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| "Deep Elm Blues" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Genre | Traditional |
| Songwriter(s) | Traditional |
The "Deep Elm Blues" (also spelled "Deep Elem Blues" or "Deep Ellum Blues"[1]) is an American traditional song. The title of the tune refers to the historicalAfrican-American neighborhood in downtownDallas, Texas known asDeep Ellum, which was home to blues musicians includingBlind Lemon Jefferson,Blind Willie Johnson,Lead Belly, and Bill Neely.
The first known recording was made by theCofer Brothers in 1923 under the band name the Georgia Crackers with the title "The Georgia Black Bottom" onOKeh Records (OKeh 45111). The song alluded to the dance craze calledBlack Bottom of the 1920s which, in part, referenced the community ofBlack Bottom, Detroit. The change from Black Bottom to Deep Elm occurred sometime between 1926 and 1933.
TheShelton Brothers recorded various versions of this song, the first being cut in 1933 with Leon Chappelear under the pseudonym of Lone Star Cowboys forBluebird Records. They recorded it again in 1935 forDecca Records followed by "Deep Elm No.2" and "Deep Elm No.3".Les Paul (as Rhubarb Red) recorded "Deep Elem Blues" and "Deep Elem Blues #2" on Decca in 1936. The Sheltons also recorded it in the 1940s as "Deep Elm Boogie" forKing Records.
Other versions of the song were made between 1957 and 1958 byJerry Lee Lewis forSun Records, Bobby Jackson for Gold Air Records, Mary McCoy & the Cyclones for Jin Records and, later, byJerry Garcia, theGrateful Dead,Levon Helm, theInfamous Stringdusters, andRory Gallagher.
