"Bartender's Blues" is a song written by

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

and first released on his 1977 album '' JT''. It was also released as the B-side of the lead single from ''JT'', " Handy Man". It has since been covered by

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

and other artists.

Recording and composition

"Bartender's Blues" is Taylor's attempt to stretch into writing

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

, which was not the typical genre Taylor wrote in. It was also an attempt to provide a different perspective from the common country music theme of a customer telling his troubles to the

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...

. In this song, the bartender gets to narrate his story. The bartender feels trapped and unhappy in his job, and is looking for a "honky tonk angel" to come save him. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine described it as "James Taylor's impression of what life in a honky tonk must be." Author Aaron A. Fox sees the song as capturing a classic country music metaphor of the bartender who uses his talking skills to "repair social ruptures" but in the process becomes "the very kind of fool he despises, hating his job even as he lights the cigarettes and laughs at the jokes of his customers while watching them fall down on heirknees." Sue Simmons-McGinity remarks on how the song applies the common country music metaphor of a "honky tonk angel" who has the potential to save her man but unlike in many country songs, in "Bartender's Blues" the angel doesn't "become wife and mother to be helpful."

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

sings harmony vocals and

Dan Dugmore Dan Dugmore is an American session musician known primarily for playing the pedal steel guitar Born in 1949, Dugmore was raised in Pasadena, California. Influenced by the Flying Burrito Brothers, he learned to play steel guitar after Flying Bur ...

plays pedal steel guitar, while

Danny Kortchmar Daniel "Danny Kootch" Kortchmar (born April 6, 1946) is an American guitarist, session musician, producer and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, David Crosby, Carole King, David Cassidy, Gr ...

plays guitar.

Personnel

– lead vocals, acoustic guitar *

– background vocals *

– guitar *

– steel guitar *

Leland Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. Sklar rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coaleced into a group in its own right, The Section. This group of musicians so frequ ...

– bass guitar * Dr. Clarence McDonald – piano *

Russell Kunkel Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Da ...

– drums, percussion * David Campbell – string arrangements, conductor

Reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

critic Bill Janovitz says of Taylor's performance "Taylor sounds about as convincing in his attempt at straight-country performance as he is as a Nashville songwriter; that is, not very", although he considers it a "commendable effort at writing a genuine country song" that is "beautiful musically", particularly the melody. He also praises Ronstadt's and Dugmore's performances. Taylor himself stated that "I think it's an okay but lightweight song." Taylor's version reached #88 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart.

George Jones version

covered "Bartender's Blues" as the title track of his 1978 album '' Bartender's Blues''. James Taylor sang background vocals on this version. '' Record World'' said that "this James Taylor tune comes across well with ones'convincing vocals" and that "

Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Gl ...

's production work adds the finishing touch."

critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls "Bartender's Blues" the strongest song on the album. Janovitz rates Jones' performance more favorably than Taylor's, saying Jones "shows how it should be done." Janovitz praises

's production of Jones' rendition, as well as Jones' vocal performance, especially in the "heart-wrenching" final verse. Author Kurt Wolff calls the song a "vocal tour de force." According to Jones' 1995 memoir ''I Lived to Tell It All'',

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

executive Rick Blackburn first played him Taylor's demo of the song and Jones liked it immediately, remarking, "That guy is trying to sound like me." According to Jones, he recorded his part and the track was sent to Taylor, who overdubbed harmony. However, in the liner notes to the Jones compilation '' Anniversary - 10 Years of Hits'', producer

stated that he felt George over sang it, asserting that it was a case of "George Jones trying to sound like George Jones..." In a 2006 interview with ''Billboard''s Ray Waddell, the singer addressed the comment:

Yeah, I got into it too much, I really did. At the time, that's the way I felt it, but I think I really overdone the phrasing. But I cut it again on one of my latest albums, and I don't do quite as many syllables. I got that part from Lefty rizzell He always made five syllables out of one damn word.

The song was released during the first week of 1978 and stayed on the ''Billboard'' country survey for fourteen weeks, peaking at No. 6. It was Jones' first Top 10 single in two years. It became a live mainstay for Jones and appears on many of his "best of" packages. He cut the song as a duet with

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...

for the '' Bradley Barn Sessions'' in 1994.

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

covered "Bartender's Blues" on the 2007 tribute album ''George Jones & Friends: 50th Anniversary Tribute Concert''.

Charts

James Taylor's recording reached No. 88 on the Billboard Country Singles chart in 1977. George Jones' recording reached No. 6 on the same chart in 1978.

References

{{Authority control 1977 songs Songs written by James Taylor James Taylor songs Song recordings produced by Peter Asher George Jones songs 1977 singles Song recordings produced by Billy Sherrill 1978 singles