Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
Encyclopedia
Play Something Sweet is a song by Allen Toussaint
that has been covered by Frankie Miller
, B.J. Thomas and Three Dog Night
, among others.
and Maria Muldaur
. Both Frankie Miller and Three Dog Night released the song as a single, while the balance of the recorded versions were included in albums. The more popular single version in that year was the version by Three Dog Night, which was in the Top Forty
.
Later versions of the song were recorded by Levon Helm
(1978), Herman Brood
(1980) and Toots Thielemans
(1993), among others. Toussaint's own version of his song is found on Hot as a Pistol, Keen as a Blade (Hip-O
, 2006), a DVD recording of Toussaint's 2006 performance at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
, performing with Elvis Costello
.
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
that has been covered by Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter, who had his biggest success in the 1970s. Miller was raised at Colvend Street, Glasgow with his parents, Cathy and Frank, and elder sisters Letty and Anne. Miller attended Sacred Heart Primary school. He was an altar boy in Sacred Heart Chapel...
, B.J. Thomas and Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
, among others.
History
The song was first popularized in 1974, following its initial 1973 inclusion on an album by disco-funk artist Sylvester, when it was recorded and released by five artists in one year: Frankie Miller, B.J. Thomas, Three Dog Night, James MontgomeryJames Montgomery (singer)
James Montgomery is an a US American blues musician, best known as a harmonica player, and frontman of the blues band James Montgomery Band who also collaborates with many other performers...
and Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s...
. Both Frankie Miller and Three Dog Night released the song as a single, while the balance of the recorded versions were included in albums. The more popular single version in that year was the version by Three Dog Night, which was in the Top Forty
Top Forty
The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. When used without qualification, it typically refers to the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music songs of the previous week...
.
Later versions of the song were recorded by Levon Helm
Levon Helm
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm , is an American rock multi-instrumentalist and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and frequent lead and backing vocalist for The Band....
(1978), Herman Brood
Herman Brood
Hermanus "Herman" Brood was a Dutch musician, painter and media personality. Initially a musician who achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and called "the Netherlands' greatest and only rock 'n' roll star," later in life he became a well-known painter.Known for his...
(1980) and Toots Thielemans
Toots Thielemans
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans , known as Toots Thielemans, is a Belgian jazz musician well known for his guitar and harmonica playing as well as his whistling. Thielemans is credited as one of the greatest harmonica players of the 20th century...
(1993), among others. Toussaint's own version of his song is found on Hot as a Pistol, Keen as a Blade (Hip-O
Hip-O Records
Hip-O Records is a record label, currently part of Universal Music Group, which specializes in reissues and compilations. Their Hip-O Select label is currently in the midst of releasing the Complete Motown Singles, a series of fourteen box sets which include both sides of every 45 from Motown...
, 2006), a DVD recording of Toussaint's 2006 performance at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival...
, performing with Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
.