Born in Los Angeles, California on 15th March 1947, Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, after having worked with Taj Mahal in The Rising Sons.
He was a session guitarist on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969; Cooder's contributions most notably appear on the Stones' Beggars Banquet where he shares a prominent credit with pianist, Nicky Hopkins on the back cover. He continued to appear on the succeeding albums, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers, on which he contributed the haunting slide guitar solo to "Sister Morphine". Cooder is reputed to have taught Keith Richards to play in open-G tuning, now a Richards hallmark, as well as to have written the open-G signature riff of "Honky Tonk Women". He was briefly considered to fill the departed Brian Jones' place in the Rolling Stones, but reportedly Cooder and Keith Richards did not get along very well. For some time after the sessions, Cooder accused Keith Richards of "ripping him off" musically, but now refuses to talk about his experiences with the Stones. Cooder played slide guitar for the 1970 film Performance, which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner" on which Cooder played guitar.
Throughout the 1970s Cooder released a series of Warner Brothers albums that showcased his guitar work, to some degree. In this respect, Cooder's guitar work on these records is not unlike the guitar playing of Robbie Robertson on the Band's albums: Both virtuosos emphasized song over solo. Cooder's 1970s albums spotlight, more than anything, a wide-ranging taste in music. Cooder has been seen as almost a musicologist, exploring bygone musical genres with personalized and sensitive, updated reworkings of revered originals. Cooder's 1970s albums (with the exception of Jazz) cannot be neatly pigeonholed by genre, But - to generalise broadly - it might be fair to call Cooder's first album blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch, folk + blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime, a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Jazz, 1920s jazz; Bop till You Drop 1950s R&B and blues; and Borderline an eclectic mix of Tex-Mex with blues, R&B, and country and Get Rhythm, with more rock-based excursions.
Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks, of which perhaps the best known is that for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas. Ry Cooder based this soundtrack, and the haunting title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all music from the US." His other film work includes Walter Hill's The Long Riders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1981).
In recent years, Cooder has played a role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer in the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Cooder worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.
Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and almost everything else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, the Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Gabby Pahinui, and Ali Farka Toure. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.
Cooder's 1979 album Bop till You Drop was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, a disco/R&B cover of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister".
Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now
Ry Cooder Lyrics
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They got a man they call Big Bad Bill
I want to tell you, he sure was tough
And he certainly did strut his stuff
He had folks all scared to death
When he walked by they all held their breath
He was a fighting man, sure enough
'Cause Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now
Married life has changed him some how
Well, he's the man the town used to fear
But now the people call him sweet papa Willie dear
Stronger than Samson I declare
'Til the brown skinned woman bobbed his hair
Big Bad Bill don't fight anymore
Well, he wash his dishes and he might swob the floor
Well, he used to spend his evenings lookin' for a fight
Now he gotta see his mama every night
Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now
Well, he used to spend his evenings lookin' for a fight
Now he gotta see his mama every night
Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now
The lyrics of Ry Cooder's song 'Big Bad Bill' is centered around the transformation of a feared man named Bill who used to be a belligerent fighter and a terror to the town of Louisville. He was a strong and menacing man that caused people to tremble in fear at the sight of him. The song describes his past as a fighter and his present as a reformed man who is now called Sweet William by the people in the town. He has now settled down with a wife, and his once feared reputation has taken a positive turn as he is now known as a gentle and kind man.
The lyrics portrays his former life as a fighter and now as a domesticated and responsible man. Bill's change is noticeable as he now prefers spending time with his mother and washing dishes instead of fighting. The song also features a comical aspect when it describes how his wife transformed him and made him a proper man who now gardens, cooks and dusts.
Overall, 'Big Bad Bill' represents the theme of transformation and how people are not always what they appear to be. Bill's once formidable personality was changed by love and the family-oriented lifestyle he now leads.
Line by Line Meaning
In the town of Louisville
The events of this story take place in Louisville.
They got a man they call Big Bad Bill
There is a man known as Big Bad Bill in Louisville.
I want to tell you, he sure was tough
Big Bad Bill was known for being a tough and intimidating person.
And he certainly did strut his stuff
Big Bad Bill carried himself with pride and confidence.
He had folks all scared to death
People were afraid of Big Bad Bill.
When he walked by they all held their breath
People were so afraid of Big Bad Bill that they would hold their breath when he walked by.
He was a fighting man, sure enough
Big Bad Bill was known for being a fighter.
Now Bill got himself a wife and he leads a different life
Big Bad Bill got married and his life changed.
'Cause Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now
After getting married, Big Bad Bill's new nickname is Sweet William.
Married life has changed him some how
Big Bad Bill's marriage has had an impact on him.
Well, he's the man the town used to fear
Big Bad Bill used to be someone the town was afraid of.
But now the people call him sweet papa Willie dear
Since he got married, the people in the town now refer to Big Bad Bill as a sweet and loving man.
Stronger than Samson I declare
Big Bad Bill was once incredibly strong.
'Til the brown skinned woman bobbed his hair
At some point, a woman with brown skin cut Big Bad Bill's hair short.
Big Bad Bill don't fight anymore
Since getting married, Big Bad Bill no longer fights people.
Well, he wash his dishes and he might swob the floor
Now that he's married, Big Bad Bill spends his time doing household chores like washing dishes and cleaning.
Well, he used to spend his evenings lookin' for a fight
Before getting married, Big Bad Bill would spend his evenings searching for someone to fight.
Now he gotta see his mama every night
Since getting married, Big Bad Bill now spends his evenings visiting his mother.
Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now
One more time, Big Bad Bill's new nickname is Sweet William after getting married.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jack Yellen, Milton Ager
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind