Chords for Levon Helm - On His Early Influences
Tempo:
118 bpm
Chords used:
Ab
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
You know, we've got a radio station down in Phillips County, Arkansas, KFFA radio station,
and serving eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi.
The Voice of the Delta and Sonny Boy's radio show, The King Biscuit Time,
show would come on every day at dinner time, and everybody would listen, of course,
and then on Saturdays, if I could arrange to catch a ride, I'd go into Helena and go by the radio station.
They would actually let me kind of fade into a corner, and I would get to see a broadcast.
And Peck Curtis, the drummer, as good as the band sounded, it seemed like Peck was definitely having the most fun.
So I sort of locked into the drums at that point, and I come forward and later heard Jack Nance.
Jack Nance played with Conway Twitty and taught me this and this.
And forward through the years, and I've heard all the great drummers in Memphis,
Jimmy Van Eaten and Al Jackson, Willie Hall, and then the Chicago Boys, which was Fred Belew and Clifton James,
and some of the people at Chess Records and VJ Records.
So most of my style, if you can call it that, is based on the original Peck Curtis and Sonny Boy,
the blues style, the Delta blues style with the harmonicas and the shuffle.
And a lot of harmonica, a lot of guitar, a lot of bottom.
And through the years, I've kind of quickened the pace to more of a rock and roll meter
and more of a rock and roll time frame.
But it still bases itself back at Peck Curtis and Sonny Boy Williamson and the King Biscuit Boys.
You know, I must have been six or seven.
I heard him on the radio and I was just old enough that when we would go to town,
you know, I could kind of go off on my own.
I'd go by the donut store and grab a couple of donuts and head right on down to the radio station.
And I'd be there all day until I quit.
And then sometimes Sonny Boy, they had a bus, the King Biscuit bus.
And it was sort of a school bus, only shorter and funnier looking, with the riding along the sides.
And they would load the piano up into the back of it, open the back door of the bus,
pull the piano up to the door, and Peck would set his drums up on a tarpaulin down at the back of the bus.
Sonny Boy and everybody would set up and play, and the piano would set in the back of the bus.
And on Saturdays, they would come to Marvel and play for an hour,
and then load up the King Biscuit bus and head down to E Lane or to the Melwood store or wherever they were going to play.
But on Saturdays, they would play for a lot of people.
Just, you know, by going to three or four of those little cotton towns there in Arkansas,
across the river over into Mississippi.
It seems like that Peck had a cowbell.
I think that's why I favor a cowbell here instead of a second tenor tom.
I've got the one tenor tom that's sort of a standard first-time-around hookup,
which was the tenor tom here and the floor tub, the baritone tub.
And instead of another cymbal or another tub, the cowbell falls in.
Sometimes you will hear a wood block in that same place.
Sammy Lay from Chicago, one of the Chicago boys, could really tear it up on that wood block.
And when you're playing a song, instead of riding the cymbal,
Sammy Lay had a way of riding that wood block, which was great.
I can't do it, but in my play, and if I get a chance to hit that cowbell, it's always good for me.
[Ab]
[N]
and serving eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi.
The Voice of the Delta and Sonny Boy's radio show, The King Biscuit Time,
show would come on every day at dinner time, and everybody would listen, of course,
and then on Saturdays, if I could arrange to catch a ride, I'd go into Helena and go by the radio station.
They would actually let me kind of fade into a corner, and I would get to see a broadcast.
And Peck Curtis, the drummer, as good as the band sounded, it seemed like Peck was definitely having the most fun.
So I sort of locked into the drums at that point, and I come forward and later heard Jack Nance.
Jack Nance played with Conway Twitty and taught me this and this.
And forward through the years, and I've heard all the great drummers in Memphis,
Jimmy Van Eaten and Al Jackson, Willie Hall, and then the Chicago Boys, which was Fred Belew and Clifton James,
and some of the people at Chess Records and VJ Records.
So most of my style, if you can call it that, is based on the original Peck Curtis and Sonny Boy,
the blues style, the Delta blues style with the harmonicas and the shuffle.
And a lot of harmonica, a lot of guitar, a lot of bottom.
