affection towards you, my significant other.
But the best of friend must part.
Sometimes, even the closest of relationships must come to an end, despite the feelings of love shared between the two individuals.
My baby left me this morning, ah,
My significant other left me earlier today, causing me great emotional turmoil and distress.
And didn't even, ah, say goodbye,
My significant other didn't even give me the courtesy of a farewell or a proper goodbye before leaving.
No, she didn't even, ah, she didn't even say goodbye, ah
I feel hurt and wronged that my significant other chose to leave without showing any regard for my feelings or emotions.
She said she wasn't gonna leave me, ah,
My significant other previously gave me reassurances that they wouldn't leave me, which made their sudden departure all the more unexpected.
But she told poor me a lie.
It seems that my significant other made false promises and wasn't truthful with me about their intentions to stay in the relationship.
I had a dream, I had a dream one rainy night, ah,
One night during a rainy evening, I had a vivid dream that stayed with me.
Went out, when I found my baby, ah,
Later on, I went out looking for my significant other.
She told me, 'Daddy everything was alright.'
When I found my significant other, they reassured me that everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about. However, given their sudden departure earlier in the day, I have reason to doubt the veracity of that statement.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ELMORE JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HannesWillems
Geweldig album Ab. Ben ik ook van jou gewend. Waar zijn de Rory Gallagher albums....😉
@abborburgh
Die zijn geblokkeerd (helaas)!
@abborburgh
Maar via rorygallagher.com kun je die alemaal beluisteren.
@abborburgh
Hallo, ondertussen enkele bootlegs geplaatst ...