Wow, I never knew the Canned Heat version was a remake. They are so similar and yet different, as you say. I would not have guessed it originated as a blues song, but you're right about it sounding sad.
Texas bluesman Henry Thomas wrote this catchy tune in 1928, titled Bull Doze Blues, bull doze alluding to the flogging of prisoners in jail. He had a patchwork of work covering many genres. It's definitely sounding like Canned Heat's hit Going Up the Country made popular 40 years later at Woodstock. Henry Thomas used quills or pen-pipes, a relic of a nearly vanished African American tradition, while Canned Heat replaced the sound with flutes. We are so lucky to have this historic video of Henry, one of the oldest Black musicians who ever recorded for the phonograph companies in the 1920's. A unique look into the past. Great reaction Harri. Thanks Harri and Sharla. 👏👏 Cheers from Canada. 🇨🇦
Many thanks for featuring this, Harri. Like a lot of people, I first heard this by Canned Heat and was thrilled to hear the original. Canned Heat rewrote the lyrics considerably, but retained the theme of pulling up stakes and going to find something better.
Wow! I knew nothing of this song aside from the Canned Heat version. That’s why I love this channel. I learn so many interesting backstories. This is fantastic. Thanks Harri and Shyla 🌺✌️
Henry Thomas and the band have one of best surviving recordings of “Goin’ Up the Country” and this was a hit for them. It however stems from the 19th Century Blues traditional. Some early recordings were made on wax cylinders and discs, but this is of the Grammophone vulcanizad rubber phonographs that had much higher fidelity and was the Bull Doze Blues recordings in the summer of 1928. The “flute” you are hearing was called a pan whistle or poor-pan whistle. This is a distant cousin of the Greek Pan Flute that was common in North and West Africa, and this was a common African-American folk instrument in the 18th and 19th Centuries that some credit was brought to America by slaves from West Africa. There have been many “covers” of this over the decades, and you can likely find bootlegs of some of the great Blues re-discovery in the 1960s U.K,, 0:10 e.g., Eric Clapton. Another fine reaction, and appreciate you exploring this more classic rendition that was popular from Chicago down through Memphis, St. Louis, and New Orleans - each great Blues tradition putting their own flavor to it. 💪🏻🎶🫶🏻
I knew Ozzy Nelson had an orchestra, but that was a few years before my time and I never heard them perform. I am old enough to have watched his TV series, though. And BTW, a young lady named Chase (that's the name of her channel, too) does an excellent rendition of the song. She also is part of the group Foxes and Fossils. If you've never heard them before, they're quite a treat (IMO).
Agreed! This is an amazing recording for 1928!!! Absolute kudos to the sound engineer! THANK YOU for this! I've always loved the Canned Heat version but did not know it was a cover!
The song's original title, as named by Henry Thomas, was "Bull Doze Blues." Thomas accompanies himself on both guitar and quills. Quills are a type of pan flute made from hollowed out sugarcane stalks. (Jim Horn played regular flute on Canned Heat's rendition) Thomas was an itinerant hobo singer who went from town to town, playing wherever he could for tips and the occasional gig. He also spent some time in prison, most probably for vagrancy and public intoxication. Yes, a sad lfe. But immortalized by this great song. Thanks Shyla & Harri.
Here is a video of a contemporary musician playing the quills -- Henry Thomas probably used a similar type of device to hold the quills. ua-cam.com/video/x1X3owW4nqo/v-deo.htmlsi=JvDg8AXBz19-KEXv
Heard this for the first time a couple years ago. So very good. And thanks for mentioning his engineer. I was thinking the same thing just a bit earlier, whoever put him on tape was a master of the console. (Esp with what they had to work with then.)
An interesting comparison would be Henry Thomas' and Bob Dylan's versions of "Honey (Just) Allow me One More Chance" (from Dylan's Freewheelin' album). Dylan updated the sound and lyrics a lot but still gave Thomas co-writing credit.
Henry Thomas is playing the quills here...American version of the pan pipes. You can see them on his chest in the photograph. I've always wondered if he crafted them himself... Dom Flemon has a UA-cam on how they are played.
A lot of young people don’t realize that the blues gave birth to rock ‘n’ roll. The term rock and roll is a blues term. The Rolling Stones named their band after the Muddy Waters song like a Rolling Stone. A lot of early rock ‘n’ roll music was very blues inspired. Both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones patterned their music after American blues artists. When Americans asked them where did they get that sound from, the British singers had to tell them they got it from American blues singers which America did not want to acknowledge that’s why they had no idea that it was their own home grown music that the BRITs just added their own flavor to it.
The wind instrument being played here sounds a lot ĺike a whistle or penny whistle. It was used a lot in songs by THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND in the late 60's. I had always thought the 1968, Canned Heat version used a flute, but i just came across this photo of Bob Hite (of Canned Heat) playing a recorder:
Since you are going back in time you need to check out Jimmie Rodgers the original superstar. He was known as the blues yodeler. You should react to Blue Yodel or waiting for a train. HE WAS KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF COUNTRY MUSIC.
There was some great music in the 1920s. In the 1930s the depression arrived and some key record labels, notably Okeh went out of business. A lot of the Blues music back then did not get recorded. Alan Lomax, with help from Leadbelly did make recordings and a lot of music that could have got lost was saved. Check out Bukka White and Poor Boy, recorded from his prison cell. His use of the slide guitar sounds like a forerunner to the electric guitar. ua-cam.com/video/k_eMQ0_VgCU/v-deo.html Also check out the Carter Family (Wildwood Flower), Mississippi John Hurt (Frankie), Kelly Pace and Prisoners (Rock Island Line).
This recording sounds slower than the version I'm used to so Henry's voice sounds more "pained" and the tune less upbeat. This is the version I know ua-cam.com/video/w1xBwWm46ug/v-deo.html Harri: Whilst you're in late 1920s blues, try Barbeque Bob "Motherless Chile Blues" ua-cam.com/video/c0fnVw6Ujes/v-deo.html
Going up the country is one of the greatest American tunes.
It's part of our history.
A must to know it.
Thank you for bring it back.
Wow, I never knew the Canned Heat version was a remake. They are so similar and yet different, as you say. I would not have guessed it originated as a blues song, but you're right about it sounding sad.
Texas bluesman Henry Thomas wrote this catchy tune in 1928, titled Bull Doze Blues, bull doze alluding to the flogging of prisoners in jail. He had a patchwork of work covering many genres.
It's definitely sounding like Canned Heat's hit Going Up the Country made popular 40 years later at Woodstock.
Henry Thomas used quills or pen-pipes, a relic of a nearly vanished African American tradition, while Canned Heat replaced the sound with flutes.
We are so lucky to have this historic video of Henry, one of the oldest
Black musicians who ever recorded for the phonograph companies in the 1920's. A unique look into the past. Great reaction Harri. Thanks Harri and Sharla. 👏👏 Cheers from Canada. 🇨🇦
Many thanks for featuring this, Harri. Like a lot of people, I first heard this by Canned Heat and was thrilled to hear the original. Canned Heat rewrote the lyrics considerably, but retained the theme of pulling up stakes and going to find something better.
Yes! And kept the flute almost note-for-note.
Just amazing. Yes you can here the pain and struggles in his voice. Lots of bands drew from the 1920s, Grateful Dead,Dylan etc.
Thank you! That is amazing
Wow! I knew nothing of this song aside from the Canned Heat version. That’s why I love this channel. I learn so many interesting backstories. This is fantastic. Thanks Harri and Shyla 🌺✌️
Amazing, the sound Quality for 1928.Canned Heat Killed it!!!
Henry Thomas and the band have one of best surviving recordings of “Goin’ Up the Country” and this was a hit for them. It however stems from the 19th Century Blues traditional. Some early recordings were made on wax cylinders and discs, but this is of the Grammophone vulcanizad rubber phonographs that had much higher fidelity and was the Bull Doze Blues recordings in the summer of 1928. The “flute” you are hearing was called a pan whistle or poor-pan whistle. This is a distant cousin of the Greek Pan Flute that was common in North and West Africa, and this was a common African-American folk instrument in the 18th and 19th Centuries that some credit was brought to America by slaves from West Africa.
There have been many “covers” of this over the decades, and you can likely find bootlegs of some of the great Blues re-discovery in the 1960s U.K,, 0:10 e.g., Eric Clapton. Another fine reaction, and appreciate you exploring this more classic rendition that was popular from Chicago down through Memphis, St. Louis, and New Orleans - each great Blues tradition putting their own flavor to it. 💪🏻🎶🫶🏻
How fortunate are we,having this music archived forever more and good on Canned Heat fir sticking reasonably close to the original. Great tune
That was very cool. Never knew it was a cover.
No auto tune back then
Cannons Jug Stompers......Walk Right In.... 1929
nice to hear the origional?
Same thing with Dream a Little Dream of Me. Mama Cass made it a hit. Original by The Ozzy Nelson Orchestra in 1933.
I knew Ozzy Nelson had an orchestra, but that was a few years before my time and I never heard them perform. I am old enough to have watched his TV series, though. And BTW, a young lady named Chase (that's the name of her channel, too) does an excellent rendition of the song. She also is part of the group Foxes and Fossils. If you've never heard them before, they're quite a treat (IMO).
Thanks for this Harri, it was wonderful hearing it!!
Agreed! This is an amazing recording for 1928!!! Absolute kudos to the sound engineer! THANK YOU for this! I've always loved the Canned Heat version but did not know it was a cover!
Now you gotta do "Canned Heat Blues" by Tommy Johnson from which Canned Heat got their name. Same era.
I knew it was a traditional song, lovely to hear the original. Really enjoying this direction
The song's original title, as named by Henry Thomas, was "Bull Doze Blues." Thomas accompanies himself on both guitar and quills. Quills are a type of pan flute made from hollowed out sugarcane stalks. (Jim Horn played regular flute on Canned Heat's rendition) Thomas was an itinerant hobo singer who went from town to town, playing wherever he could for tips and the occasional gig. He also spent some time in prison, most probably for vagrancy and public intoxication. Yes, a sad lfe. But immortalized by this great song. Thanks Shyla & Harri.
👍🤩🙏
Here is a video of a contemporary musician playing the quills -- Henry Thomas probably used a similar type of device to hold the quills.
ua-cam.com/video/x1X3owW4nqo/v-deo.htmlsi=JvDg8AXBz19-KEXv
Many songs of the 50's, 60's and 70's were remakes of old jazz tunes.
Beautiful!
Wonderful!
Amazing❤❤❤❤
This is beautiful.
Thanks for playing this classic.
Thank you!
This was great, and I much prefer it to the Canned Heat version.
Thanks for sharing, Harri.
Heard this for the first time a couple years ago. So very good. And thanks for mentioning his engineer. I was thinking the same thing just a bit earlier, whoever put him on tape was a master of the console. (Esp with what they had to work with then.)
It's a recorder Harri,played by someone who sounds like a master of the thing.
Thank you for recognizing the recorder. I knew it didn’t sound like a flute.
I do remember you listening to this one by Canned Heat Harri. 1928 is going back a while, Thanks Sharla.
An interesting comparison would be Henry Thomas' and Bob Dylan's versions of "Honey (Just) Allow me One More Chance" (from Dylan's Freewheelin' album). Dylan updated the sound and lyrics a lot but still gave Thomas co-writing credit.
Henry Thomas is playing the quills here...American version of the pan pipes. You can see them on his chest in the photograph. I've always wondered if he crafted them himself...
Dom Flemon has a UA-cam on how they are played.
A lot of young people don’t realize that the blues gave birth to rock ‘n’ roll.
The term rock and roll is a blues term. The Rolling Stones named their band after the Muddy Waters song like a Rolling Stone.
A lot of early rock ‘n’ roll music was very blues inspired. Both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones patterned their music after American blues artists. When Americans asked them where did they get that sound from, the British singers had to tell them they got it from American blues singers which America did not want to acknowledge that’s why they had no idea that it was their own home grown music that the BRITs just added their own flavor to it.
Also check out Coffee Blues by Mississippi John Hurt. It’s a great track, and it’s where “The Lovin’ Spoonful” got their name!!
The wind instrument being played here sounds a lot ĺike a whistle or penny whistle. It was used a lot in songs by THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND in the late 60's.
I had always thought the 1968, Canned Heat version used a flute, but i just came across this photo of Bob Hite (of Canned Heat) playing a recorder:
This is 1928 blues. It’s meant to show pain and sorrow. The upbeat or happy blues came later.
You should listen to the original Father of the Delta Blues Charley Patton and the song called ( Pony Blues ) 1929
The wind instrument sounds more like a piccolo than a flute but I could be wrong
Since you are going back in time you need to check out Jimmie Rodgers the original superstar. He was known as the blues yodeler. You should react to Blue Yodel or waiting for a train. HE WAS KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF COUNTRY MUSIC.
There was some great music in the 1920s. In the 1930s the depression arrived and some key record labels, notably Okeh went out of business. A lot of the Blues music back then did not get recorded. Alan Lomax, with help from Leadbelly did make recordings and a lot of music that could have got lost was saved. Check out Bukka White and Poor Boy, recorded from his prison cell. His use of the slide guitar sounds like a forerunner to the electric guitar. ua-cam.com/video/k_eMQ0_VgCU/v-deo.html Also check out the Carter Family (Wildwood Flower), Mississippi John Hurt (Frankie), Kelly Pace and Prisoners (Rock Island Line).
This recording sounds slower than the version I'm used to so Henry's voice sounds more "pained" and the tune less upbeat. This is the version I know ua-cam.com/video/w1xBwWm46ug/v-deo.html
Harri: Whilst you're in late 1920s blues, try Barbeque Bob "Motherless Chile Blues" ua-cam.com/video/c0fnVw6Ujes/v-deo.html
It isn't a flute, it doesn't have the clarity but all the same I can't say what it is. Is it a penny whistle?
Sounds like pan pipes maybe?
His parents were slaves.
Alternative, I don’t understand what’s good about it, bad music