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".
Crossroads
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fell down on my knees
I went down to the crossroad
Fell down on my knees
Asked the lord above "Have mercy now
Save poor Bob if you please"
Yeeooo, standin' at the crossroad
Tried to flag a ride
Ooh ooh eee
I tried to flag a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me babe
Everybody pass me by
Standin' at the crossroad babe
Risin' sun goin' down
Standin' at the crossroad babe
Eee eee eee, risin' sun goin' down
I believe to my soul now,
Poor Bob is sinkin' down
You can run, you can run
Tell my friend Willie Brown
You can run, you can run
Tell my friend Willie Brown
(th)'at I got the croosroad blues this mornin' Lord
Babe, I'm sinkin' down
And I went to the crossraod momma
I looked east and west
I went to the crossraod baby
I looked east and west
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman
Ooh-well babe, in my distress
The lyrics of Ry Cooder's song Crossroads were inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson, who according to folklore, sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in Mississippi in exchange for his musical talent. The song narrates the story of a man, Bob, who goes to the crossroads and falls on his knees to plead with God for mercy and salvation. He tries to flag a ride but nobody seems to know him or care to help him. The rising sun is going down and poor Bob is sinking. He tells his friend Willie Brown that he has the crossroad blues and he is sinking down. Bob went to the crossroad looking for a solution to his problems, but he didn't find any help, and he feels alone and distressed because he doesn't have a woman to comfort him.
The lyrics of Crossroads evoke a sense of desperation, loneliness, and hopelessness. Bob is facing a crisis, and he is turning to God for help. However, his prayers seem to go unanswered, and he is left with no one to turn to. The imagery of the crossroads represents a turning point in his life where he must make a choice, but he is confused and overwhelmed. The song captures the essence of the blues and the African American experience of hardship, struggle, and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
I went down to the crossroad
I traveled to the point where two roads meet
Fell down on my knees
I humbled myself in prayer
Asked the lord above "Have mercy now
Save poor Bob if you please"
I pleaded with God to show mercy and intervene on Bob's behalf
Yeeooo, standin' at the crossroad
Expressing emotion at being at the crossroads
Tried to flag a ride
I attempted to get someone to stop and give me a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me babe
Everybody pass me by
No one recognized me and everyone ignored me
Standin' at the crossroad babe
Risin' sun goin' down
I'm still at the crossroads and the sun is setting
I believe to my soul now,
Poor Bob is sinkin' down
I have a deep conviction that Bob is in trouble
You can run, you can run
Tell my friend Willie Brown
(th)'at I got the croosroad blues this mornin' Lord
If you see Willie Brown, tell him that I'm experiencing a difficult situation
Babe, I'm sinkin' down
I'm feeling helpless and sinking into despair
And I went to the crossraod momma
I looked east and west
I surveyed the surroundings and pondered what to do
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman
Ooh-well babe, in my distress
I didn't have anyone to comfort me during my time of need
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ryland Peter Cooder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind