Tampa Red is best known as an accomplished and influential blues guitarist who had a unique single-string bottleneck style. His songwriting and his silky, polished slide technique influenced other leading Chicago blues guitarists, such as Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Nighthawk, as well as Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Mose Allison and many others. In a career spanning over 30 years he also recorded pop, R&B and hokum records.
He was born Hudson Woodbridge in Smithville, Georgia. His parents died when he was a child, and he moved to Tampa, Florida, where he was raised by his aunt and grandmother and adopted their surname, Whittaker. He emulated his older brother, Eddie, who played guitar, and he was especially inspired by an old street musician called Piccolo Pete, who first taught him to play blues licks on a guitar.
In the 1920s, having already perfected his slide technique, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, and began his career as a musician, adopting the name "Tampa Red" from his childhood home and red hair. His big break was being hired to accompany Ma Rainey and he began recording in 1928 with "It's Tight Like That", in a bawdy and humorous style that became known as "hokum". Early recordings were mostly collaborations with Thomas A. Dorsey, known at the time as Georgia Tom. Tampa Red and Georgia Tom recorded almost 90 sides, sometimes as "The Hokum Boys" or, with Frankie Jaxon, as "Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band".
In 1928, Tampa Red became the first black musician to play a National steel-bodied resonator guitar, the loudest and showiest guitar available before amplification, acquiring one in the first year they were available. This allowed him to develop his trademark bottleneck style, playing single string runs, not block chords, which was a precursor to later blues and rock guitar soloing. The National guitar he used was a gold-plated tricone, which was found in Illinois in the 1990s and later sold to the "Experience Music Project" in Seattle. Tampa Red was known as "The Man With The Gold Guitar", and, into the 1930s, he was billed as "The Guitar Wizard".
His partnership with Dorsey ended in 1932, but he remained much in demand as a session musician, working with John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, Memphis Minnie, and many others. In 1934 he signed for Victor Records. He formed the Chicago Five, a group of session musicians who created what became known as the Bluebird sound, a precursor of the small group style of later jump blues and rock and roll bands. He was a close friend and associate of Big Bill Broonzy and Big Maceo Merriweather. He enjoyed commercial success and reasonable prosperity, and his home became a centre for the blues community, informally providing rehearsal space, bookings, and lodgings for the flow of musicians who arrived in Chicago from the Mississippi Delta as the commercial potential of blues music grew and agricultural employment in the south diminished.
By the 1940s he was playing electric guitar. In 1942 "Let Me Play With Your Poodle" was a # 4 hit on Billboard Magazine's new "Harlem Hit Parade", forerunner of the R&B chart, and his 1949 recording "When Things Go Wrong with You (It Hurts Me Too)", another R&B hit, was covered by Elmore James. He was "rediscovered" in the late 1950s, like many other surviving early recorded blues artists such as Son House and Skip James, as part of the blues revival. His final, undistinguished, recordings were in 1960.
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Right Or Wrong
Tampa Red Lyrics
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I wouldn't mind being a beggar
You used to mean so much to me
I'll slave for you
You had me blind but now I see
So, say you're mine
I know you been cheatin' on me
So, get your d's and dosey's too
And did you know, darlin'?
Be on your way, I'm through with you
Down in my heart
I can't stand the way you do
I keep a sayin' a little prayer for you
I know you been cheatin' on me
So give me your time
To prove a little thing or two
As good as I've been to you
You let the devil fool you
Although I know you don't believe me
Hurray and Hallelujah, but I'm easy, too
You know you had it comin' to ya
I never cared for no, oh, oh, one
The way I care for you
Though there is nothing to confess
I have seen enough to know the rest
Right or wrong, what I'm doin' in for the best
I'll always cling to you
I know you been a cheatin' on me
So, say you're mine
Tell me that you love me, too
Get it, now
Yeah
You ain't the gal you used to be
You used to mean so much to me
Although I know you don't believe me
You had me blind but now I see, but I'm easy, too
I know you been a cheatin' on me
I never cared for no one the way I care for you
So, get your d's and your dosey's, too
Be on your way, I'm through with you
Right or wrong, I'll always cling to you
I can't stand the way you do
So say you're mine, tell me
I know you been a cheatin' on me
Baby, that you love me, love me, too
As good as I been to you
You let the devil fool you
Hurray and Hallelujah
You know you had it comin' to
Get it here
The lyrics to "Right or Wrong" by Tampa Red describe a tumultuous and complicated relationship between two people who have clearly had a rocky past. The singer is addressing their lover, telling them that they have changed and that they are no longer the person they used to be. Despite this, the singer is still willing to be devoted to them and "slave for them."
The singer acknowledges that their lover has been cheating on them, but they are still pleading for them to declare their love and stay with them. The lyrics demonstrate a sense of vulnerability and desperation, as the singer is willing to forgive their lover's infidelity in order to keep them close. They express a conflicted sense of loyalty to their partner, acknowledging that they have been mistreated but still wanting to cling to the relationship.
Overall, the lyrics to "Right or Wrong" are a poignant portrayal of the pain and complexity of love, particularly in the context of an unstable relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You ain't the gal you used to be
You've changed and are no longer the same person I fell in love with.
I wouldn't mind being a beggar
I am willing to do anything for your love, even if it means being poor.
You used to mean so much to me
I used to love you deeply and you were very important to me.
I'll slave for you
I am willing to work hard and do anything for your love.
You had me blind but now I see
You deceived me in the past, but now I understand the truth.
So, say you're mine
Please tell me that you belong to me and love me.
I know you been cheatin' on me
I am aware that you have been unfaithful to me.
Tell me that you love me too
Please confess your love for me as well.
So, get your d's and dosey's too
Grab your belongings and leave my life forever.
And did you know, darlin'?
Do you realize what you've done to me?
Be on your way, I'm through with you
Please leave my life as I have no more need for you.
Down in my heart
In my innermost being and emotions.
I can't stand the way you do
I dislike and cannot tolerate your behavior.
I keep a sayin' a little prayer for you
I pray for you despite the pain you've caused me.
So give me your time
Please spend some time with me to prove your love.
To prove a little thing or two
To demonstrate your love and loyalty to me.
As good as I've been to you
I have been good and faithful to you, and I expect the same in return.
You let the devil fool you
You were deceived by evil and have made regrettable choices.
Although I know you don't believe me
Even though you do not trust my words.
Hurray and Hallelujah, but I'm easy, too
I am excited and joyful, but I can also be easily won over.
You know you had it comin' to ya
You deserve the consequences of your unfaithfulness.
I never cared for no, oh, oh, one
I have never cared for anyone else as much as I care for you.
The way I care for you
I love you deeply and profoundly.
Though there is nothing to confess
Even though I have nothing to admit or confess.
I have seen enough to know the rest
I have seen evidence that confirms the truth about the situation.
Right or wrong, what I'm doin' in for the best
Despite any mistakes I may make, I believe I am doing what is best for me and my future.
I'll always cling to you
I will always hold onto you and love you despite everything.
Baby, that you love me, love me, too
Please declare your love for me so that we can stay together.
Get it, now
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Yeah
An expression of agreement or confirmation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HUDSON WHITTAKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DaveB
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