"I'm So Glad" is a

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

-style song originally recorded by American musician

Skip James Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James (June 9, 1902October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. AllMusic stated: "This emotional, lyrical performer was a talented blues guitarist and arranger with an impressive ...

in 1931. Blues historian Gerard Herzhaft notes "This spiritual probably dates back to the beginning of the blues". Blues writer Stephen Calt describes it as "a Two-Step piece marked by fiendishly fast playing nan eight bar arrangement single measures." He adds it is not related to an earlier Lonnie Johnson tune.

Paramount Records Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Early years Paramount Records was formed in 19 ...

released James' "I'm So Glad" on the then standard 10-inch 78rpm shellac phonograph record in 1931. It is included on various compilations as well as ''Hard Time Killing' Floor'' (2005), a complete collection of James' recordings on compact disc, by

Yazoo Records Yazoo Records is an American record label founded in the mid-1960s by Nick Perls. It specializes in early American blues, country, jazz, and other rural American genres collectively known as roots music. History The first five releases (L 1001 ...

. James' song has been recorded by early blues artists, including

Fred McDowell Fred McDowell (January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972), known by his stage name Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American hill country blues singer and guitar player. Career McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee, United States. His parents were f ...

Cream adaptation

British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

reworked "I'm So Glad" using an electric

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

arrangement. In September 1966, they recorded it for their debut album, ''

Fresh Cream ''Fresh Cream'' is the debut studio album by the British rock band Cream. The album was released in the UK on 9 December 1966, as the first LP on the Reaction Records label, owned by producer Robert Stigwood. The UK album was released in both ...

''. The song was a feature of their live performances and a recording from October 1968 is included on the album ''

Goodbye Goodbye, Good bye, or Good-bye is a parting phrase and may refer to: Film * ''Goodbye'' (1918 film), a British drama directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Goodbye'' (1995 film) (''Tot Ziens!''), a Dutch film directed by Heddy Honigmann * ''Goodbye'' ...

'' (1969). An album review included: "it's the rampaging 'I'm So Glad' that illustrates how far they've come; compare it to the original studio version on ''Fresh Cream'' and it's easy to see just how much further they're stretching their improvisation." As a result of Cream's albums and performances, "I'm So Glad" gained a much wider audience and other artists often based their versions on Cream's. Skip James was pleased with the new interpretation of his song and remarked: "That piece is absolutely gonna stand."

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

added an intro and titled the song "Prelude: Happiness/I'm So Glad" for their first album ''

Shades of Deep Purple ''Shades of Deep Purple'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, released in July 1968 on Tetragrammaton in the United States and in September 1968 on Parlophone in the United Kingdom. The band, initially called Round ...

'' (1968); "

Jon Lord John Douglas Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English orchestral and rock composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or baroque forms, especially with the British rock band Deep ...

's organ flourishes, weaving classical riffs, and unexpected arabesques into "I'm So Glad," which sounds rather majestic here", according to AllMusic's Bruce Eder.

References

{{authority control 1931 songs Blues songs Cream (band) songs Deep Purple songs Song recordings produced by Robert Stigwood Paramount Records singles African-American spiritual songs

Cream adaptation

See also

References