King Solomon Hill
Encyclopedia
King Solomon Hill was an American
blues
musician, who recorded
a small handful of songs in 1932. His unique guitar and voice make them among the most haunting blues recorded. Hill is speculated to have been Joe Holmes, a self-taught guitarist
from Mississippi
.
As of 2011, King Solomon Hill has eight known recordings which are as follows:
Otherwise, little evidence exists of his life outside of music, but he was noted as a heavy drinker. Hill died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Louisiana in 1949.
The 1969 film Performance
, directed by Nicholas Roeg and Donald Cammell
and starring Mick Jagger
and Marianne Faithfull
, contained a song called "The Gone Dead Train," performed by Randy Newman
. However, this is a rewrite by Jack Nitzsche
and Russ Titelman
and bears only a passing resemblance to "The Gone Dead Train" as performed by King Solomon Hill. As noted by rock critic Greil Marcus
, the "dead train" in the Newman version is used as a metaphor for impotence. In Hill's original, the train appears to literally refer to an actual locomotive, which Hill referred to as a "Death Train."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician, who recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a small handful of songs in 1932. His unique guitar and voice make them among the most haunting blues recorded. Hill is speculated to have been Joe Holmes, a self-taught guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
As of 2011, King Solomon Hill has eight known recordings which are as follows:
- "Whoopee Blues" (Take 1)
- "Whoopee Blues" (Take 2)
- "Down on My Bended Knee" (Take 1)
- "Down on My Bended Knee" (Take 2)
- "The Gone Dead Train"
- "Tell Me Baby"
- "My Buddy Blind Papa Lemon"
- "Times Has Done Got Hard"
Otherwise, little evidence exists of his life outside of music, but he was noted as a heavy drinker. Hill died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Louisiana in 1949.
Popular culture references
"The Gone Dead Train" was used as the title for a ninth-season episode of the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and actually is briefly played in the episode, along with mention of King Solomon Hill as the artist.The 1969 film Performance
Performance (soundtrack)
Performance is a 1970 soundtrack album to the film Performance by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg. It features music from Randy Newman, Merry Clayton, Ry Cooder, Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Last Poets and Mick Jagger....
, directed by Nicholas Roeg and Donald Cammell
Donald Cammell
Donald Seaton Cammell was a Scottish film director who enjoys a cult reputation thanks to his debut film Performance, which he co-directed with Nicolas Roeg.-Biography:...
and starring Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
, contained a song called "The Gone Dead Train," performed by Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
. However, this is a rewrite by Jack Nitzsche
Jack Nitzsche
Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche was an arranger, producer, songwriter, and film score composer. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, and went on to work with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and others...
and Russ Titelman
Russ Titelman
Russ Titelman is an American record producer and songwriter. He has to date won three Grammy Awards. He earned his first producing the Steve Winwood song "Higher Love", and his second and third for Eric Clapton's Journeyman and Unplugged albums...
and bears only a passing resemblance to "The Gone Dead Train" as performed by King Solomon Hill. As noted by rock critic Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
, the "dead train" in the Newman version is used as a metaphor for impotence. In Hill's original, the train appears to literally refer to an actual locomotive, which Hill referred to as a "Death Train."