Every Day I Have the Blues
Encyclopedia
"Every Day I Have the Blues" or "Everyday I Have the Blues" is a classic of the blues that has been recorded by numerous artists. The song is usually credited to Peter Chatman (also known as Memphis Slim
) and is often associated with jazz singer Joe Williams
and B.B. King. "Every Day I Have the Blues" has been a Billboard R&B chart Top-Ten hit single four times and has received two Grammy Hall of Fame Award
s.
Although the A-side was a hit for Slim,"Nobody Loves Me" did not enter the chart. However, Slim did not seem to care; his composer royalties from the later hits "were sufficient to buy a Rolls Royce with which to squire himself around Paris".
Lowell Fulson
with Lloyd Glenn
recorded a version of "Everyday I Have the Blues" in 1949. His version was the first to become a hit and spent twenty-three weeks in the Billboard R&B chart, where it reached #3 in 1950. Fulson's "slow grooving" version, with sax and guitar solos, influenced B.B. King's approach.
Jazz singer Joe Williams had hits with two different recordings of the song. The first version, recorded with the King Kolax
Orchestra in 1952, reached #8 in the R&B chart (Checker 762). In 1955 in New York, he recorded a second and perhaps the most famous version of the song with the Count Basie
Orchestra, titled "Every Day" (Clef 89149). It featured a big band arrangement and spent twenty weeks in the R&B chart, where it reached #2.
: "He [Davis] wrote a chart of 'Every Day I Have the Blues' with a crisp and relaxed sound I'd never heard before. I liked it so well, I made it my theme ... Maxwell Davis didn't write majestically; he wrote naturally, which was my bag. He created an atmosphere that let me relax". The song was recorded at Capitol Records
' old studio on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, which, according to RPM Records part-owner Joe Bihari had "a better sound" than the new studio in the company's new tower. "We jacked B.B.'s guitar straight into the board, so it sounded a little different". The song reached #8 in the R&B chart and became an important piece in King's repertoire. It appears on several King albums, including his first album Singin' the Blues
, the live albums Live at the Regal
and Live in Cook County Jail
, as well as various compilation albums.
recorded a version with slide guitar during his last recording sessions in New York in late 1962 – early 1963 (Enjoy 2027). Fleetwood Mac
recorded James' version in 1969 for Fleetwood Mac in Chicago/Blues Jam in Chicago, Vols. 1–2. A live blues-rock version was recorded in 1974 by the Marshall Tucker Band
for the Where We All Belong
album. Tony Bennett
recorded it as a duet with Stevie Wonder
on chromatic harmonica and vocals for the 2001 album Playin' with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues. In 2007, John Mayer
recorded a live version using a different melody and harmony for his album Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles.
Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
) and is often associated with jazz singer Joe Williams
Joe Williams (jazz singer)
Joe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...
and B.B. King. "Every Day I Have the Blues" has been a Billboard R&B chart Top-Ten hit single four times and has received two Grammy Hall of Fame Award
Grammy Hall of Fame Award
The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"...
s.
Early versions
In 1949, the song was released as the B-side to the "Angel Child" single by blues pianist Memphis Slim and first titled "Nobody Loves Me" (an earlier "Everyday I Have the Blues" with different lyrics and vocal line was recorded by the Sparks Brothers in 1935). The opening lines to the song are "Every day I have the blues", with the second section containing:- Nobody loves me, nobody seems to care (2X)
- Speakin' of bad luck people, you know I had my share
Although the A-side was a hit for Slim,"Nobody Loves Me" did not enter the chart. However, Slim did not seem to care; his composer royalties from the later hits "were sufficient to buy a Rolls Royce with which to squire himself around Paris".
Lowell Fulson
Lowell Fulson
Lowell Fulson was a big-voiced blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. Fulson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also recorded for business reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom...
with Lloyd Glenn
Lloyd Glenn
Lloyd Glenn was an American R&B pianist, bandleader and arranger, who was a pioneer of the "West Coast" blues style.-Career:...
recorded a version of "Everyday I Have the Blues" in 1949. His version was the first to become a hit and spent twenty-three weeks in the Billboard R&B chart, where it reached #3 in 1950. Fulson's "slow grooving" version, with sax and guitar solos, influenced B.B. King's approach.
Jazz singer Joe Williams had hits with two different recordings of the song. The first version, recorded with the King Kolax
King Kolax
King Kolax was a United States jazz trumpeter.-Biography:...
Orchestra in 1952, reached #8 in the R&B chart (Checker 762). In 1955 in New York, he recorded a second and perhaps the most famous version of the song with the Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
Orchestra, titled "Every Day" (Clef 89149). It featured a big band arrangement and spent twenty weeks in the R&B chart, where it reached #2.
B.B. King versions
Also in 1955, B.B. King recorded "Every Day I Have the Blues" (RPM 421). King attributes the song's appeal to arranger Maxwell DavisMaxwell Davis
Maxwell Davis was an American R&B saxophonist, arranger and record producer.-Biography:Davis was born in Independence, Kansas. In 1937 he moved to Los Angeles, California, playing saxophone in the Fletcher Henderson orchestra...
: "He [Davis] wrote a chart of 'Every Day I Have the Blues' with a crisp and relaxed sound I'd never heard before. I liked it so well, I made it my theme ... Maxwell Davis didn't write majestically; he wrote naturally, which was my bag. He created an atmosphere that let me relax". The song was recorded at Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
' old studio on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, which, according to RPM Records part-owner Joe Bihari had "a better sound" than the new studio in the company's new tower. "We jacked B.B.'s guitar straight into the board, so it sounded a little different". The song reached #8 in the R&B chart and became an important piece in King's repertoire. It appears on several King albums, including his first album Singin' the Blues
Singin' the Blues
Singin' the Blues is the 1956 compilation album of blues performer B.B. King on the Bihari brothers' Crown label. Among its tracks, the album gathered together five charting singles. "Bad Luck" was the highest charting single, reaching #3 on Billboard's "Black Singles" chart...
, the live albums Live at the Regal
Live at the Regal
Live at the Regal is a 1965 live album by blues guitarist and singer B.B. King. It was recorded on November 21, 1964 at the Regal Theater in Chicago. The album is widely heralded as one of the greatest blues albums ever recorded and is #141 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All...
and Live in Cook County Jail
Live in Cook County Jail
Live in Cook County Jail is a 1971 live album by B.B. King recorded in Cook County Jail, Chicago, Illinois. It was ranked as number 499 in the book version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time...
, as well as various compilation albums.
Other versions
Since the hits of the 1950s, a variety of artists continue to record "Every Day I Have the Blues". Elmore JamesElmore James
Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...
recorded a version with slide guitar during his last recording sessions in New York in late 1962 – early 1963 (Enjoy 2027). Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
recorded James' version in 1969 for Fleetwood Mac in Chicago/Blues Jam in Chicago, Vols. 1–2. A live blues-rock version was recorded in 1974 by the Marshall Tucker Band
Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...
for the Where We All Belong
Where We All Belong
Where We All Belong is the third album by The Marshall Tucker Band. It is a double album; Album One is a studio album and Album Two is a live album, featuring extensive jamming by the band and guest fiddle player, Charlie Daniels, on "24 Hours At A Time." Album Two was recorded live at The...
album. Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
recorded it as a duet with Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
on chromatic harmonica and vocals for the 2001 album Playin' with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues. In 2007, John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
recorded a live version using a different melody and harmony for his album Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles.