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".
Straight Street
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Right next to the liar's house
My number was self-righteousness
And a very little guide of mouth
So I moved, I moved
And I'm living on straight street now
I moved, I had moved
I'm living on straight street now
Before I moved over
Let me tell you how it was with me
Old Satan had me bound in chains
And I had no liberty
One day my heart got troubled
All about my dwelling place
I heard the Lord when He spoke to me
And he told me to leave that place
So I moved, I moved
And I'm living on straight street now
Yes, I moved, I moved
Well, I'm living on straight street now
Since I moved, I'm really living
I've got peace within
I thank the Lord for everything
So glad I found new friends
Since I moved, I moved
And I'm living on straight street now
I moved, I had moved
And I'm living on straight street now
I'm living on straight street now
Yes, I moved, I had moved
Living on straight street now
Yes, I moved, I had moved
Yes, I'm living on straight street now
We I moved, yes I had moved
And I'm living on straight street now
(Moved, moved)
(Living on straight street now)
(Moved, moved)
(Living on straight street now)
Ry Cooder's "Straight Street" is a testimony of a man who had lived a life of sin and was in bondage to the devil until he heard the voice of the Lord and moved to "Straight Street," where he found freedom and peace. The song opens with the singer describing his former life on Broadway, next to the liar's house. He identifies himself with the number of self-righteousness and a very little guide of mouth, which suggests his arrogance and lack of humility. However, he had a transformation and moved away from that place, into a new community, where he has found a new sense of direction and purpose.
The second stanza shows how the singer was in bondage to the devil, and he had no liberty. It highlights his spiritual journey and the moment of revelation when he decided to move away from his dwelling place. The moment was significant as it points out how he heard the Lord speak to him and reveal the truth about his life. The third and final stanza describes the singer's new life on Straight Street, where he is living with peace, gratitude, and new friends. The song's message is about redemption, new beginnings, and how anyone can find their way out of the darkness and into the light.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I used to live on Broadway
I previously lived in a place where lies were common.
Right next to the liar's house
My previous neighbors were dishonest.
My number was self-righteousness
I used to think very highly of myself.
And a very little guide of mouth
I spoke too much without taking time to listen.
So I moved, I moved
I decided to leave that place of dishonesty.
And I'm living on straight street now
I have found a new place where I try to live honestly.
Before I moved over
But before I decided to make that move,
Let me tell you how it was with me
I want to describe how I felt at that time.
Old Satan had me bound in chains
I was trapped in bad habits and unhealthy ways.
And I had no liberty
I felt like I was not in control of my life.
One day my heart got troubled
One day I felt miserable,
All about my dwelling place
because of where I was living.
I heard the Lord when He spoke to me
Then I felt that I received a message from a higher power.
And he told me to leave that place
I felt called to move away from that dishonest environment.
Since I moved, I'm really living
Since I made that change, my life became meaningful.
I've got peace within
I found inner peace and happiness.
I thank the Lord for everything
I give credit to God for all the good things in my life.
So glad I found new friends
I am happy to have found new honest friends.
Yes, I moved, I had moved
I moved from that place of dishonesty.
Living on straight street now
I am currently living an honest life.
(Moved, moved)
I made that important move.
(Living on straight street now)
And it changed my life for the better.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES ALEXANDER, JESSE WHITAKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jmeara9912
I'd bet that ry, he's probably someone worth knowing in real life. Does anyone else get the idea that he's kinda a walking encyclopedia?
@luanaconley6871
A real musicologist, a student of American and international musical forms and the history that shaped them. He puts the music in context, and shows how it connects to us all here and now, wherever we find ourselves.
@johnclapzucker3145
I cannot imagine a world without him. Thanks for everything!
@sinwich
He has been part of my life for 45 years....love the dude
@aloisemason3972
One of the best recording artist that ever lived ,is Ry Cooder and his band ..genius at what Ry Cooder sings and plays on slider guitar..the sound is fabulous..
@draaikont8637
it's strange how music can rip the tears out of your eyes when you feel depressed and you think you have no more emotions left in your guts. thank you for letting me understand i'm not dead on the inside... love you mr. Ry.
@macmcdowell4417
" ... thank you for letting me understand i'm not dead on the inside." - Ever notice how that ability to "charm" others in that way is a gift of the great ones, no matter the artistic medium they practice, and no matter what emotion is being evoked, or even provoked. Ry is certainly one of those, with the exception of being provocative. Ry's style is not about catharsis, for him or the listener. Catharsis spits out, for the purpose of relieving inner stress. With songs like "Straight Street", Ry is more concerned with what he, or we take in, or consider for the purpose of achieving inner okay-ness, actually redemption. His songs, like "Straight Street", are about the protagonist righting behaviors, now considered wrong. Plus, the protagonist is offering up a solution, which is long term, as opposed to using episodic catharses as a cure. Just like gospel music does. Music that adds, rather than subtracts. Both can produce the same emotional response, though the prescriptions do vary. Call it magic. // Your comment really struck a chord with me. And got me to thinking about what makes Ry tick. And what makes him different, besides his exceptional skills and touch with stringed instruments. His playing is more like talking out his emotions, with all the verbal inflections included. That you can be touched by his music, already proves you're not dead on the inside at all, though sometimes it can feel like that. Who doesn't need this kind of doctoring? It's good to have Ry on your team of medical providers. Be Well!
@timoakes450
Still here matey take great care lol Tommy24
@macmcdowell4417
This guy's musical "talking" is astonishing. Understated and sublime musicality. That's no easy trick. Big thanks, Ry!
@brianlevin3602
One of the most under-rated musicians out there……just love him