A guitar player since his teenage years, he hung out at the Blues Box, a music club and cultural center in Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Playing guitar alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile regulars at the club, Benoit learned the blues first-hand from a faculty of living blues legends. He formed a trio in 1987 and began playing clubs in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. He began touring other parts of the south two years later and started touring more of the United States in 1991- and he continues to this day.
Benoit landed a recording contract with the Texas-based Justice Records and released a series of well-received recordings, beginning in 1992 with Nice and Warm, an album that prompted comparisons to blues guitar heavyweights like Albert King, Albert Collins and even Jimi Hendrix. Despite the hype, Benoit has done his best over the years to maintain a commitment to his Cajun roots— a goal that often eluded him when past producers and promoters tried to turn him and his recordings in a rock direction, often against his better instincts. These Blues Are All Mine, released on Vanguard in 1999 after Justice folded, marked a return to the rootsy sound that he’d been steered away from for several years.
That same year, he appeared on Homesick for the Road, a collaborative album on the Telarc label with fellow guitarists Kenny Neal and Debbie Davies. Homesick not only served as a showcase for three relatively young but clearly rising stars, but also launched Benoit’s relationship with Telarc that came to fruition in 2002 with the release of Wetlands —arguably the most authentically Cajun installment in his entire ten-year discography.
On Wetlands, Benoit mixes original material like the autobiographical “When a Cajun Man Gets the Blues” and the driving “Fast and Free” with little-known classics like Li’l Bob & the Lollipops’ “I Got Loaded,” Professor Longhair’s “Her Mind Is Gone” and Otis Redding’s timeless “These Arms of Mine” (Tab’s vocal style has long been influenced by Redding).
Later in 2002, Benoit released Whiskey Store, a collaborative recording with fellow guitarist and Telarc labelmate Jimmy Thackery as well as harpist Charlie Musselwhite and Double Trouble—the two-man rhythm section of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton that backed Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Benoit, in 2003, released Sea Saint Sessions, recorded at Big Easy Recording Studio (better known among musicians in the region as Sea Saint Studio) in New Orleans. In addition to Benoit and his regular crew—bassist Carl Dufrene and drummer Darryl White—Sea Saint Sessions includes numerous guest appearances by Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Cyril Neville, Brian Stoltz and George Porter.
That same year, Benoit and Thackery took their dueling guitar show on the road and recorded a March 2003 performance at the Unity Centre for Performing Arts in Unity, Maine. The result was Whiskey Store Live, a high-energy guitar fest released in February 2004.
Benoit's 2005 release is Fever for the Bayou,which also includes guest appearances by Cyril Neville (vocals and percussion) and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux (vocals).
An interview with Tab Benoit:
http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/interviews/tab_benoit.html
Crosscut Saw
Tab Benoit Lyrics
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I'm a cross cut saw, just drag me across your log.
I cut your wood so easy for you, you can't help but say 'Hot dog!'.
I've got a double-bladed axe.
That really cuts good.
I'm a cross cut saw.
Just burry me in the wood.
I'm a cross cut saw, just drag me 'cross your log.
I cut your wood so easy for you, you can't help but say 'Hot dog!'.
Some call me wood-choppin' Sam.
Some call me wood-cuttin' Ben.
Last girl I cut the wood for.
Want me back again.
I'm a cross cut saw, just drag me 'cross your log.
I cut your wood so easy for you, you can't help but say 'Hot dog!'.
In Tab Benoit's bluesy tune "Crosscut Saw," the singer proudly proclaims himself to be a crosscut saw, an essential tool for any logger. He describes the ease and efficiency with which he can cut through logs, earning him the admiration of those who use him. The double-bladed axe mentioned in the second verse is likely another tool in the logger's toolkit. The repeated refrain of "I cut your wood so easy for you, you can't help but say 'Hot dog!'" reinforces the singer's confidence in his ability to get the job done.
The third verse introduces the idea that the singer is also known by different names depending on who you ask – "wood-choppin' Sam" or "wood-cuttin' Ben." This suggests that the singer may be a personification of the crosscut saw itself or may simply be a skilled logger who has earned a reputation for his expertise. The final lines of the song reveal that the singer has recently cut wood for a woman who was so impressed with his work that she wants him to come back and do more.
Overall, "Crosscut Saw" is a celebration of hard work and the pride that comes from doing a job well. The bluesy guitar riffs and powerful vocals lend an air of grit and determination to the song, making it a fitting tribute to those who make a living from the land.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a cross cut saw, just drag me 'cross your log.
I am a tool used for sawing large logs. Just use me and I will make the job easy for you.
I cut your wood so easy for you, you can't help but say 'Hot dog!'.
I make the task of cutting wood so effortless that you can’t help but show excitement for how easy it is.
I've got a double-bladed axe.
I am designed with two blades that make cutting wood even more efficient and quick.
That really cuts good.
The double-bladed axe is highly effective and efficient at cutting through wood.
Just bury me in the wood.
Insert me into the log of wood that needs to be cut.
Some call me wood-choppin' Sam.
Some people refer to me as Sam and associate me with chopping wood.
Some call me wood-cuttin' Ben.
Some people refer to me as Ben and associate me with cutting wood.
Last girl I cut the wood for.
The most recent person who used me was a woman who needed woodcutting services.
Wanted me back again.
She liked my performance and wanted to use me again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TOMMY MCCLENNAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind