"You've Got to Love Her with a Feeling", or "Love with a Feeling" as it was originally titled, is a blues song first recorded by

Tampa Red Hudson Whittaker (born Hudson Woodbridge; January 8, 1903March 19, 1981), known as Tampa Red, was a Chicago blues musician. His distinctive single-string slide guitar style, songwriting and bottleneck technique influenced other Chicago blues gu ...

in 1938. Numerous blues artists have interpreted and recorded the song, making it a

blues standard Blues standards are blues songs that have attained a high level of recognition due to having been widely performed and recorded. They represent the best known and most interpreted blues songs that are seen as standing the test of time. Blues ...

. When

Freddie King Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Mos ...

adapted it in 1961, it became his first single to appear in the record charts.

Original song

Tampa Red recorded "Love with a Feeling" as a mid-tempo twelve-bar blues. Accompanying Red, who sang and played slide guitar, were Black Bob Hudson on piano and an unknown bass player. Although Tampa Red wrote several bawdy blues, "Love with a Feeling" is tame, with only one verse suggesting the more colorful versions to come: Not long after recording "Love with a Feeling", other blues artists began recording their versions of the song. In May 1950, Tampa Red recorded an updated version titled "Love Her with a Feelin. The song was performed as a Chicago-style blues with Tampa Red on electric slide guitar with blues pianist

Little Johnny Jones ''Little Johnny Jones'' is a musical by George M. Cohan. The show introduced Cohan's tunes " Give My Regards to Broadway" and " The Yankee Doodle Boy." The "Yankee Doodle" character was inspired by real-life Hall of Fame jockey Tod Sloan. Bac ...

and a bassist and drummer. He also recorded it as a solo piece with vocal and electric guitar in 1961 for his ''Don't Tampa with the Blues'' album.

Freddie King rendition

In 1960,

adapted the song as "You've Got to Love Her with a Feeling". In his arrangement, he uses breaks where he sings the first four bars of each twelve-bar verse without the usual instrumental accompaniment. The recording took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 26, 1960, with King on vocal and guitar,

Sonny Thompson Sonny Thompson (probably August 23, 1916 – August 11, 1989), born Alfonso Thompson or Hezzie Tompson, was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography There is some uncertainty over Thomps ...

on piano, Bill Willis on bass, Phillip Paul on drums, Clifford Scott on tenor saxophone and Gene Redd on trumpet. The song was released as the B-side of the "

Have You Ever Loved a Woman "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" is a blues song written by Billy Myles and first recorded by American blues artist Freddie King in 1960. The song is performed as a slow 12-bar blues with King's vocal and guitar accompanied by a small combo of pia ...

" single on King Records subsidiary,

Federal Records Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. The comp ...

. Of the two songs, only "You've Got to Love Her with a Feeling" appeared in the record charts. In 1961, the single reached number 93 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but did not appear in the magazine's R&B chart. The song is also included on King's first album, ''

Freddy King Sings ''Freddy King Sings'' is an album by blues singer and guitarist Freddie King. Released in 1961, it was King's first album and includes four singles that appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine's R&B and Pop charts. In 2008, ''Freddy King Sings'' was ...

'' (1961). On his single and albums, King is often listed as the songwriter, sometimes with Thompson as co-writer.

Junior Wells version

Chicago blues singer and blues harp player

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'' ...

played up the bawdy aspects of the song in several recordings, with blues historian Gerard Herzhaft only commenting "Junior Wells was particularly able to use the advise of Tampa Red." Wells recorded the song as "You've Gotta Love Her with a Feeling" for his

Delmark Records Delmark Records is an American jazz and blues independent record label. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when then owner, and founder, Bob Koester released a record ...

album ''On Tap'' (1974). In November 1996, a live version was recorded at

Buddy Guy's Legends Buddy Guy's Legends is a blues club in Chicago, Illinois. It was opened in 1989 by blues musician Buddy Guy who still owns the club and who still makes regular appearances, performing a month of shows each January. Legends is one of the few bl ...

club in Chicago. According to music journalist Frank-John Hadley, Wells "turned in an especially gripping vocal on 'Love Her with a Felling', employing his gnarled enunciations to add an almost unspeakable lustiness to lyrics concerning, well, you know what." The recording is included on Wells' ''Live at Buddy Guy's Legends'', released in 1997 by

Telarc Records Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long associ ...

References

{{Freddie King 1938 songs Tampa Red songs 1960 singles Freddie King songs Blues songs Taj Mahal (musician) songs