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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Rock it in rhythm
Tampa Red Lyrics
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Forget about your daily blues
And rock it in rhythm, everybody's singin'
When old man gloom is at you
I tell you just what to do
Rock it in rhythm, everybody's sing
It's the hottest thing in town
You raise your head, you hold your hand
And start to messin' 'round
And if you are blue and drowsy
Start to drinkin' too
And rock it in rhythm, everybody sing, yeah
When you're out for a lovely evening
Just forget about your blues and cares
And rock it in rhythm, everybody's singin'
When old man gloom is at you
I tell you just what to do
Rock it in rhythm, everybody's sing
Everybody's due, you can learn it too
It's the hottest thing in town
You raise your head, you hold your hand
And start to messin' 'round
And if you are blue and drowsy
Just start to drinkin' too
And rock it rhythm, everybody now!
The song “Rock it in Rhythm” by Tampa Red is a lively and upbeat tune that encourages listeners to forget about their daily problems and sing along with the music. The lyrics start by advising listeners to go out for a lovely evening and to leave their daily blues behind. The solution proposed is to rock it in rhythm by singing and dancing with everybody else who has come out to join in the fun. This joyful attitude is repeated in the chorus, where the singer encourages listeners to keep singing and dancing together, even if they are feeling down. The suggestion is made that the music is a powerful force for bringing people together and lifting moods.
The next sections of the lyrics provide some specific advice for those who are feeling low. When old man gloom is at you, the song suggests that you start to mess around by raising your head and holding your hand. This is presented as a way to get in tune with the music and start to enjoy yourself. If that is not enough, the song suggests that you can start drinking to help you to loosen up and join in the fun. Whatever approach you take, the key message of the lyrics is to let yourself go and enjoy the music.
Overall, “Rock it in Rhythm” is an uplifting song that celebrates the power of music to bring people together and to help them forget their worries. The lyrics are full of energy and enthusiasm, and the catchy melody encourages listeners to sing along. It is a classic example of the kind of feel-good music that can help to lift moods and create a sense of community among those who participate.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're out for a lovely evening
When you're taking a break from your daily routine
Forget about your daily blues
Don't let your worries get in the way
And rock it in rhythm, everybody's singin'
Let loose and enjoy the music with everyone else
When old man gloom is at you
When you're feeling down and out
I tell you just what to do
Here's my solution for you
Rock it in rhythm, everybody's sing
Let the music lift your spirit and join in the fun
Everybody's due, you can learn it too
Everyone deserves to have a good time, you can do it too
It's the hottest thing in town
This is the most popular way to have fun
You raise your head, you hold your hand
Stand up straight and get ready
And start to messin' 'round
Let yourself go and dance and sing
And if you are blue and drowsy
If you're still feeling down and tired
Start to drinkin' too
Have a drink to loosen up
And rock it in rhythm, everybody sing, yeah
Join in the party and let the music take over
When you're out for a lovely evening
When you have the chance to have fun
Just forget about your blues and cares
Don't let your worries get in the way of a good time
And rock it in rhythm, everybody's singin'
Get into the music and share the joy with others
When old man gloom is at you
When you're feeling low
I tell you just what to do
Here's the remedy I suggest
Rock it in rhythm, everybody's sing
Let the music lift you up and sing along
Everybody's due, you can learn it too
Everyone deserves to have a good time and you can too
It's the hottest thing in town
This is the most popular way to let loose and have fun
You raise your head, you hold your hand
Stand tall and get ready
And start to messin' 'round
Let yourself get into the music and dance
And if you are blue and drowsy
If you're still feeling down and tired
Just start to drinkin' too
Have a drink and loosen up
And rock it rhythm, everybody now!
Let the music take over and everyone join in
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HUDSON WHITTAKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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