And through the years, I've kind of quickened the pace to more of a rock and roll meter
and more of a rock and roll time frame.
But it still bases itself back at Peck Curtis and Sonny Boy Williamson and the King Biscuit Boys.
You know, I must have been six or seven.
I heard him on the radio and I was just old enough that when we would go to town,
you know, I could kind of go off on my own.
I'd go by the donut store and grab a couple of donuts and head right on down to the radio station.
And I'd be there all day until I quit.
And then sometimes Sonny Boy, they had a bus, the King Biscuit bus.
And it was sort of a school bus, only shorter and funnier looking, with the riding along the sides.
And they would load the piano up into the back of it, open the back door of the bus,
pull the piano up to the door, and Peck would set his drums up on a tarpaulin down at the back of the bus.
Sonny Boy and everybody would set up and play, and the piano would set in the back of the bus.
And on Saturdays, they would come to Marvel and play for an hour,
and then load up the King Biscuit bus and head down to E Lane or to the Melwood store or wherever they were going to play.
But on Saturdays, they would play for a lot of people.
Just, you know, by going to three or four of those little cotton towns there in Arkansas,
across the river over into Mississippi.
It seems like that Peck had a cowbell.
I think that's why I favor a cowbell here instead of a second tenor tom.
I've got the one tenor tom that's sort of a standard first-time-around hookup,
which was the tenor tom here and the floor tub, the baritone tub.
And instead of another cymbal or another tub, the cowbell falls in.
Sometimes you will hear a wood block in that same place.
Sammy Lay from Chicago, one of the Chicago boys, could really tear it up on that wood block.
And when you're playing a song, instead of riding the cymbal,
Sammy Lay had a way of riding that wood block, which was great.
I can't do it, but in my play, and if I get a chance to hit that cowbell, it's always good for me.
[Ab]
[N]
Key:
Ab
Ab
Ab
Ab
Ab
Ab
Ab
Ab
_ You know, we've got a radio station down in Phillips County, Arkansas, KFFA radio station,
_ and serving eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi.
The Voice of the Delta and Sonny Boy's radio show, The King Biscuit Time,
_ show would come on every day at dinner time, and everybody would listen, of course,
and then on Saturdays, if I could arrange to catch a ride, I'd go into Helena and go by the radio station.
They would actually let me kind of fade into a corner, and I would get to see a broadcast. _ _
And Peck Curtis, the drummer, _ _ as good as the band sounded, it seemed like Peck was definitely having the most fun.
So I _ sort of locked into the drums at that point, and _ I come forward and later heard Jack Nance.
Jack Nance played with Conway Twitty and taught me this _ and this.
_ _ _ _ _ _ And _ forward through the years, and I've heard _ all the great drummers in Memphis,
Jimmy Van Eaten and Al Jackson, Willie Hall, _ and then the Chicago Boys, which was Fred Belew and Clifton James, _ _ _ _
and some of the people at Chess Records and VJ Records.
_ So _ most of my style, if you can call it that, is based on the original Peck Curtis and Sonny Boy, _
the blues style, the Delta blues style with the harmonicas and the shuffle. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ And a lot of harmonica, a lot of guitar, a lot of bottom.
And _ through the years, I've _ _ _ _ kind of quickened the pace to more of a rock and roll meter
and more of a rock and roll time frame.
But it still bases itself back at Peck Curtis and Sonny Boy Williamson and the King Biscuit Boys.
You know, I must have been six or seven.
I heard him on the radio and I _ was just old enough that when we would go to town,
you know, I could kind of go off on my own.
I'd go by the donut store and grab a couple of donuts and head right on down to the radio station.
_ And I'd be there all day until I quit.
_ And then sometimes Sonny Boy, they had a bus, the King Biscuit bus.
And it was sort of a school bus, only shorter and funnier looking, with the riding along the sides.
And they would load the piano up into the back of it, open the back door of the bus,
pull the piano up to the door, and Peck would set his drums up on a tarpaulin down at the back of the bus.
