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".
My Old Kentucky Home
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shootin' at the birds on the telephone line pickin' 'em off with this gun of mine
Got a fire in my belly and a fire in my head goin' higher and higher till I'm dead
Sister Sue is short and stout she didn't grow up she grew out
Mama says she's plain but she's just bein' kind
Papa thinks she's pretty but he's almost blind
Don't let her out much cept at night but I don't care cause I'm alright
Oh the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home
Keep them hard times away from my door
Brother Gene is big and mean and don't have much to say
He had a little woman who he whooped each day now she's gone away
Got drunk last night kicked mama down the stairs but I'm all right so I don't care
Oh the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home
And the young folks are rollin' on the floor
Oh the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home
Them hard times away from my door
Turpentine and dandelion wine
Oh the sun shines bright
Keep them hard times away from my door
The lyrics of "My Old Kentucky Home" by Ry Cooder paint a picture of a dysfunctional family and the singer's detachment from it. The first stanza speaks of the singer's newfound happiness after presumably going through a rough patch ("turpentine and dandelion wine I've turned the corner and I'm doing fine"). He then talks about shooting birds with a gun, possibly as a form of catharsis or rebellion. The last line ("goin' higher and higher till I'm dead") could be seen as a commentary on the dangers of such behavior.
The second stanza introduces the singers' family members. Sister Sue is described as "short and stout", highlighting her appearance. Mama's opinion of her is less than favorable, while Papa's is biased ("almost blind"). The singer himself doesn't seem to care about her one way or the other. The description of Brother Gene is more negative, referring to his physical stature and abusive behavior. The fact that the little woman he used to beat has left him suggests she's had enough of his abuse, and the singer doesn't seem to mind.
The repetition of "oh the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home" at the end of each stanza is a stark contrast to the content of the lyrics. Rather than a happy, prosperous family, the singer describes dysfunction and violence. It could be interpreted as a commentary on the facade of happiness and prosperity that's often projected, despite the reality being very different.
Line by Line Meaning
Turpentine and dandelion wine
I'm enjoying myself and feeling good, even with simple pleasures like turpentine and dandelion wine.
I've turned the corner and I'm doing fine
I've overcome difficult times and I'm doing well now.
Shootin' at the birds on the telephone line pickin' 'em off with this gun of mine
I'm feeling powerful and in control, like when I take aim and shoot at birds on a telephone wire.
Got a fire in my belly and a fire in my head goin' higher and higher till I'm dead
I'm filled with passion and a drive to keep going and achieving more until I pass away.
Sister Sue is short and stout she didn't grow up she grew out
My sister has always had a larger body frame, but that doesn't define her or make her any less valuable.
Mama says she's plain but she's just bein' kind
My mother thinks my sister is plain-looking, but she's trying to be nice.
Papa thinks she's pretty but he's almost blind
My father thinks my sister is beautiful, but his vision is not the best.
Don't let her out much cept at night but I don't care cause I'm alright
My sister doesn't leave the house much, but it doesn't bother me because I'm doing okay.
Oh the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home young folks roll on the floor
Life is good in Kentucky and people are having a good time dancing.
Keep them hard times away from my door
I hope to continue living my life without any more difficult challenges.
Brother Gene is big and mean and don't have much to say
My brother is not very talkative, but he has a strong and intimidating presence.
He had a little woman who he whooped each day now she's gone away
My brother used to physically abuse his girlfriend, but now she has left him.
Got drunk last night kicked mama down the stairs but I'm all right so I don't care
I got drunk and caused harm to my mother, but I'm not too worried about the consequences.
Them hard times away from my door
I don't want to face any more difficult situations or hardships.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind