Black Water
Encyclopedia
"Black Water" is a song by the American
music group The Doobie Brothers
from the album What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
. Released in 1974
, it features Patrick Simmons
on lead vocals.
Introducing a bluegrass
sound to traditional rock
, "Black Water" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
on 15 March 1975. The song was originally released in early 1974 as the B-side
to "Another Park, Another Sunday" but according to Tom Johnston in the Live at Wolftrap DVD, radio stations withdrew "Another Park, Another Sunday" from airplay because of the words ".. radio brings me down .. ", and "Black Water" ultimately became the more popular song.
The song is characterized by the melodious a cappella
section, with lyrics that are perhaps the most well-known in the entire song, which sing:
"I'd like to hear some funky Dixieland
/Pretty mama, come and take me by the hand." These lines are also featured in the Train
song, "I Got You" (from Save Me San Francisco
).
The song is one of several performed by the Doobie Brothers during the band's two episode appearance in 1978 on the ABC
sitcom What's Happening!!
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music group The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
from the album What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1974.-Recording and content:...
. Released in 1974
1974 in music
-January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17...
, it features Patrick Simmons
Patrick Simmons
Patrick Simmons is an American musician best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the rock band The Doobie Brothers. His fingerstyle guitar playing complements the strumming style of Tom Johnston. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, he has been the band's only consistent member throughout their tenure...
on lead vocals.
Introducing a bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
sound to traditional rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, "Black Water" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on 15 March 1975. The song was originally released in early 1974 as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to "Another Park, Another Sunday" but according to Tom Johnston in the Live at Wolftrap DVD, radio stations withdrew "Another Park, Another Sunday" from airplay because of the words ".. radio brings me down .. ", and "Black Water" ultimately became the more popular song.
The song is characterized by the melodious a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
section, with lyrics that are perhaps the most well-known in the entire song, which sing:
"I'd like to hear some funky Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
/Pretty mama, come and take me by the hand." These lines are also featured in the Train
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....
song, "I Got You" (from Save Me San Francisco
Save Me San Francisco
Save Me, San Francisco is the fifth album from California rock band Train and was released on October 27, 2009, through Columbia Records. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 09/09/10....
).
The song is one of several performed by the Doobie Brothers during the band's two episode appearance in 1978 on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...