The Ballad of John Henry
Encyclopedia
The Ballad of John Henry is a 2009 studio album
by blues
guitarist
Joe Bonamassa
. It, and the title track, is named after the American folk hero John Henry
.
from the album Stop!
. "Jockey Full of Bourbon" is a Tom Waits
song from the album Rain Dogs
. "Feelin' Good" is a cover of the song from the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd that has been covered by a number of musicians; the Michael Bublé version is specifically mentioned in the album notes. "Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter" is a cover of an Ike & Tina Turner
from the compilation album of the same name
. "As the Crow Flies" is a cover of a song by Tony Joe White
from his album The Train I'm On
.
Design:
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist and singer.-Early life:Bonamassa was born and raised in New Hartford, United States. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop. He is a fourth-generation musician...
. It, and the title track, is named after the American folk hero John Henry
John Henry (folklore)
John Henry is an American folk hero and tall tale. Henry worked as a "steel-driver"—a man tasked with hammering and chiseling rock in the construction of tunnels for railroad tracks. In the legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer,...
.
Tracklist
The album features seven original songs and five covers. "Stop!" is a Sam Brown songStop! (Sam Brown song)
"Stop!" is a song by English singer Sam Brown.The single was originally released in 1988, missing the UK top forty and peaking at number fifty-two. It was not until 1989, however, that the single became a hit, when it peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. "Stop!" became her biggest hit to...
from the album Stop!
Stop! (album)
Stop! is the first album released by singer-songwriter Sam Brown. It includes her most successful single, the title track "Stop!", as well as a cover of Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits" and Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get A Witness"....
. "Jockey Full of Bourbon" is a Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
song from the album Rain Dogs
Rain Dogs
Rain Dogs is the 9th album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in August 1985 on Island Records. A loose concept album about "the urban dispossessed" of New York City, Rain Dogs is generally considered the middle album of a trilogy that includes Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild...
. "Feelin' Good" is a cover of the song from the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd that has been covered by a number of musicians; the Michael Bublé version is specifically mentioned in the album notes. "Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter" is a cover of an Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
from the compilation album of the same name
Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter (album)
Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter is a 2002 compilation album by Ike & Tina Turner. The songs were originally recorded from 1969 to 1974 from the albums Come Together , Working Together , Nuff Said , Let Me Touch Your Mind and Feel Good .-Track listing:#"Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter" -...
. "As the Crow Flies" is a cover of a song by Tony Joe White
Tony Joe White
Tony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
from his album The Train I'm On
The Train I'm On
The Train I'm On was the fifth album released by Tony Joe White, and the second he released for Warner Brothers. It was produced by Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd and recorded in 1972 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Muscle Shoals, Alabama.-Track listing:...
.
Personnel
Musicians:- Joe BonamassaJoe BonamassaJoe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist and singer.-Early life:Bonamassa was born and raised in New Hartford, United States. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop. He is a fourth-generation musician...
: Guitars, Vocals - Bogie Bowles: Drums
- Blondie ChaplinBlondie ChaplinTerence William 'Blondie' Chaplin is a musician from Durban, South Africa who first became known to international audiences through his brief stint in the early 1970s as a singer and guitarist for The Beach Boys...
: Guitars (Rhythm)Rhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Anton FigAnton FigAnton Fig , known as "The Thunder from Down Under" is a session drummer, noted for his work in David Letterman's house band, the CBS Orchestra. Letterman often refers to Fig as "Anton Zip"or "Buddy Rich Jr."...
: Drums - Jared Kvitka: EngineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Rick Melick: KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Backing Vocals - Carmine RojasCarmine RojasCarmine Rojas, Bassist, Musical Director, Composer & Producer born February 14, 1953, Brooklyn, NY.With the efforts and support of his family, friends and professional relationships, Carmine has traveled the World earning the reputation as one of the most renowned and respected bass players in the...
: BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Kevin ShirleyKevin ShirleyKevin Shirley is a music producer and mixer for many artists, such as the bands Journey, Iron Maiden, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Joe Bonamassa, Marya Roxx, Dream Theater, Tyler Bryant, Mr. Big, and Europe.-Biography:...
: ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Mixer - Lee ThornburgLee ThornburgLee Thornburg is a trumpeter who has played with many artists, and also has been a member of Supertramp and Tower of Power. Thornburg also played with Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders in the 1970s.-Biography:...
: Brass, ArrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents... - David Woodford: Saxophones
Design:
- Dennis Friel: Design, Illustration, Art Direction
- Rob Shanahan: PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Josh Smith: Design Assistance