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From: Mack
Date: June 23, 2005
Archive No. 6 I believe revisits the old Milk Cow Blues number - - questioning it's origins - -- - possibly from Memphis Minnie ---- - that's as good a guess as one can make. All traded and loaned and borrowed from the common "treasury" of numbers - -- - however each had their own personal touch and high points within each - - -- As followers of Bob Wills know he was often called, affectionately - - - "Black" -- - - kinda like Elvis who followed --- just meaning that he did the historical oral-passed-on traditional Black music like they did - - - in the blues, jazz, swing, soul, heart and feeling portrayed by each succeeding vocalist (and band) along the way- -- - rarely was a number played the same way twice - -- - by constantly improvising for the audience and mood of the moment a number could evolve to fit a swing club, hot spot, funeral or whatever was called for then and there..... Bob grew up in the cotton fields of East Texas pickin' along with Blacks and poor sharecroppers and learned songs and tunes in their way of harmony, blues and moods. He used it often but few whites realized it during the period in time in which it may not always be as welcome to some if they knew.. However many knew and it moved them just as that human rhythm beat(s) moved anyone and everyone - -especially inwardly which during the time of Depression allowed one to forget the hunger and hard times----- that felling- from within came out happy. It was a beat for dancing. Several of Bob's musicians played with Black musicians and bands - - - going into and out of groups no differently than the great ("greatest "Bix" B"??) did in the North Central U.S. during the same time. For example, Clarence Cagle (piano) told me and others wrote about him playing with Black bands in Oklahoma City after he finished gigs with white bands he was playing with. Several of The Alabama Boys were hard core steeped in old southern Black blues and jazz and what we later called rock and roll and other names it was given - -- - -So were some out of Milton Brown and the Musical Brownies-------- One of the great ones who played in Memphis and came thru The Alabama Boys a short time was the "Blackest White" blues, rhythm and R&B, etc. artist who I ever heard - - --- - the great Cotton Thompson - -- - he did Milk Cow Blues like Memphis Minnie and all from the Southern Black clubs would have heard it and done it - -- - --. It moved you- - and moreover - - it moved HIM when he did it - -- he WAS the blues when he did it- --- In fact, Eldon Shamblin (who tuned our piano for over twenty five years, told me 'The Milk Cow Blues" WAS Cotton's song -- so he was "it" to several -- - and "The Greatest Rhythm Guitar Player of All Time" was not wrong much!!!!!... Another one Cotton did with the Wills" bands was "Beale Street Mama" - -- "won'tcha please come home - -- - It isn't propa - -- to leave your Poppa all alone - -- - - ---- ""-!!! And that was straight from Beale Street and the best of the Black clubs there - -- -- and there was some mixing of patrons - - as there were musicians - --...... Another real special number Cotton Thompson did, I can't remember most of the words or title ----was a Black blues song with some of the words- - --- - "You told me that you'd meet me at the station gate - -- - -- But I've got a different version - -- - - Train number one is gone - -- train number two is gone - - - train number three has been gone --- - - how long must I wait for you??!!"" Sorry I can't remember more but Cotton did it in different variations during the same number- - -- which may last for two or three times the length of most regular numbers - -- -- What it was was a real JAM session when he and they got started on one like that one = - -- clocks didn't count - --- - soul and blues rocked as long as Bob or Johnnie Lee would let them go - -- - and the leader followed and read the crowd - -- - who loved it!!!!! This doesn't answer the final question of who wrote and put melody to Milk Cow Blues but shows some background - -- or wellspring from which so many of our real soul and R&B really flowed - - - and much nectar from that oasis was drawn by Blacks and freely passed it on to those who cared and shared-____---- mack