Fishing Blues

Updated on Jan 13, 2024

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A-side "Texas Worried Blues" Format 10" 78rpm single Length 2:44		Released 1928 Genre Texas blues
Recorded June 13, 1928 in Chicago, IL

"Fishing Blues" is a blues song first recorded in 1928 by Henry Thomas "Ragtime Texas" (vocals, guitar, and quills (a type of panpipe, which he played while also playing his guitar)). Some later versions by other artists call it "Fishin' Blues".

The song ostensibly describes the pleasures of catching, cooking, and eating your own fish, particularly catfish. The refrain runs:

In 1930, the Carter Brothers (Armenter "Bo Carter" Chatmon, perhaps with his brothers Lonnie and Sam Chatmon) recorded an unreleased track for Okeh Records titled "Any Fish Will Bite if You Got Good Bait". This may have been the same song; suggesting that it may have been traditional rather than written by Thomas.

Thomas' recording was included on the 1952 compilation album Anthology of American Folk Music, Volume Three: Songs (Blue Singing).

In 1964, the song was revived by American folk musician Mike Seeger. Over the next five years, it was recorded by artists including The Holy Modal Rounders, Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band, The Lovin' Spoonful (on their debut album Do You Believe in Magic), John Martyn and Taj Mahal. It has since been recorded many times. The recording history as of 2015 suggests that it has attained the status of a folk and blues standard.

1928 – Henry Thomas, 10" 78rpm single Vocalion 1249

1930s{?) – Sam Chatmon, included on the 1979 album Sam Chatmon's Advice

1964 – Mike Seeger, on the album Mike Seeger

1965 – The Holy Modal Rounders, on the album The Holy Modal Rounders 2

1965 – The Lovin' Spoonful, on the album Do You Believe in Magic

1966 – Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band, on the album See Reverse Side for Title

1968 – John Martyn, on the album The Tumbler

1969 – Taj Mahal, on the album Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home

1971 – John Sebastian, on the album Cheapo-Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian

1975 – Lillebjørn Nilsen, on the album Byen med det store hjertet

1977 – Richard Bargel, on the album Blue Steel

1984 – John Sebastian, on the 2001 album One Guy, One Guitar

1988 – Taj Mahal, on the album Shake Sugaree

1989 – The Sony Kidsongs Singers on the LP record and video, A Day at Camp

1990 – Nappy Brown, on the album Apples and Lemons

1990 – Taj Mahal, on the album Big Blues: Live at Ronnie Scott's

1994 – Point Blank, on the album Bez struje

2000 – Paramount Trio, on the album At the Crossroads of Collingwood and Fitzr

2001 – Felonius Blues Revue, on the album Sketches in Blue

2001 – David Thomas, on the album The Harry Smith Project: Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited

2001 – Claire Tomlinson, on the album Black, White and Blues, Vol. 1

2002 – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, on the album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III

2002 – Teja and Luke, on the album Better Day

2003 – Disney, on the soundtrack album Finding Nemo: Ocean Favorites

2003 – Doofus, on the album Handful of Songs

2003 – Jean-Jacques Milteau, on the album Blue 3rd

2003 – Artie Traum, Chris Shaw and Tom Akstens, on the album Big Trout Radio: Songs About Fishing

2003 – David Thompson and Ben Winship, on the album Fishing Music

2004 – The Juggernauts, on the album As We Like It

2006 – Blues Etc., on the album Blues Etc.

2006 – Ben Bonham, on the album Kids Only

2006 – The Gutbucket Jug Band, on the album Raunchy, Paunchy, Rootless and Blue

2006 – Gareth Hedges and Lance Bennett, on the album Candy Man

2006 – Hell's Kitchen, on the album City Streets

2006 – Peter "Madcat" Ruth, on the album Live in Rio

2006 – Someday Baby, on the album Backbone Move

2007 – Bill and Kristin Morris, on the album Not Your Regular Cup of Tea

2008 – Steve Baker and Dick Bird, on the album King Kazoo

2008 – Electric Apricot, on the soundtrack album of the movie Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo

2009 – Graham Hine, on the album You'll Be Hearing from Me Real Soon

2015 – Spuyten Duyvil, on the album The Social Music Hour, Vol. 1

The following songs have similar titles to the one which is the subject of this article, but are different from it and from each other:

1932 – Memphis Minnie feat. Kansas Joe McCoy, "Fishin' Blues" Vocalion 1711, a different blues song

1941 – Robert Petway, "Catfish Blues" Bluebird 8838, a different blues song, itself a reworking of an earlier song, later reworked by Muddy Waters as "Rollin' Stone"

1944 – Woody Guthrie, "Talking Fishing Blues", a talking blues included in The Asch Recordings

1960 – Tubby Hayes, "Fishin' the Blues" on the album London Jazz Quartet

1965 – New Lost City Ramblers, "Fishing Creek Blues" on the album Rural Delivery No. 1

1986 – Public Image Ltd, "Fishing" on the album Album

1988 – The Waterboys, "Fisherman's Blues" on the album Fisherman's Blues

1994 – Jandek, "Fishing Blues" on the album Graven Image

1996 – William Clarke, "Fishin' Blues" on the album The Hard Way

1997 – Deb Pasternak, "Fishing Blues" on the album More

2000 – Dick Kimmel, "Fishin' Creek Blues" on the album Fishin' Creek Blues

2006 – John Dunnigan, "Fishing Blues" on the album The View from Here

2007 – Brandon Strickland, "Fishing Blues" on the album This Side of the River

2013 – Clannad, "The Fishing Blues" on the album Nádúr

References

Fishing Blues Wikipedia

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