Sunday, April 23, 2017

Mississippi Fred McDowell- "You Gotta Move" (Blues)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part IV of a four part pancocojams series that showcases renditions of the African American Spiritual "Move When The Spirit Says Move" or are based, at least in part, on that Spiritual.

This post showcases Mississippi Fred McDowell's Blues song "You Gotta Move". This Blue song was inspired in part by the African American Spiritual "You Gotta Move When The Spirit Says Move".

Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread are also included in this post.

Added 2:30 PM 2/23/2017: Quotes from Mudcat.com discussion thread about this song.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/04/two-interpretations-of-african-american.html for Part I of this series. Part I showcases two examples of the African American Spiritual "Move When The Spirit Says Move".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/04/three-examples-of-african-american.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases three renditions of the African American Spiritual "I'm Gonna Sing When The Spirit Says Sing". I believe that an earlier title for that Spiritual is "Move When The Spirit Says Move".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/04/two-examples-of-african-american.html for Part II of this series. Part III showcases two examples of Moses Hogan's arrangement of this Spiritual which he re-titled "I'm Gonna Sing Till The Spirit Moves In My Heart". I believe that an earlier title for this Spiritual is "You Gotta Move When The Spirit Says Move".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Mississippi Fred McDowell for his musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: Mississippi Fred McDowell - You gotta move



frenzexperiment, Uploaded on Oct 5, 2009

"You Gotta Move" is a song written by Fred McDowell and Rev. Gary Davis. Being a well-known song of McDowell's, covered by The Rolling Stones in their 1971 album Sticky Fingers.

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LYRICS: YOU GOTTA MOVE
(Fred McDowell and Rev. Gary Davis)

You got to move
You got to move
You got to move, child
You got to move
But when the Lord
Gets ready
You got to move

(guitar)

You may be high
You may be low
You may be rich, child
You may be po'
But when the Lord gets ready
You've got to move

(guitar)

You see that woman
That walk the street
You see the policeman
Out on his beat
But when the Lord gets ready
You got to move

(guitar)

You got to move
You got to move
You've got to move, child
You've got to
But when the Lord gets ready
You got to move.


Source: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/mississippi+fred+mcdowell/you+gotta+move_10181613.html

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS SOUND FILE'S DISCUSSION THREAD
I've numbered these comments for referencing purposes only.

1. Kimberlee M. Leber, 2014
"Considered to be one of the first of the Northern Missisippi bluesmen to achieve popular recognition in the early-mid 1900s, Fred McDowell, a hill country blues singer/guitar player, impacted secular music with his style and technique for numerous decades, even directly influencing the Rolling Stones, as well as, coaching Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar. Years later, Raitt would honor his life by providing a portrait to his memorial at his gravesite in Missisippi. McDowell's legacy can still be heard in contemporary music today, especially as Americana and Gospel Blues continues to thrive. Thank you, Missisippi Fred McDowell, for continuing to inspire us!"

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2. Dejan Popovic, 2014
"Epic. Hard to believe this is from '65 though. Sounds like hardcore mississipi blues back in 40's.

**
Reply
3. Neal Goldberg, 2015
"+Dejan Popovic They only found him when he was in his 60's but he wrote it in the 40's...
2015"

**
Reply
4. Sophia Grogan, 2015
"+Neal Goldberg Actually he didn't write this..."

**
Reply
5. Devika t.a., 2015
"+Sophia Grogan then where is this from ? 0.o"

**
Reply
6. Sophia Grogan, 2015
"+Devika t.a. It's one of those African-American spiritual hymns that doesn't have a concrete origin. It could have been a field holler-- I'm not very qualified to make any observations on its history BUT I do know that Two Gospel Keys recorded it back in the late 40's (not as a Country Blues song, but as a gospel piece.) Either way, I like this rendition a lot and he definitely did the song justice."

**
Reply
7. Sophia Grogan, 2015
"+Sophia Grogan It's like how Louis Armstrong didn't write St. James Infirmary, but did such an amazing job in his rendition that it is the true St. James."

**
Reply
8. Eliezer Pennywhistler, 2015
"+Dejan Popovic "Sounds like hardcore mississipi blues back in 40's."
Well, it isn't The Two Gospel Keys recorded "You've Got to Move" in 1948."

**
9. Ponderer Of Pointless Dreams, 2017
"Dejan Popovic Reminds me more of Blind Willie Johnson."

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ADDED: COMMENTS FROM MUDCAT.COM ABOUT THIS SONG
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=41044

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: YOU GOTS TO MOVE
From: masato sakurai
Date: 12 Nov 01 - 07:53 PM

Two versions by Mississippi Fred McDowell are in Harry's Blues Lyrics Online with sound clips (HERE and HERE) is from him. Title variants are: "You Got to Move," "You've Got to Move," "You Gotta Move," "You Got ter Move," and "When the Lord Gets in the Storm." Several recordings were made before World War II, including Memphis Minnie's (see Blues and Gospel Records 1980-1943). Post-war versions are by Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Zion Travelers, Charlie Jackson, Clarence Fountain, Marion Williams (the title is "The New You've Got to Move"), the Fairfield Four, Pearly Brown (on video It's a Mean Old World), the Moving Star Hall Singers (on Tribute to the Robert Johnson Era; and Been in the Storm So Long), and Rev. Gary Davies. Guitar Slim's "Come On My Kitchen" uses the same tune (on Living Country Blues, disc 2). Another version ("You Got ter Move") was collected by Ruby Pickens Tartt in Alabama in 1930s (in Olivia and Jack Solomon, Honey in the Rock, p. 16).
~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: YOU GOTS TO MOVE
From: masato sakurai
Date: 12 Nov 01 - 07:57 PM

Sorry, the first 2 lines above should have been:
Two versions by Mississippi Fred McDowell are in Harry's Blues Lyrics Online with sound clips (HERE http://blueslyrics.tripod.com/lyrics/mississippi_fred_mcdowell/you_got_to_move_version_1.htm#top and HERE http://blueslyrics.tripod.com/lyrics/mississippi_fred_mcdowell/you_got_to_move_version_2.htm#top). The Rolling Stones' version (Lyrics site HERE http://www.mattsmusicpage.com/rollyric.htm) is from him.

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