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".
I'Ll Be Rested When The Roll Is Called
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be rested when the roll is called
I'll be rested in the kingdom of heaven
I'll be rested when the roll is called
See my elder
No more shouting
No more crying
See my mother
When the roll is called
I'll be rested when the roll is called
The lyrics of Ry Cooder's "I'll Be Rested When The Roll Is Called" are rooted in the concept of Christian eschatology, which teaches about the end of the world, judgment, and the afterlife. The lyrics suggest that the singer hopes to attain a state of rest and peace when they are called to join God's kingdom in the afterlife. The repetition of the line, "I'll be rested when the roll is called," emphasizes this hope for peace and quietude, and the idea that the singer is at peace with their fate.
The lyrics then turn to the singer's family members: they mention their elder, possibly referring to an older relative or spiritual leader, and express a desire to see their mother again. The repeated lines of "No more shouting, no more crying" may suggest that the singer and their community have faced difficult times but that they hope for a better future in heaven. The final lines reiterate the hope of rest and comfort when the singer's time comes.
Overall, the song is a poignant expression of faith and hope in the face of mortality. The desire for rest and peace is a common human longing, and the lyrics beautifully convey this desire in the context of Christian belief.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll be rested when the roll is called
I will finally find rest and comfort when my time on Earth ends and my name is summoned in heaven.
I'll be rested in the kingdom of heaven
I will find solace and peace in the realm of heaven after a lifetime of struggles and hardships.
See my elder
I am looking forward to reuniting with my elderly loved ones who have already passed away and are now in heaven.
No more shouting
There won't be any need for loud, frantic voices in the calm and serene environment of the afterlife.
No more crying
There won't be any need for tears or grief in the perfect and harmonious setting of heaven.
See my mother
I am eagerly anticipating reuniting with my mother, who has passed away and now resides in heaven.
When the roll is called
When the list of names to enter heaven is read out, I will be there, ready and at peace.
Lyrics © MADISON LEISURE CORP.
Written by: BLIND ROOSEVELT GRAVES, RYLAND PETER COODER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind