To be honest, I'd never heard of Cole, or heard this record, until I chanced across it while websurfing yesterday morning, but according to my old colleague Bruce Eder over at All-Music Guide, Cole was a big deal in her day (voted Most Promising Female R&b Vocalist of 1956, actually). Not only that, this isn't even technically an answer to Muddy's record; it turns out Cole herself recorded "Got My Mojo Working" the same year as that award, and Muddy learned the song after seeing her perform it onstage.
Had Cole's version been a hit, of course, history might have been changed in unfathomable ways. Of Cole herself, alas, I can find no mention after the '50s.
4 comments:
Great find, rocks like you know what!
ROTP(lumber)
What a terrific discovery! I never knew about any of this before. Glad I stopped by this morning. Thanks.
Her version of "Got My Mojo Working" is on the Rhino Blues Masters series (Vol. 6). A bit more up-tempo than the follow-up, same arrangement & background vocals. It's good.
Someone borrowed heavily from this arrangement for "My friends all call me speedo, but my real name is Mister Earl" -- or the other way around.
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