Song of the Day 6/13: The Band, “Up on Cripple Creek”
For no other reason than this video from the Ed Sullivan Show of Nov. 2, 1969, popped up on my YouTube feed. “Up on Cripple Creek” had just been released as a single, with what’s clearly a video, not a live performance, to promote it. The song was a mainstay of The Band’s concerts, and is notable for musicologists because Garth Hudson is playing his clavinet through a wah-wah pedal, a sound that became more familiar when Stevie Wonder took the concept and ran with it.
The most imaginative of the song’s numerous covers is by jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette and his quartet with John Medeski, John Scofield and Larry Grenadier for their 2017 LP “Hudson.”
Just saw Amy Helm, Levon’s daughter, in Arden last night. She’s an excellent singer, and she had a nice band with her. Her lead guitar player definitely had some Steve Cropper in him, always a plus.
This outdoor concert series was a big success. Think we’ll likely do it again next year.