Hump Day Hymns

THE BLUES IS SUCH A FLEXIBLE THANG!

CCR’s John Fogerty

For a genre so seemingly codified, the blues has always been a rangy, uncontrollable sort of music. From field dusted, raw ass solo numbers to downright slick city sounds to the fractured, soulful interpretations down Texas way, the blues holds it all. Popular recorded music has always drawn heavily from this resource, enjoying how the blues moved listeners with primal efficiency. Not responding to good blues is nearly impossible, so be prepared jiggle a little to this week’s Hump Day selections.

Creedence Clearwater Revival gives us the nasty side of the blues on one of their all-time standouts, “Penthouse Pauper,” where a poor man dreams of the lifestyle he’d like to become accustomed to. And the blues get just plain dirty – without having to resort to potty language – on jump blues classic “Keep On Churnin’ (Till The Butter Comes)” by Wynonie Harris, who also scored a hit in the 1940s with delinquent anthem “Good Morning Judge.” However, we like his ode to the dairy industry and eager milk maidens everywhere best.