Кокаиновый блюз: История песни и исполнения Джонни Кэша

1947 song by Roy Hogsed

"Cocaine Blues" is a Western swing song written by Troy Junius Arnall, a reworking of the traditional song "Little Sadie." Roy Hogsed recorded a well known version of the song in 1947.

Lyrically based upon the turn of the century, traditional, folk song "Little Sadie", the popular version of this song was originally recorded by W. A. Nichol's Western Aces (vocal by "Red" Arnall) on the S & G label, probably in 1947, and by Roy Hogsed and the Rainbow Riders May 25, 1947, at Universal Recorders in Hollywood, California. Hogsed's recording was released on Coast Records (262) and Capitol (40120), with the Capitol release reaching number 15 on the country music charts in 1948.

Johnny Cash famously performed the song at his 1968 Folsom Prison concert. He replaced the lyric "San Quentin" with "Folsom", and changed "C'mon you hypes " to "C'mon you gotta listen unto me ", as well as using the then provocative lyric "I can't forget the day I shot that bad bitch down." Cash also altered the last line to "Lay off the whiskey " instead of "Drink all you want ". During the performance, which was released uncensored by Columbia Records in 1968 (though other language is censored), Cash can be heard coughing occasionally; later in the concert recording, he can be heard noting that singing the song nearly did his voice in. The song was also featured on Cash's 1960 Columbia album Now, There Was a Song! under the title "Transfusion Blues" substituting the line "took a shot of cocaine" with "took a transfusion" along with some other minor lyrical changes (and a tamer version of the climactic lyric "I can't forget the day I shot my woman down"). Cash later recorded "Cocaine Blues" for his 1979 album Silver. Cash chose not to use the word "bitch" in this version. Cash also performed the song – with original lyrics and the use of the word "bitch" – for his December 1969 performance at Madison Square Garden, which was recorded but withheld from release until Johnny Cash at Madison Square Garden was released by Columbia Records in 2002. Cash's Folsom Prison performance of "Cocaine Blues" was portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2005 Cash biographical film Walk the Line. The film version, edited down to make it shorter, fades into the next scene before the line "I can't forget the day I shot that bad bitch down" is sung. The DVD specials include an extended version of the song with the lyric, and the full, unedited version (apparently a different "take") is found on the soundtrack CD.

Arnall is also sometimes credited with the version of "Cocaine Blues" written and recorded by Billy Hughes (also in 1947). The music is similar, bearing a marked resemblance to 'Little Sadie", however the lyrics in Hughes' vary considerably from Arnall's. For instance, Hughes has the Cocaine Kid, not Willy Lee, killing "his woman and a rounder, too" in Tulsa, being captured in El Paso, and sentenced to "ninety nine years way down in Mac." It ends with:
For you'll become an addict and blow your lid. Take a look at what it did to the Cocaine Kid. George Thorogood recorded a version of Cocaine Blues on his 1978 album entitled "Move It On Over." Hank Williams III also known as "Hank 3" also did a version for his album "Risin' Outlaw". Other then his style the only changes he made was "Folsom State Pen" instead of "Folsom Pen".