''Stormy Monday'', also known as ''I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water'', is the debut album of R&B singer

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

, released in 1962 on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. Recorded in two sessions in February 1962, the album features a number of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and jazz standards chosen by Rawls and backed by the

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (born September 23, 1935) is an American jazz pianist and vocalist.Feather, Leonard, and Ira Gitler (2007), ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 448. Oxford University Press. Early life Les McCann was born in ...

Trio. ''Stormy Monday'' was reissued in 1990 by

Blue Note records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

History

''Excerpt from the album liner notes:'' In 1962, when this album was made and when he turned 26, Lou Rawls' rich

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

was unknown, except to a few

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

fans and

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

hipsters who caught his act at local

night clubs A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

like ''P.J.'s'', ''The Troubador'',

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, s ...

's ''Manne-Hole'' or ''Brother's'' on Santa Monica and

Vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

. A year earlier, Capitol A&R man

Nick Venet Nick Venet (born Nikolas Kostantinos Venetoulis, 3 December 1936 – 2 January 1998) was an American record producer, who began his career at age 19 with World Pacific Jazz. He is best known for signing The Beach Boys to Capitol Records and p ...

had heard Rawls at '' Pandora's Box Coffee Shop'', where Rawls was playing there for $10 a night plus pizza in late 1959, and signed him to the label. One stillborn single emerged before Lou had the brainstorm to do an album of blues and jazz standards, backed by then up-and-comer

and his trio, who were performing nearby at ''The Bit'' on Sunset Boulevard. Before his Grammy-winning album ''Love Is a Hurtin' Thing'', ''Stormy Monday'' was the first of more than 20 other albums Rawls would record on that label in only a decade.Lou Rawls at All About Jazz
/ref>

Track listing

Side One

# " (They Call It) Stormy Monday" (

T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''Roll ...

) – 3:45 # " God Bless the Child" (

Arthur Herzog Arthur Herzog III (April 6, 1927 – May 26, 2010) was an American novelist, non-fiction writer, and journalist, well known for his works of science fiction and true crime books. He was the son of songwriter Arthur Herzog, Jr. He was married ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

) – 4:30 # "

See See Rider "See See Rider", also known as "C.C. Rider", "See See Rider Blues" or "Easy Rider", is a popular American 12-bar blues song that became a standard in several genres. Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was the first to record it on October 16, 1924, at Param ...

" ( Ma Rainey) – 3:11 # " Willow Weep for Me" ( Ann Ronell) – 5:57 # "

I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town "We Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" is a song originally recorded on September 3, 1936, by Piedmont blues musician Casey Bill Weldon. Weldon performed it as a solo piece, with vocals and acoustic guitar plus piano and double bass accompanime ...

" (

Andy Razaf Andy Razaf (born Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo; December 16, 1895 – February 3, 1973) was an American poet, composer and lyricist of such well-known songs as " Ain't Misbehavin'" and " Honeysuckle Rose". Biography Razaf was born in Washi ...

, "Casey Bill" Weldon) – 4:00

Side Two

# "In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)" ( Leroy Carr,

Don Raye Don Raye (born Donald MacRae Wilhoite Jr., March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985) was an American songwriter, best known for his songs for The Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", " The House of Blue Lights", "Just for a Thr ...

) – 3:28 # "'Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do" ( Percy Grainger, Robert Prince, Clarence Williams) – 2:45 # "Lost and Lookin'" (James Alexander, Lowell Jordan) – 3:12 # "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water" (Eddie Miller) – 3:55 # "Sweet Lover" (

John Leslie McFarland John Leslie McFarland (May 12, 1926 – January, 1971) was an American popular music composer and arranger. Career Early in his career McFarland wrote several songs for Bill Haley and His Comets: "Rockin' Rollin' Rover", "You Hit The Wrong Note Bi ...

Sid Wyche Sidney Jackson Wyche ( February 11, 1922 – November 11, 1983) was an American songwriter and pianist. Wyche is best known for writing the jazz standard "Alright, Okay, You Win", Elvis Presley's Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper "A Big Hunk o' Lov ...

) – 3:08

Reissue Tracks

#"Blues Is a Woman" (Rawls) - 2:58 #"A Little Les of Lou's Blues" (Rawls) - 2:23 #" (They Call It) Stormy Monday (Alternate Take)" (Walker) - 2:58

Personnel

Musicians

*Lou Rawls -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

;Les McCann Trio *

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Leroy Vinnegar Leroy Vinnegar (July 13, 1928 – August 3, 1999) was an American jazz bassist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, the self-taught Vinnegar established his reputation in Los Angeles, California, during the 1950s and 1960s. His trademar ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Ron Jefferson -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Additional personnel

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

*Malcolm Addley - remixing * Billy Vera -

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stormy Monday (Album) 1962 debut albums Lou Rawls albums Capitol Records albums Albums produced by Nick Venet Albums recorded at Capitol Studios