"Madison Blues" is a blues song by American blues musician

Elmore James Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...

. It is an upbeat Chicago-style shuffle featuring James' amplified slide guitar and vocal. He recorded it in 1960 for

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 ...

, during a session that also produced " Talk to Me Baby" ("I Can't Hold Out") and "The Sun Is Shining", a follow-up to his popular single " The Sky Is Crying".

Background

James recorded the song with his long-time backup band, the Broomdusters: tenor saxophonist J. T. Brown, pianist

Little Johnny Jones ''Little Johnny Jones'' is a musical by George M. Cohan. The show introduced Cohan's tunes " Give My Regards to Broadway" and " The Yankee Doodle Boy." The "Yankee Doodle" character was inspired by real-life Hall of Fame jockey Tod Sloan. Ba ...

, and second guitarist

Homesick James Homesick James (April 30, 1910December 13, 2006) was an American blues musician known for his mastery of the slide guitar. He worked with his cousin, Elmore James, and with Sonny Boy Williamson II. Early years Homesick James was born in Somervi ...

, with drummer Odie Payne. It is a

twelve-bar blues The twelve-bar blues (or blues changes) is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure, and duration. In its basic form, it is predominantly ba ...

notated in 4/4 time in the key of D and includes a twelve-bar slide-guitar intro and two twelve-bar sections with Brown's sax solo. The chorus makes a pun on "blues": Music writer Don Snowden describes the session as "showcas nghis mature style—the trademark bottleneck guitar licks and raw-edged, gritty vocals complemented by J. T. Brown's braying sax solos, tinkling piano by Johnnie Jones and Odie Payne's tough, propulsive drumming." The song was not issued as a single, but was later included on the Elmore James/ John Brim compilation albums ''Tough'' ( Blue Horizon, UK, 1968), and ''Whose Muddy Shoes'' (Chess, US, 1969).

Other versions

Several musicians have recorded their renditions of the song, including

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

, who recorded it with

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 J. T. Brown for their 1969 '' Blues Jam in Chicago'' album with slide and vocals by Jeremy Spencer.

George Thorogood George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s US rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the Bone" and "I Drink Al ...

and the Destroyers also recorded it for their eponymous 1977 debut album. Original Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green, recorded a version for his 1999 release '' Destiny Road''. Both Fleetwood Mac and Thorogood have recorded live versions of the song.

References

{{authority control Blues songs 1960 songs Elmore James songs Fleetwood Mac songs George Thorogood songs Songs written by Elmore James