"Checkin' Up on My Baby" (or sometimes "Checking On My Baby") is a song recorded by

Sonny Boy Williamson II Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp st ...

in 1960 that has become a classic of the blues. The song was not released as a single, but was included on Williamson's ''

The Real Folk Blues ''The Real Folk Blues'' is a series of blues albums released between 1965 and 1967 by Chess Records, later reissued MCA Records. Each album in the series highlighted the music of one major Chess artist, including John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Mudd ...

'' album released after his death in 1965. The song has been recorded by numerous blues and other artists, making it one of Williamson's most recorded songs.

Earlier songs

Williamson's namesake

Sonny Boy Williamson I John Lee Curtis "Sonny Boy" Williamson (March 30, 1914 – June 1, 1948) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He is often regarded as the pioneer of the blues harp as a solo instrument. He played on hundreds of rec ...

, also known as John Lee Williamson, recorded an earlier song titled "Check Up on My Baby" in 1944. It is a topical song, with references to World War II political figures (its flip side is titled "Win the War Blues"). Although it has a different melody and lyrics, the refrain includes the line "I've got to check up on my baby, I've got to see how my baby been getting along", similar to "I'm checkin' up on my baby, find out what she's puttin' down", which later appears in the Sonny Boy Williamson II song. In 1958,

Otis Rush Otis Rush Jr. (April 29, 1934 – September 29, 2018) was an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. With qualities similar to the styles of other 1950s art ...

recorded a slow blues titled "Checking on My Baby" (Cobra 5027) with different lyrics, with Rush listed as the songwriter.

Composition and recording

In 1960, Sonny Boy Williamson II recorded "Checkin' Up on My Baby" as an uptempo Chicago blues shuffle that features his harmonica playing. Backing Williamson on vocal and harmonica are

Otis Spann Otis Spann (March 21, 1924 or 1930April 24, 1970) was an American blues musician, whom many consider to be the leading postwar Chicago blues pianist. Early life Sources differ over Spann's early years. Some state that he was born in Jackson, Miss ...

on piano, Robert Jr. Lockwood and

Luther Tucker Luther Tucker (January 20, 1936 – June 18, 1993) was an American blues guitarist. While soft-spoken and shy, Tucker made his presence known through his unique and clearly recognizable guitar style. Tucker helped to define the music known as ...

on guitars,

Fred Below Frederick Below, Jr. (September 6, 1926 – August 13, 1988) was an American blues drummer, best known for his work with Little Walter and Chess Records in the 1950s. According to Tony Russell, Below was a creator of much of the rhythmic stru ...

on drums, and an unidentified bassist. Despite its brief length (less than two minutes), blues historian has been identified the song as among "the most accomplished masterpieces of postwar blues". The song was first released on the Williamson

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...

compilation ''

'' in 1966.

Renditions

"Checkin' Up on My Baby" has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of artists, often by blues harp players.

Junior Wells Junior Wells (born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., December 9, 1934January 15, 1998) was an American singer, harmonica player, and recording artist. He is best known for his signature song "Messin' with the Kid" and his 1965 album ''Hoodoo Man Blues'' ...

made it "one of his key titles", according to Herzhaft. In 1992,

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

' frontman

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

recorded the song with the Red Devils, which was not released until 2007 on ''

The Very Best of Mick Jagger ''The Very Best of Mick Jagger'' is a compilation album that was released worldwide on 1 October 2007 and the following day in the United States on Warner Music Group, WEA/Rhino Records. This 17-track release is the first ever overview of Mick ...

'' compilation. In an album review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

called it Jagger's second most accomplished performance outside of the Stones after "

Memo from Turner "Memo from Turner" is a solo single by Mick Jagger, featuring slide guitar by Ry Cooder, from the soundtrack of ''Performance'', in which Jagger played the leading role of Turner, a reclusive rock star. It was re-released in October 2007 on a ...

", his contribution to the soundtrack of the 1970 film ''

Performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

''. The Red Devils'

Lester Butler Lester Butler (November 12, 1959May 9, 1998) was an American blues harmonica player and singer. He achieved fame as the singer and harmonica player for the Los Angeles, California, blues rock band, the Red Devils Biography Butler was born in ...

performed the blues harp for the piece, whose playing impressed Jagger; "At one point I heard Rick roducer_Rick_Rubin.html" ;"title="Rick_Rubin.html" ;"title="roducer Rick Rubin">roducer Rick Rubin">Rick_Rubin.html" ;"title="roducer Rick Rubin">roducer Rick Rubincall out, 'Hey Mick, play some harp!' recalls [group guitarist] David Lee Bartel. But he [Jagger] said, 'No, I'm just here to sing'" in deference to Butler.

References

{{authority control Blues songs 1960 songs Sonny Boy Williamson II songs Mick Jagger songs