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
Twenty Nine Ways
Tab Benoit Lyrics
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I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
And if he need me bad I can find about two or three more
I got a way through the window,
I got a way down the hall,
and if the goin' get rough I got a hole in the wall
I got 29 ways to get to my baby's door
I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
And when he need me bad I can find about two or three more
Now I got ways that I never have said
I got a trapdoor right under his bed
I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
And when he need me bad I can find about two or three more
I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
And if he need me bad I can find about two or three more
I got a way through the front,
I got a way through the back,
I got a loose hole and I can ease through the crack
I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
And if he need me bad I can find about two or three more
I got 29 ways now
I got 29 ways y'all
I got 29 ways yeah
I got 29 ways now
I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
The lyrics to Tab Benoit's song, "Twenty Nine Ways," speak of the many tactics employed by the singer to get to his lover's doorstep. He confidently boasts that he has 29 different ways to reach her, even stating that he has some methods that he's never disclosed before. The use of numbers in the lyrics is notable, as it emphasizes the multitude of options available to him, creating a sense of humor and playfulness.
It's also interesting to note the creative and unique ways in which he suggests he can reach his lover. He mentions climbing through windows, going down the hall, and even has a trapdoor under her bed. These methods show the singer's persistence and determination to reach his love despite potential obstacles. The final stanza mentions having a "loose hole" that he can "ease through the crack," which could perhaps have a humorous sexual connotation.
Overall, the song's lyrics suggest a lighthearted, playful tone as the singer lists his numerous ways of getting to his lover's door with ease. The song is a prime example of the clever wordplay and storytelling that is characteristic of blues music.
Line by Line Meaning
I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
The singer has created 29 different ways to reach his lover's door.
And if he need me bad I can find about two or three more
The singer knows a few more ways to reach his lover in case of an emergency.
I got a way through the window,
The singer has found a secret way to reach his lover's room through the window.
I got a way down the hall,
The singer has a path to his lover's room through the hall.
and if the goin' get rough I got a hole in the wall
In case of a troublesome situation, the singer has dug a hole in the wall to reach his lover's room.
Now I got ways that I never have said
The singer has kept some of his methods a secret until now.
I got a trapdoor right under his bed
The singer has created a trapdoor under his lover's bed to access his room.
I got a way through the front,
The singer can enter through the front door.
I got a way through the back,
The singer can enter through the backdoor as well.
I got a loose hole and I can ease through the crack
The singer has created a loose hole in the wall that he can ease through to reach his lover's room.
I got 29 ways now
The singer emphasizes that he has exactly 29 ways to reach his lover if needed.
I got 29 ways y'all
The singer is proud of the fact that he has come up with 29 unique ways to see his lover.
I got 29 ways yeah
The singer repeats that he has 29 different paths to his lover's door.
I got 29 ways just to get to my baby's door
The singer reiterates that he has made 29 ways to reach his lover's door, emphasizing the importance of his beloved.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind