239:) Records. They recorded four songs at their first recording session, on September 14, 1945. To round out the trio's sound, Brown invited Otis to sit in on drums. Otis recalled that Brown used a different approach for "Driftin' Blues": "he poured his heart into the record—not in the Nat Cole manner—but in that deep and soulful style that soon had many young R&B singers trying to sound like him". Brown's vocal has also been described as "plaintive", as "lush, mellifluous", and having a "laconic grace and soothing timbre".
203:'s band with Brown in Los Angeles in the early 1940s, recalled that Brown was reluctant to record the song. Brown's inspiration for the tune was a gospel song his grandmother had taught him and he felt uneasy about mixing gospel and blues; Otis and others helped convince him to go ahead with it. An earlier blues song, "Walking and Drifting Blues", recorded by
331:
played it regularly. He recalled, "Charles Brown was a powerful influence on me in the early part of my career, especially when I was struggling down in
Florida. I made many a dollar doing my imitation of his 'Drifting Blues'. That was a hell of a number". "Driftin' Blues" entered the charts again in
268:
The song is credited to Brown, Moore, and
Williams, although several commentaries discuss it as Brown's composition. According to Brown, Moore's and Williams' names were added without his consent and, being unfamiliar with copyright law, he did not challenge it. He also claimed that the group signed
269:
away their financial interest in the song for $ 800 and a vague promise of a share in future revenues by Philo
Records. Despite having one of the biggest R&B hits of the 1940s, the group never received any additional compensation. Brown called it "the biggest mistake we ever made in our lives".
254:. Brown described it as "a kind of melancholy type of blues, with feeling" that allowed him to tell more of a story than traditional blues. The lyrics deal with lost love, but they also reflect the alienation felt by many southern African Americans in post-war American northern and western cities:
29:
307:"Driftin' Blues" was inducted into Blues Hall of Fame in 1989 in the category "Classics of Blues Recording", which noted that it was "one of the records that helped define the burgeoning postwar West Coast style of smooth 'lounge blues'". In 1995, it was included in the
207:
in 1935, includes the lyric "Now I'm driftin', like a ship without a sail". The music writer Bryan Grove noted that Brown's original working title for the song was the same and that, although he was influenced by Slim's lyrics, the songs are otherwise dissimilar.
326:
The song became a blues standard, and renditions have been performed and recorded by numerous artists. Some follow the original arrangement, while others interpret it differently. As early as 1946, a young
281:. The song reached number two and "emerged one of the top selling black records in 1945 and 1946". The song is included on numerous Brown compilation albums, such as the Philo–Aladdin compilations
311:
list of "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". During his career, Brown re-recorded the song and variations on it several times. In 1969, an updated version "came off as new, thanks to
291:
231:"Driftin' Blues" was a feature of Johnny Moore's Three Blazers' club repertoire. Their performances of the song were well received and led to a recording contract with
250:) in the key of E (notated in 12/8 time). The instrumentation, including Moore's electric guitar solo, is understated and reflects the influence of post–World War II
211:
After his stint with Ali, Brown joined the guitarist Johnny Moore and the bassist Eddie
Williams. As Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, they were modeled on the
356:
219:, was Cole's guitarist). They became a popular attraction at Hollywood-area nightclubs, and their style came to be known as "club blues". In contrast to
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167:'s smooth, soulful vocals and piano. It was one of the biggest blues hits of the 1940s and "helped define the burgeoning postwar
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In an interview, Brown recalled that "Driftin' Blues" was "the first song that I wrote down and tried to sing". Music critic
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386:"1989 Hall of Fame Inductees: Drifting Blues — Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (Charles Brown, vocal) (Philo, 1945)"
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style". "Driftin' Blues" has been interpreted and recorded by numerous artists in various styles. The
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315:'s inspired slide work", according to biographer Sebastian Danchin. It is included on the album
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recorded it. His version reached number 23 during a stay of eleven weeks on the
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have acknowledged the influence and lasting popularity of the song.
272:"Driftin' Blues" became a hit, spending twenty-three weeks on the
246:
chord progression and is performed at a moderately slow tempo (72
87:
926:
Grove, Bryan (2006). "Drifting Blues". In Komara, Edward (ed.).
259:
Well, I'm drifting and I'm drifting, like a ship out on the sea
297:
The Blues: A Smithsonian
Collection of Classic Blues Singers
780:
778:
641:
639:
614:
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599:
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California Soul: Music of
African Americans in the West
827:
Cogdell Dje Dje, Jacqueline; Meadows, Eddie S. (1998).
503:
501:
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Well, I ain't got nobody, in this world to care for me
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noted that Brown wrote it while still in high school.
1105:
Upside your head!: rhythm and blues on
Central Avenue
518:
516:
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Martin
Scorsese Presents the Blues: A Musical Journey
261:
Drifting and I'm drifting, like a ship out on the sea
435:
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109:
93:
81:
73:
58:
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1107:. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England.
