"Back Door Man" is a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

song written by American musician

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

and recorded by

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...

in 1960. The lyrics draw on a Southern U.S. cultural term for an extramarital affair. The song is one of several Dixon-Wolf songs that became popular among rock musicians, including

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

who recorded it for their 1967 self-titled debut album.

Lyrics

In Southern culture, the phrase "back-door man" refers to a man having an affair with a married woman, using the back door as an exit before the husband comes home. Dixon's lyrics include: The philandering "back-door man" is a theme of several blues songs, including those by Charley Patton, Lightnin' Hopkins,

Blind Willie McTell Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was an American Piedmont blues and ragtime singer, songwriter and guitarist. He played in a fluid, syncopated finger picking guitar style common among many Eas ...

and Sara Martin: "every sensible woman got a back-door man", Martin sang in "Strange Loving Blues" (1925).

Recording and releases

"Back Door Man" was recorded in Chicago in June 1960. Accompanying Howlin' Wolf on vocals are Otis Spann on piano, Hubert Sumlin on guitar,

on double bass, and Fred Below on drums. Both Freddie King and Freddy Robinson have been suggested as the second guitarist. The song features a modal arrangement, where it "hangs on one chord, hinging on an infectious and insistent riff hichis similar to his own one-chord songs like 'I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)' and ' Spoonful'", according to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

reviewer Bill Janovitz.

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...

issued the song as the B-side to " Wang Dang Doodle" and included it on his second compilation album ''

'' (1962). Wolf later re-recorded the song for Chess' 1969 attempt to reach the rock audience, '' The Howlin' Wolf Album''.

The Doors version

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

recorded "Back Door Man" for their 1967 self-titled debut album. Doors' guitarist Robby Krieger introduced the other members of the group to a

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...

adaptation of the song recorded by John Hammond Jr. for his 1964 album ''Big City Blues''. The Doors' version also incorporates elements of psychedelic blues and

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

. Drummer John Densmore described it as a song that is "deeply sexual and got everyone moving." Unlike Howlin' Wolf's one-chord arrangement, the Doors utilize a different approach. Critic Bill Janovitz described it as a "thumping rhythmic approach. They vary the chords in a 12-bar blues arrangement, which serves as a great tension-and-release pattern". Jim Morrison also supplied some of his own lyrics and only used two of Dixon's verses from Howlin' Wolf's original. Morrison provides the vocal, backed by Ray Manzarek on keyboards and piano, Krieger on guitar, and Densmore on drums. Krieger asserts that he played bass guitar for the recording. A live recording of the song appears as a part of a medley, on the Doors' live album '' Absolutely Live'' (1970).

Personnel

* Jim Morrison – vocals * Ray Manzarek – Vox Continental, piano * Robby Krieger – lead and rhythm guitar, bass * John Densmore – drums

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * {{authority control Blues songs 1960 songs 1961 singles Willie Dixon songs Howlin' Wolf songs The Doors songs Songs written by Willie Dixon Songs about infidelity Chess Records singles