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".
Tamp
Ry Cooder Lyrics
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Tamp 'em up solid, so they won't come down
Tamp 'em up solid, buddy, so they won't come down
Tamp 'em up solid, so they won't come down
Tamp 'em up solid, buddy, so they won't come down
Baby, when you marry your railroad man
Baby, in your hand, baby, in your hand
Baby, in your hand, baby, in your hand
Mary and the baby laying in the bed
Thinking about the money that I ain't made
So tamp 'em up solid so they won't come down
Tamp 'em up solid, buddy, so they won't come down
Captain called the water boy and the water boy laughed
Captain kicked the water boy yelling, "Yes, yes, yes"
So tamp 'em up solid, so they won't come down
Tamp 'em up solid, buddy, so they won't come down
And you can do it, and you can do it, and you can do it
So they won't come down
The song "Tamp 'Em Up Solid" by Ry Cooder is a rendition of a traditional gospel tune that was popularly sung by laborers in the early 20th century. The song is believed to have originated from the railroad workers, who used the phrase "tamp 'em up solid" to describe the process of packing gravel and stones tightly under the railway ties and tracks to prevent them from shifting or sinking. The song's lyrics are a reference to the daily struggles and hardships of the railroad workers and their families, who often lived in poverty and uncertainty.
The opening lines of the song "Tamp 'Em Up Solid" reflect the need for hard work and determination in order to survive in a challenging environment. The repeated phrase "tamp 'em up solid" encourages the workers to persevere and maintain their strength, even under difficult circumstances. The lines "Baby, when you marry your railroad man, Every day'll be pay day, dollar bill in your hand" highlight the financial struggles and the hope for a better life that the workers' families had. The image of Mary and her baby lying in bed, worrying about money, shows the constant stress and pressure of living from one paycheck to another.
The song's message is one of solidarity and resilience in the face of adversity. The chorus urges the workers to come together and support each other by packing the gravel tightly to prevent the tracks from coming apart. The lines "And you can do it, and you can do it, and you can do it, so they won't come down" emphasize the importance of working together and supporting one another. The song ultimately celebrates the strength and endurance of the working-class people who built America's railroads and laid the foundation for the country's economic growth.
Line by Line Meaning
Tamp 'em up solid, so they won't come down
Pack the railroad ties tightly so they won't shift or come loose
Tamp 'em up solid, buddy, so they won't come down
Encouragement to fellow railroad workers to pack the ties tightly together to ensure safety
Baby, when you marry your railroad man
Addressing a woman who is considering marrying a railroad worker
Every day'll be pay day, dollar bill in your hand
Assurance that a marriage to a railroad worker will provide steady income
Mary and the baby laying in the bed
Description of a family waiting for the breadwinner to earn money
Thinking about the money that I ain't made
Worrying about the lack of income
Captain called the water boy and the water boy laughed
The captain made a request to the water boy, who found it amusing
Captain kicked the water boy yelling, "Yes, yes, yes"
The captain expressed frustration and kicked the water boy as he made the request again
And you can do it, and you can do it, and you can do it
Encouragement to all workers to work hard and pack the railroad ties tightly
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RY COODER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind