Chauffeur Blues is a song written by Lester Melrose

Lester Melrose

Lester Melrose was one of the first American producers of blues records.-Career:He was born Lester Franklin Melrose in Sumner, Illinois, United States, the second of six children of Frank and Mollie Melrose who owned a small farm...

. It was originally called Me and My Chauffeur Blues and performed by Memphis Minnie

Memphis Minnie

Memphis Minnie was an American blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the only female blues artist considered a match to male contemporaries as both a singer and an instrumentalist.-Career:...

 and covered by many other artists.

The Jefferson Airplane

Jefferson Airplane

Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....

 version of this song is on the Jefferson Airplane Takes Off

Jefferson Airplane Takes Off

Jefferson Airplane Takes Off is the debut album of San Francisco rock band Jefferson Airplane, released on RCA Victor Records in September 1966. The personnel differ from the later "classic" lineup and the music is more folk-rock than the harder psychedelic sound for which the band later became...

album with Signe Anderson as the lead vocalist. It is performed at a faster tempo and uses only three of the four verses. Anderson performs this song with strong contralto

Contralto

Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...

 vocals. According to Jeff Tamarkin, author of Got A Revolution! The Turbulent Flight Of Jefferson Airplane, Chauffeur Blues was picked by Signe off an album by South African folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 singer Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....

. It was not included among the repertory of Jefferson Airplane's early gigs and performed only occasionally. It was last performed by the Airplane on October 15, 1966, concert recorded as "Signe's Last

Signe Toly Anderson

Signe Toly Anderson is an American singer who was one of the founding members of the American rock band Jefferson Airplane.-Early life and joining Jefferson Airplane:...

".

An extended version of the song is included on the remastered version of Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.