Questionnaire Blues
1969 · Delmark DS-614 · USA
- Artist
- Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
- Title
- Questionnaire Blues
- Release
- Look On Yonder's Wall
- Year
- 1969
- Label
- Delmark # DS-614
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Genre
- Blues · Delta Blues · Electric Blues
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation — Blues songs
Delta Blues and Electric Blues artist, born on 24 August 1905 in Forest, Mississippi, USA, he died on 28 March 1974 in Nassawadox, Virginia, USA. This album contained the song "Questionnaire Blues" (Delmark Records # DS-614) - the term often used to refer to the draft. It was recorded on 25 May 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, featuring Crudup on vocals and guitar, and Ransom Knowling on bass. This song is in fact a re-recorded version of "Give Me a 32-20" (1942), released about World War Two. Note: In a similar way. Crudup recorded "This War Is Awful" (1969) in the Vietnam War-era, which was also a re-recorded version of a World War Two song, "Cool Disposition" (Bluebird Records # 34-0738), released on single in 1945. The narrator notes receiving the draft card, disappointed to leave his girlfriend, but "don't want to break the county law". He then describes how when he starts the training, with a gun in his hand, he "gonna kill me somebody, cause the world can't understand".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
Track A2 'Questionnaire Blues'. Stereo LP. Personnel: Arthur Crudup (vocals, guitar), Edward El (guitar), Ransom Knowling and Dave Myers ('Dave Meyers') (bass), Lawrence 'Judge' Riley (drums). Producer/supervision/liner notes Bob Koester; recorded by Ed Cody; photography George Wilkerson; cover Zbigniew Jastrzebski. White label, blue print, 'Seven West Grand St.' address; back cover tribute to Ransom Knowling (d. 1967).
About the artist
Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup was born on 24 August 1905 in Forest, Mississippi, moved to Chicago around 1940, later lived in Virginia, and died on 28 March 1974 in Nassawadox, Virginia. [Source: Wikipedia]