Magic Sam (Samuel Gene Maghett, February 14, 1937 – December 1, 1969) was a… Read Full Bio ↴Magic Sam (Samuel Gene Maghett, February 14, 1937 – December 1, 1969) was an American Chicago blues musician. He was born in Grenada, Mississippi, and learned to play the blues from listening to records by Muddy Waters and Little Walter. After moving to Chicago at the age of 19, he was signed by Cobra Records and became well known as a bluesman after the release of his first record, "All Your Love", in 1957. He was known for his distinctive tremolo guitar playing.

Magic Sam moved to Chicago in 1956, where his guitar playing earned him bookings at blues clubs on the West Side. He recorded singles for Cobra Records from 1957 to 1959, including "All Your Love" and "Easy Baby". They did not reach the record charts but had a profound influence, far beyond Chicago's guitarists and singers. Together with recordings by Otis Rush and Buddy Guy (also Cobra artists), they were a manifesto for a new kind of blues. Around this time Magic Sam worked briefly with Homesick James Williamson.

Magic Sam gained a following before being drafted into the U.S. Army. He served six months in prison for desertion and received a dishonorable discharge.

In 1963, he gained national attention for his single "Feelin' Good (We're Gonna Boogie)". He successfully toured the U.S., Britain and Germany. He was signed to Delmark Records in 1967, for which he recorded West Side Soul and Black Magic. He continued performing live and toured with blues harp player Charlie Musselwhite and Sam Lay.

Magic Sam's breakthrough performance was at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival in 1969, which won him many bookings in the U.S. and Europe.

His career was cut short when he suddenly died of a heart attack in December 1969. He was 32 years old. He is buried in the Restvale Cemetery, in Alsip, Illinois. In February 1970, the Butterfield Blues Band played at a benefit concert for Magic Sam, at Fillmore West in San Francisco. Also on the bill were Mike Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite and Nick Gravenites.

His guitar style, vocals, and songwriting have inspired and influenced many blues musicians. In the film The Blues Brothers, Jake Blues dedicates the band's performance of "Sweet Home Chicago" to the "late, great Magic Sam".

The stage name Magic Sam was devised by Sam's bass player and childhood friend Mack Thompson at Sam's first recording session for Cobra as an approximation of "Maghett Sam". The name Sam was using at the time, Good Rocking Sam, was already being used by another artist.

"Magic Sam had a different guitar sound," said his record producer, Willie Dixon. "Most of the guys were playing the straight 12-bar blues thing, but the harmonies that he carried with the chords was a different thing altogether. This tune "All Your Love", he expressed with such an inspirational feeling with his high voice. You could always tell him, even from his introduction to the music."

Awards and recognition
1982, Blues Foundation Blues Music Award for Magic Sam Live in the category Vintage or Reissue Album of the Year (US)
1982, Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, induction as Performer
1984, Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, West Side Soul selected in the category Classics of Blues Recordings – Albums
1990, Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, Black Magic selected in the category Classics of Blues Recordings –

Partial album discography

1967 West Side Soul Delmark Recorded Chicago, 1967
1968 Black Magic Delmark Recorded Chicago, 1968
1969 Raw Blues Live 1969 Rock Beat Records Recorded in Berkeley, Calif., 1969
1980 The Late Great Magic Sam L+R Recorded 1963–64, 1969
1981 Magic Sam Live Delmark Recorded live in Chicago, 1963–64, and Ann Arbor, 1969
1981 Magic Touch Black Magic Recorded live in Chicago, 1966
1989 The Magic Sam Legacy Delmark Outtakes and alternate takes recorded in Chicago, 1966–68
1991 Give Me Time Delmark Solo demo and rehearsal home recordings, 1968
2001 With a Feeling – The Complete Cobra, Chief & Crash Recordings 1957–1966 Westside Most pre-Delmark recordings; also available as Out of Luck, P-Vine, 2003
2002 Rockin' Wild in Chicago Delmark Recorded live in Chicago, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968
2008 Genius: The Final Sessions Intermedia Previously unreleased
2013 Live at the Avant Garde June 22, 1968 Delmark Recorded live at the Avant Garde coffeehouse, Milwaukee, June 22, 1968

I Can't Quit You Baby
Magic Sam Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We-ell, I can't quit you baby,
But I got to put you down a little while
We-ell, I can't quit you baby,
But I got to put you down a little while
We-ell you done made me mess up my happy home,
Made me mistreat my only child

Ah, when you hear me moanin' and groanin',

Whoa you know it hurts me way down inside
Whoa when you hear me moanin' and groanin',
You know it hurts way down inside
Oh when you hear me howlin',
Ooh you know my love will never die, alright

Well when you see me cryin',
Don't let my tears fall in vain
Well when you see me cryin, darlin',
Please don't let my tears fall in vain
Lord, I don't know what to do,
You know my heart is filled with pain

Whoa, when you hear me howlin',
Baby, you know it hurts way down inside

Overall Meaning

The song "I Can't Quit You Baby" by Magic Sam is a blues classic about a man who is hopelessly in love with his woman but knows that their relationship is causing more harm than good. In the opening verse, the singer sings about how he can't quit his woman, but he has to put her down for a while because she's made him mess up his happy home and mistreat his child. The singer is torn because he loves her, but he knows he needs to do what's right for his family.

The chorus of the song is about how much the singer is hurting because of his love for this woman. He moans and groans, and it hurts him way down inside. When he howls, he's saying that his love for her will never die, even though it's causing him so much pain.

In the final verse, the singer pleads with his woman not to let his tears fall in vain. He doesn't know what to do because his heart is filled with pain. He knows that he can't quit her, but he also knows that their relationship is causing more harm than good.

Overall, "I Can't Quit You Baby" is a powerful and emotional song about the complexities of love and relationships. It showcases Magic Sam's incredible talent as a blues musician and his ability to convey deep and meaningful emotions through his music.

Line by Line Meaning

We-ell, I can't quit you baby,
I can't stop loving you, even though I need to take a break sometimes.

But I got to put you down a little while
I need to take some time away from you, just for a little bit

We-ell you done made me mess up my happy home,
You caused problems in my life, and now my home is no longer happy

Made me mistreat my only child
You caused me so much stress and pain that I took it out on my own child in a negative way.

Ah, when you hear me moanin' and groanin',
When you hear me in pain and agony

Whoa you know it hurts me way down inside
My pain is very intense and deeply felt

Whoa when you hear me moanin' and groanin',
When I'm in agony and distress

You know it hurts way down inside
The depth of my suffering is beyond words

Oh when you hear me howlin',
When you hear me screaming in agony

Ooh you know my love will never die, alright
Despite everything you've done, my love for you will always remain strong.

Well when you see me cryin',
When you see me weeping and helpless