Format 10" 78rpm single Length 3:01 | ||
B-side "The Church Needs Good Deacons" Recorded December 2, 1929; Dallas, TX |
"I Had a Good Father and Mother" is a 1929 gospel blues song by Washington Phillips (1880–1954, vocals and zither). The song has sometimes been covered as "I Had a Good Mother and Father"; or with, in both cases, "Real" inserted before "Good".
Unusually, the song does not have a conventional refrain; instead, the verses are separated by a wordless vocalise.
The final verse reflects a concept mentioned several times in the Gospel of John:
The recording history suggests that the song was composed by Phillips himself: there seems to be no earlier or contemporary version, nor any cover version until 64 years after his recording of the song.
References
I Had a Good Father and Mother Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA