B-side "My Dolly Bee" Genre Blues, R&B | Released 1957 (1957) Length 2:36 | |
Format 10-inch 78 rpm & 7-inch 45 rpm record Recorded Houston, Texas,May 7, 1956 | ||
"Next Time You See Me" is a blues song recorded in 1956 by Junior Parker (as "Little Junior Parker" as he was then known). The song was Parker's first record chart appearance after joining Duke Records and one of his most successful singles in both the R&B and pop charts. "Next Time You See Me" has been performed and recorded by numerous blues and other artists.
Contents
Original song
"Next Time You See Me" is a mid-tempo twelve-bar blues shuffle with breaks. As with most of Junior Parker's songs, it is "more melodic than the average blues" and features Parker's smooth vocal approach propelled by a horn-driven rhythm section. The song begins with a chorus:
The backing is provided by the Bill Harvey Band with Parker on vocals, Harvey on tenor sax, Joe Scott on trumpet, Pluma Davis on trombone, Connie McBooker on piano, Pat Hare on guitar, Hamp Simmons on bass, and Sonny Freeman on drums. In 1957, the song became a number five hit in the Billboard R&B chart as well as reaching number 74 in the pop Hot 100.
Recordings by other artists
Several blues and other artists have recorded "Next Time You See Me", including Frankie Lymon from his debut album Rock & Roll (1958); Freddie Roach from Brown Sugar (1964); James Cotton from Cut You Loose! (1967); Mike Bloomfield from It's Not Killing Me (1968); Hank Crawford from Midnight Ramble (1982); and Rick Danko from Live on Breeze Hill (1999). Pacific Gas & Electric released a live version of the song on their 2007 album, Live 'N' Kicking at Lexington. Earlier in their career, the Grateful Dead performed the song in concert, several recordings of which were later released.