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“Cross Cut Saw”, or “Cross Cut Saw Blues” as it was first called, is a bawdy blues song “that must have belonged to the general repertoire of the Delta blues.” The song was first released in 1941 by Mississippi bluesman Tommy McClennan and has since been interpreted by many blues artists. “Crosscut Saw” became an early R&B chart hit for Albert King, “who made it one of the necessary pieces of modern blues.”
In 1966, Albert King recorded his version calling it “Crosscut Saw.” The same lyrics as McClennan’s “Cross Cut Saw Blues” were used, except for two verses which were replaced by
In 1964, R. G. Ford, a Memphis attorney, produced a single of “Cross Cut Saw” by a local group, the Binghamton Blues Boys, on his own East Side Records. The single was only distributed in Memphis. Although the single credits the song to “Group,” it is Ford’s (who died in the late ’60s) name (and sometimes the group members’ names) that appear on Albert King’s (and some other) releases.
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Guitar Lesson
Check out the tab and jam track below, and give this bar room blues song a try yourself!
Tab
Jam Track
Bar Room Blues is an exclusive series of video