"I'm Tore Down" or "Tore Down" 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 first recorded in 1961 by

Freddie King Freddie King (born Fred Christian; September 3, 1934December 28, 1976), also billed as Freddy King, was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King a ...

(who was then known as "Freddy" King) for

Federal Records Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to rhythm & blues releases. The comp ...

. Pianist

Sonny Thompson Sonny Thompson (probably August 23, 1916 – August 11, 1989), born Alfonso Thompson or Hezzie Tompson, was an American R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography There is some uncertainty over Thompson's origins, as ...

, who played on several early King songs, is credited as the songwriter. When Federal released it as single in 1961, with the instrumental "Sen-Sa-Shun" as the B-side, it reached number five on ''Billboard's'' Hot R&B Sides singles chart. Federal parent company King Records included the song on King's first album '' Freddy King Sings'' (1961). In 1971, King recorded a longer version for his

Shelter Records Shelter Records was a U.S. record label started by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell that operated from 1969 to 1981. The company established offices in both Los Angeles and Tulsa, Russell's home town, where the label sought to promote a "worksho ...

album ''Getting Ready...''

Other renditions

English rock musician

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

recorded "I'm Tore Down" for his 1994 blues tribute album ''

From the Cradle ''From the Cradle'' is the twelfth solo studio album by Eric Clapton, released on 12 September 1994 by Warner Bros. Records. A blues cover album and Clapton's follow-up to his successful 1992 live album, '' Unplugged,'' it is his only UK numbe ...

''. For his recording, Clapton uses an arrangement close to King's original, including the

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

vocal phrases and guitar fills.

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

released a

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

in 1994, which reached number five on ''Billboard's''

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

chart. Clapton has performed the song on several occasions; live recordings appear on '' Live in Hyde Park'' (1997) and John Mayall's '' 70th Birthday Concert'' (2003). A studio version by Northern Irish guitarist and singer

Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...

is included on the 2021 album ''How Blue Can You Get''. In an album review for ''Classic Rock'' magazine, Hugh Fielder describes it as "a hard-hitting, well-greased version of Freddie King’s I’m Tore Down, with Moore’s mean, gritty voice sliding all over the place and his vicious guitar phrases doing much the same".

References

{{authority control 1961 songs 1961 singles Freddie King songs Songs written by Sonny Thompson Blues songs Federal Records singles Gary Moore songs