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".
Strike!
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I started walking up the main street when the sun was going down
When I heard some voices singing, so I went to see what for
Might just be a birthday party, and it might be room for just one more
But it was miners and their families, they had left the mine that day
Walked out for safe conditions, on strike for decent pay
And they sang about their struggle, and their spirit never failed
Keep your hand upon the dollar and your eye upon the scale
Union miners stand together, heed no operator's tale
Keep your hand upon the dollar and your eye upon the scale
Well all at once police came running, they came running everywhere
They broke up that miner's meeting, and they carried everyone to jail
But the miners kept on singing and they sang the whole night through
When the sun rose in the morning I had learned that miners song
Now the judge he asked the police captain, What's that red cat doin' here?
Get all the reds off the streets, sir, was your orders loud and clear
Now they turned me out of the jailhouse back door, but I wouldn't leave my miner friends
I jumped back to that jailhouse winder and I sang that miner songs again
Union miners stand together, heed no operator's tale
Keep your hand upon the dollar and your eye upon the scale
Ry Cooder's song Strike! tells the story of a man who visits a mining town and witnesses a strike among the miners due to unsafe working conditions and low pay. The man hears the miners and their families singing about their struggle and their resolve to stand together until their demands are met. The song emphasizes the importance of the workers' union uniting to fight against the powerful mining operators who put profits before the safety and well-being of their employees. The lyrics urge the workers to keep their focus on their cause, reminding them to "keep your hand upon the dollar and your eye upon the scale." Despite the police's attempt to break up the gathering and arrest the protesters, the miners continue to sing, and their determination inspires the singer to join in and support their cause.
At its core, "Strike!" is a protest song that highlights the struggles of workers and the importance of unions in protecting their rights. The song captures the spirit of solidarity and resistance against the forces of exploitation and oppression. It resonates with the struggles of workers today and the continuing need to fight for fair wages and safe working conditions.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I got off the train one evening in a little mining town
I arrived in a small town that was focused on mining.
I started walking up the main street when the sun was going down
I walked up the main street as the sun was setting.
When I heard some voices singing, so I went to see what for
I discovered some people singing and wanted to know why.
Might just be a birthday party, and it might be room for just one more
I thought it could be a birthday party and maybe there was space for one more person.
But it was miners and their families, they had left the mine that day
It was actually a group of miners and their families who had left the mine for safety reasons.
Walked out for safe conditions, on strike for decent pay
They protested for safe conditions and better pay by going on strike.
And they sang about their struggle, and their spirit never failed
They sang about their difficult experience and remained determined throughout their struggle.
Keep your hand upon the dollar and your eye upon the scale
They urged each other to pay attention to the money and the measurements they were being paid by.
Union miners stand together, heed no operator's tale
They encouraged each other to stand united and not listen to the mine's management.
Well all at once police came running, they came running everywhere
Suddenly, the police appeared and began running in all directions.
They broke up that miner's meeting, and they carried everyone to jail
The police interrupted and dispersed the miner's gathering, and arrested everyone involved.
But the miners kept on singing and they sang the whole night through
Despite being arrested, the miners continued singing through the night.
When the sun rose in the morning I had learned that miners song
By the next morning, I had learned the song the miners had been singing.
Now the judge he asked the police captain, What's that red cat doin' here?
The judge questioned the police captain about my presence because of my affiliation with leftist groups.
Get all the reds off the streets, sir, was your orders loud and clear
The police captain was given orders to remove all those who were perceived to be connected to leftist groups.
Now they turned me out of the jailhouse back door, but I wouldn't leave my miner friends
Although I was released from jail, I refused to leave my miner friends behind.
I jumped back to that jailhouse winder and I sang that miner songs again
I returned to the jailhouse window to sing the song with my miner friends.
Union miners stand together, heed no operator's tale
Again, they urged each other to stand united and not listen to the mine's management, this time with my accompaniment.
Contributed by Sadie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.