The Things That I Used to Do
Encyclopedia
"The Things That I Used to Do" is a blues
song written by Guitar Slim
(aka Eddie Jones) and his 1953 recording of it in New Orleans, was arranged and produced by a young Ray Charles
. It was released on Specialty Records
in 1954 to become a bestseller
. It was one of the biggest hits in the label's history and stayed on the rhythm and blues
charts for 42 weeks.
Since Guitar Slim was a blues artist, Specially Record's Art Rupe
figured that his appeal would be limited to the Southern rural audience. However, urban R&B stations in the North picked up the song, pushing it into a national hit. As a result, Guitar Slim became in great demand as a performer and played on the stage of the Apollo Theater
.
, Guitar Slim's voice has a less adult sound than does that of the typical blues shouters of the time and his lyrics are less explicitly sexual.
The song required numerous takes to record. Jones often stopped playing in the middle of the song for some reason and they had to start from the beginning again. During the song's fadeout Ray Charles can be heard shouting "yeah!" for he realizes that they finally managed to make it to the end.
feel. It has become a standard due to Guitar Slim's distinctive guitar figuring and the rising and falling melody. It has been listed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll
.
The song has been covered by many artists:
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...
song written by Guitar Slim
Guitar Slim
Eddie Jones , better known as Guitar Slim, was a New Orleans blues guitarist, from the 1940s and 1950s, best known for the million-selling song, produced by Johnny Vincent at Specialty Records, "The Things That I Used to Do"...
(aka Eddie Jones) and his 1953 recording of it in New Orleans, was arranged and produced by a young Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
. It was released on Specialty Records
Specialty Records
Specialty Records was an American record label based in Los Angeles. It was originally launched as Juke Box Records in 1946, but later renamed by its owner Art Rupe when he parted company with a couple of his original partners...
in 1954 to become a bestseller
Bestseller (music)
A bestseller in music is a song or album listed at or near the top of a hits list or chart such as the Billboard charts produced by Billboard magazine which published its first hit parade in 1940. As with most book bestseller lists, these lists are usually based on sales to the retail sites and...
. It was one of the biggest hits in the label's history and stayed on the rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
charts for 42 weeks.
Since Guitar Slim was a blues artist, Specially Record's Art Rupe
Art Rupe
Arthur N. "Art" Rupe is an American music industry executive and record producer. He started Specialty Records, noted for its rhythm & blues, blues, gospel and early rock and roll music recordings, in Los Angeles in 1946.-Career:Born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Rupe...
figured that his appeal would be limited to the Southern rural audience. However, urban R&B stations in the North picked up the song, pushing it into a national hit. As a result, Guitar Slim became in great demand as a performer and played on the stage of the Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
.
Song
Ray Charles's arrangement and piano accompaniment emphasizes the religious tone of intense but philosophical regret in the singer's voice, giving the song a gospel-influenced feel. Like Fats DominoFats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
, Guitar Slim's voice has a less adult sound than does that of the typical blues shouters of the time and his lyrics are less explicitly sexual.
The song required numerous takes to record. Jones often stopped playing in the middle of the song for some reason and they had to start from the beginning again. During the song's fadeout Ray Charles can be heard shouting "yeah!" for he realizes that they finally managed to make it to the end.
Legacy
The song was a huge success, greatly influencing rock and roll by demonstrating the commercial success of using content that appeals to white listeners and by the effectiveness of its gospelGospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
feel. It has become a standard due to Guitar Slim's distinctive guitar figuring and the rising and falling melody. It has been listed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
.
The song has been covered by many artists:
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- Junior ParkerJunior ParkerJunior Parker was an American Memphis blues singer and musician. He is best remembered for his unique voice which has been described as "honeyed," and "velvet-smooth"...
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- Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
- Freddie KingFreddie KingFreddie King , thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert...
- Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
- Big Joe TurnerBig Joe TurnerBig Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
- (1977) - Elvin BishopElvin BishopElvin Bishop is an American blues and rock and roll musician and guitarist.-Career:Bishop was born in Glendale, California, and grew up on a farm near Elliott, Iowa. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was ten years old...
and The Grateful Dead in performance only - (1969) - G. Love and Special Sauce - (1994)
- Buddy GuyBuddy GuyGeorge "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
- Luther AllisonLuther AllisonLuther Allison was an American blues guitarist. He was born in Widener, Arkansas and moved with his family, at age twelve, to Chicago in 1951. He taught himself guitar and began listening to blues extensively. Three years later he began hanging outside blues nightclubs with the hopes of being...
- John MayerJohn MayerJohn 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...
- Dan AuerbachDan AuerbachDaniel Quine Auerbach is an American musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as the guitarist and vocalist for The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. He is married to Stephanie Gonis, with whom he has a daughter, Sadie Little Auerbach, born in 2008.- Childhood and early...
(With his pre-The Black KeysThe Black KeysThe Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
band The Barnburners) - Richie HavensRichie HavensRichard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...