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".
Don't Call Me Red
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Richard Neutra is my friend, and he's the man.
He's been to school and he can see what's best for all of you.
Please trust me, my name is Frank, don't turn me down.
Don't call me red.
Every church has its prophets and its elders.
God will love you if you just play ball, that's right.
I outlived those bastards after all.
We survived those dark days full of danger.
In the end fate has been good to me.
If you're in the neighbourhood, stranger,
You're welcome to drop in and see.
My name is Frank, don't turn me down.
Don't call me red.
The lyrics of Ry Cooder's song Don't Call Me Red evoke a sense of pleading with the listener to not judge the singer based on his appearance, the color of his skin, or his political beliefs. The singer urges the listener to instead see him as an individual with a plan and with connections to influential figures. He mentions Richard Neutra, an Austrian-American architect who was instrumental in the modernist movement in architecture, as a friend who can help guide the listener towards what is best for everyone. The singer pleads with the listener to trust him and not to turn him down.
The second stanza of the song seems to critique organized religion and law enforcement. The singer mentions that every church has its prophets and elders, but ultimately it is up to the listener to make the right choices. The line "God will love you if you just play ball" implies that blindly following the rules and not questioning authority is not necessarily the right path to take. The next three lines mention Fritz Burns, Chief Parker, and J Edgar, all of whom can be interpreted as powerful figures who may have discriminated against the singer in the past. However, the singer is proud that he has outlived them and has survived the danger of the "dark days."
The final stanza of the song is a sort of invitation to the listener. The singer mentions that fate has been good to him, and extends an offer to the stranger to come see him if they are ever in the neighborhood. Again, he repeats that his name is Frank and asks the listener to not call him red. In this final stanza, there seems to be a sense of acceptance of what has been and an openness to what may come in the future.
Some possible interpretations of the song may include themes of racial and political discrimination, the struggle for individualism and self-expression in the face of oppressive systems, and the importance of building connections with others who may be able to help guide us towards what is best for ourselves and society as a whole.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't call me red, don't turn me down, I've got a plan.
Do not reject me based on my political ideology, I have an idea that I believe would work.
Richard Neutra is my friend, and he's the man.
I have an influential friend who is an expert in his field.
He's been to school and he can see what's best for all of you.
My friend's education and experience qualify him to make informed decisions for the benefit of all.
Please trust me, my name is Frank, don't turn me down.
I am asking for trust in my proposal and my name is Frank, not associated with the communist party.
Every church has its prophets and its elders.
Every organization has its leaders and respected authorities.
God will love you if you just play ball, that's right.
You will be rewarded if you conform to the norm and do not question authority.
Fritz Burns, Chief Parker, and J Edgar.
I have outlasted and outlived influential people who once had power over me.
We survived those dark days full of danger.
I have been through difficult and perilous times and have come out on the other side.
In the end fate has been good to me.
Despite challenges, I have had good luck and favorable outcomes.
If you're in the neighbourhood, stranger,
If you happen to be nearby, even if we are not familiar with each other,
You're welcome to drop in and see.
You are invited to visit me.
My name is Frank, don't turn me down.
Once again, my name is Frank and I implore you to consider what I have to offer.
Don't call me red.
I am not a communist, do not judge me based on unfounded accusations or rumors.
Contributed by Evan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.