Sonny Boy and everybody would set up and play, and the piano would set in the back of the bus. _
And on Saturdays, they would come to Marvel _ and play for an hour,
and then load up the King Biscuit bus and head down to E Lane or to the Melwood store or wherever they were going to play.
But _ on Saturdays, _ they would play for a lot of people.
Just, you know, by going to three or four of those little cotton towns there in Arkansas,
_ across the river over into Mississippi.
It seems like that Peck had a cowbell.
I think that's why I favor a cowbell here instead of a second tenor tom.
I've got the one _ tenor tom that's sort of a standard _ _ first-time-around hookup,
which was the tenor tom here _ and the floor tub, the baritone tub.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ And instead of another cymbal or another tub, _ the cowbell falls in.
Sometimes you will hear a wood block in that same place.
_ _ Sammy Lay from Chicago, one of the Chicago boys, could really tear it up on that wood block.
_ _ And _ when you're playing a song, instead of riding the cymbal, _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Sammy Lay had a way of riding that wood block, which was great. _ _
I can't do it, but in my play, and if I get a chance to hit that cowbell, _ it's always good for me. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ and serving eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi.
The Voice of the Delta and Sonny Boy's radio show, The King Biscuit Time,
_ show would come on every day at dinner time, and everybody would listen, of course,
and then on Saturdays, if I could arrange to catch a ride, I'd go into Helena and go by the radio station.
They would actually let me kind of fade into a corner, and I would get to see a broadcast. _ _
And Peck Curtis, the drummer, _ _ as good as the band sounded, it seemed like Peck was definitely having the most fun.
So I _ sort of locked into the drums at that point, and _ I come forward and later heard Jack Nance.
Jack Nance played with Conway Twitty and taught me this _ and this.
_ _ _ _ _ _ And _ forward through the years, and I've heard _ all the great drummers in Memphis,
Jimmy Van Eaten and Al Jackson, Willie Hall, _ and then the Chicago Boys, which was Fred Belew and Clifton James, _ _ _ _
and some of the people at Chess Records and VJ Records.
_ So _ most of my style, if you can call it that, is based on the original Peck Curtis and Sonny Boy, _
the blues style, the Delta blues style with the harmonicas and the shuffle. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ And a lot of harmonica, a lot of guitar, a lot of bottom.
And _ through the years, I've _ _ _ _ kind of quickened the pace to more of a rock and roll meter
and more of a rock and roll time frame.
But it still bases itself back at Peck Curtis and Sonny Boy Williamson and the King Biscuit Boys.
You know, I must have been six or seven.
I heard him on the radio and I _ was just old enough that when we would go to town,
you know, I could kind of go off on my own.
I'd go by the donut store and grab a couple of donuts and head right on down to the radio station.
_ And I'd be there all day until I quit.
_ And then sometimes Sonny Boy, they had a bus, the King Biscuit bus.
And it was sort of a school bus, only shorter and funnier looking, with the riding along the sides.
And they would load the piano up into the back of it, open the back door of the bus,
pull the piano up to the door, and Peck would set his drums up on a tarpaulin down at the back of the bus.
Sonny Boy and everybody would set up and play, and the piano would set in the back of the bus. _
And on Saturdays, they would come to Marvel _ and play for an hour,
and then load up the King Biscuit bus and head down to E Lane or to the Melwood store or wherever they were going to play.
But _ on Saturdays, _ they would play for a lot of people.
Just, you know, by going to three or four of those little cotton towns there in Arkansas,
_ across the river over into Mississippi.
It seems like that Peck had a cowbell.
I think that's why I favor a cowbell here instead of a second tenor tom.
I've got the one _ tenor tom that's sort of a standard _ _ first-time-around hookup,
which was the tenor tom here _ and the floor tub, the baritone tub.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ And instead of another cymbal or another tub, _ the cowbell falls in.
Sometimes you will hear a wood block in that same place.
_ _ Sammy Lay from Chicago, one of the Chicago boys, could really tear it up on that wood block.
_ _ And _ when you're playing a song, instead of riding the cymbal, _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Sammy Lay had a way of riding that wood block, which was great. _ _
I can't do it, but in my play, and if I get a chance to hit that cowbell, _ it's always good for me. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _