Ignored             Obscured              Restored

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written a post featuring the Evolution Series.  I’m returning to that today with a fun one!

Kansas Joe and Memphis Minnie recorded many songs together, including “When the Levee Breaks” in 1929.  (As most of you will recognize, that song was later recorded by Led Zeppelin in a reworked version.)  In 1930, they recorded another song called “Can I Do It For You”, written by Memphis Minnie.

The country blues number is a duet between the artists where the male singer offers several expensive items to his woman.  He wants “to do something for” her.  But she’s a feminist that can’t be bought.  For each offer, she responds “I don’t want nothin’ in the world you got, and you can’t do nothin’ to me.”

In 1965, Donovan resurrected the song in an updated version he titled “Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)”.

Donovan’s version was a tribute to his friend Gyp Mills (Gypsy Dave).  By this time, the “expensive” gifts included different cars, including a Chevrolet, a Ford Mustang, a Cadillac, and a sugar cube to which the response is “I don’t want to go for no trip”!

The song was picked up again in 1966 by Jim Kweskin & His Jug Band, but by now it was called “Chevrolet.”

This version harkens back to the Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie version with a male and female call and response in each verse.  The woman’s voice is Maria Muldaur, of “Midnight At the Oasis” fame.

In 1978, the British hard rock band Foghat took a shot at the song.

I’ve never been a Foghat fan, but their rendition of this classic song rocks!  It begins acapella, then the band kicks in.  By the end, the guitar solos are screaming!

“Chevrolet” has been covered many other times in versions I didn’t feature in this post but include artists such as The Animals, The Soul Survivors, Taj Mahal, The Derek Trucks Band, and Jack White’s Raconteurs.

This “evolution” is a wonderful example of how a simple country blues can become a rock classic.

Enjoy… until next week.