| "Eyesight to the Blind" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bySonny Boy Williamson II | ||||
| B-side | "Crazy 'Bout You, Baby" | |||
| Released | 1951 (1951) | |||
| Recorded | ||||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 3:04 | |||
| Label | Trumpet[1] | |||
| Songwriter | Sonny Boy Williamson II | |||
| Producer | Lillian McMurry | |||
| Sonny Boy Williamson II singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Eyesight to the Blind" is a12-bar blues song written and recorded in 1951 bySonny Boy Williamson II (Aleck "Rice" Miller).[2] He also recorded the related songs "Born Blind", "Unseeing Eye", "Don't Lose Your Eye", and "Unseen Eye" during his career.The Larks, an Americanrhythm and blues group, recorded the song, which reached number five on the R&B charts in 1951. Several musicians subsequently recorded it in a variety of styles.The Who adapted Williamson's song for theirrock operaTommy.
In 2022, Williamson's recording was inducted into theBlues Hall of Fame in the 'Classics of Blues Recording – Singles' category.[3]
The song was recorded by Sonny Boy Williamson in 1951 as his first single release onTrumpet Records.[4] Three versions of the song were released as78 rpm singles. The first version featured Sonny Boy Williamson II on vocals and harmonica,Willie Love on piano,Joe Willie Wilkins on guitar,Elmore James on guitar, and Joe Dyson on drums; the second and third versions had Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Love, Henry Reed on double bass, and Joe Dyson.[1]
In 1957, Sonny Boy Williamson re-recorded the song forChecker Records with the title "Born Blind". Accompanying him wereOtis Spann on piano,Robert Lockwood andLuther Tucker on guitars,Willie Dixon on bass, andFred Below on drums.[5]
The most successful early version was that bythe Larks, originally a vocal group which had developed out of gospel group, theSelah Jubilee Singers. The group's recording of "Eyesight to the Blind", with vocals and guitar by Allen Bunn, who later worked solo asTarheel Slim, reached number five on theBillboard R&B charts in July 1951.[6]
Mose Allison recorded the song for his 1959 albumAutumn Song.[7] Unlike Williamson's original, he performs it as a "swinging, up-tempo jump number".[7] As a popular piece, it is included on several of his anthologies, such asAllison Wonderland Anthology (1994).[7]
The Who adapted the song for the 1969rock opera albumTommy.Roger Daltrey sings Williamson's song set to new accompaniment composed byPete Townshend. It appears as the last track on the first side of the album; the originalTrack Records album cover uses the title "The Hawker", while on the record label it is listed as "Eyesight to the Blind".[8] "Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)" or "The Hawker (Eyesight to the Blind)" is often found on later releases.[9] The album credits for the song read "Sonny Boy Williamson".[8]
For the1972Tommy orchestral performance,Richie Havens sang the vocals on the song, backed by theLondon Symphony Orchestra. Inthe 1975 film version ofTommy,Eric Clapton andArthur Brown perform the piece. Several live performances by the Who are in release.[9] It also appears on theBroadway cast album performed byMichael McElroy and featuringLee Morgan on harmonica.[10]
Other artists who recorded the song include:
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)