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379:
377:
375:
283:The Complete Aladdin Recordings of Charles Brown
256:
163:in 1945. The song is a slow blues and features
905:Texas Blues: The Rise of a Contemporary Sound
8:
676:"Charles Brown: Driftin' Blues – Appears On"
966:Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "Driftin' Blues".
882:Blue Rhythms: Six Lives in Rhythm and Blues
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757:
670:
668:
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340:R&B chart and also entered the broader
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951:Driftin' Blues: The Best of Charles Brown
287:Driftin' Blues: The Best of Charles Brown
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371:
279:Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart
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384:Blues Foundation (November 10, 2016).
703:"500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll"
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468:
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424:
7:
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522:
439:
806:Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story
493:Cogdell Dje Dje & Meadows 1998
14:
1000:The New Rolling Stone Album Guide
572:"Drifting Blues by Charles Brown"
360:Most-Played Race Records of 1946
860:University Press of Mississippi
77:Los Angeles, September 14, 1945
1142:Charles Brown (musician) songs
1058:. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin:
909:Texas A&M University Press
837:University of California Press
1:
1055:Top R&B Singles 1942–1988
1027:Talking Jazz: An Oral History
998:. In Brackett, Nathan (ed.).
974:University of Arkansas Press
161:Johnny Moore's Three Blazers
41:Johnny Moore's Three Blazers
854:Danchin, Sebastian (2001).
1178:
972:. Fayetteville, Arkansas:
907:. College Station, Texas:
708:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
309:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
177:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
969:Encyclopedia of the Blues
957:. Hollywood, California:
928:Encyclopedia of the Blues
903:Govenar, Alan B. (2008).
856:Earl Hooker: Blues Master
26:
858:. Jackson, Mississippi:
949:Hannusch, Jeff (1992).
835:. Oakland, California:
770:Charles & Ritz 2003
758:Charles & Ritz 2003
804:; Ritz, David (2003).
711:. 1995. Archived from
303:Recognition and legacy
266:
1103:Otis, Johnny (1993).
227:Recording and release
175:Hall of Fame and the
483:, pp. 355–356.
242:The song follows a
1004:Simon and Schuster
334:Bobby "Blue" Bland
215:(Moore's brother,
213:Nat King Cole Trio
62:December 1945
1157:Ray Charles songs
1152:Bobby Bland songs
1114:978-0-8195-6287-6
1002:. New York City:
941:978-0-415-92699-7
930:. New York City:
869:978-1-57806-307-9
846:978-0-520-20628-1
819:978-0-306-81335-1
582:. 16 January 2012
580:Alfred Publishing
537:, pp. 43–44.
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321:Bluesway Records
248:beats per minute
244:twelve-bar blues
235:(soon to become
193:Rhythm-and-blues
173:Blues Foundation
169:West Coast blues
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22:"Driftin' Blues"
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953:(Album notes).
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715:on May 2, 2007
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347:at number 96.
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159:, recorded by
157:blues standard
153:Drifting Blues
149:Driftin' Blues
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136:Eddie Williams
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547:Hannusch 1992
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734:Danchin 2001
729:
717:. Retrieved
713:the original
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584:. Retrieved
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139:Johnny Moore
1162:Blues songs
1086:Hal Leonard
1022:Sidran, Ben
992:Marsh, Dave
631:Deffaa 1996
619:Deffaa 1996
604:Sidran 1995
481:Sidran 1995
398:February 8,
332:1968, when
329:Ray Charles
313:Earl Hooker
217:Oscar Moore
197:Johnny Otis
1132:1945 songs
1126:Categories
795:References
559:Marsh 2004
469:Yanow 2002
457:Grove 2006
425:Marsh 2004
221:jump blues
189:Dave Marsh
183:Background
932:Routledge
687:March 11,
535:Otis 1993
523:Otis 1993
440:Otis 1993
358:Billboard
343:Billboard
338:Billboard
275:Billboard
252:cool jazz
201:Bardu Ali
1080:(2002).
1052:(1988).
1024:(1995).
994:(2004).
880:(1996).
772:, eBook.
719:April 6,
681:AllMusic
351:See also
74:Recorded
59:Released
54:"Groovy"
345:Hot 100
317:Legend!
237:Aladdin
195:singer
155:" is a
66:1945-12
64: (
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151:" or "
94:Length
49:B-side
37:Single
1082:Swing
366:Notes
233:Philo
116:Philo
111:Label
88:Blues
83:Genre
1109:ISBN
1090:ISBN
1064:ISBN
1036:ISBN
1008:ISBN
978:ISBN
936:ISBN
913:ISBN
890:ISBN
864:ISBN
841:ISBN
814:ISBN
721:2014
689:2020
588:2014
400:2017
390:The
295:and
285:and
323:).
39:by
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