"The Sky Is Crying" is 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 s ...

written and initially recorded by

Elmore James Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...

in 1959. Called "one of his most durable compositions", "The Sky Is Crying" became a R&B record chart hit and has been interpreted and recorded by numerous artists.

Composition and recording

"The Sky Is Crying" is a slow-tempo twelve-bar blues notated in 12/8 time in the key of C. It is an impromptu song inspired by a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

downpour during the recording session: The songs features prominent slide guitar by James with his vocals, accompanied by his longtime backing band, the Broomdusters: J. T. Brown on saxophone, Johnny Jones on piano, Odie Payne on drums, and

Homesick James Homesick James (April 30, 1910December 13, 2006 was an American blues musician known for his mastery of the slide guitar. He worked with his cousin, Elmore James, and with Sonny Boy Williamson II. Early years Homesick James was born in Somervi ...

on bass. James' unique slide guitar sound on the recording has generated some debate; Homesick James attributed it to a recording studio technique, others have suggested a different amplifier or guitar setup, and

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, a ...

felt that it was an altogether different guitar than James' usual

Kay The name Kay is found both as a surname (see Kay (surname)) and as a given name. In English-speaking countries, it is usually a feminine name, often a short form of Katherine or one of its variants; but it is also used as a first name in its own ...

acoustic with an attached pickup.

Release and recognition

The single, with the artist credit "Elmo James and His Broomdusters", reached number 15 on ''Billboard'' magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart in 1960, making it James' last chart showing before his death in 1963. James recorded a variation of the song, "The Sun Is Shining", in April 1960, five months after the recording date of "The Sky Is Crying" (although some places "Sun" as a precursor to "Sky", possibly because the bulk of James' recordings for

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...

/ Fury/

Enjoy Enjoy may refer to: Music *Enjoy, an album by Bob Sinclar *Enjoy, a song by Janet Jackson *Enjoy, a song from Björk's album ''Post'' *Enjoy Records, an American record label * ''Enjoy'' (play), a 1980 comedy play by Alan Bennett * ''Enjoy!'' (Des ...

took place after the Chess recordings). "The Sky Is Crying" is identified as a

and in 1991, James' original was inducted into the

Blues Foundation The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 blues organizations from various parts of the world. Founded in 1980, a 25-person board of directors governs the ...

Hall of Fame in the "Classics of Blues Recordings" category. Record producer Bobby Robinson noted that the song is "a magnificent vehicle both for Elmore's emotion-packed blues vocal and his ringing slide guitar".

Renditions

In 1969,

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

recorded "The Sky Is Crying" for the album '' Years Gone By''. Unlike James' who played it with a slide, King used a fretted approach on guitar.

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

later performed the song regularly as an apparent tribute to King. He and his backing band, Double Trouble, recorded versions during the sessions for their 1984 album '' Couldn't Stand the Weather'' and 1985's '' Soul to Soul''. Neither was released until the posthumous compilations '' Blues at Sunrise'' (2000) and '' The Sky Is Crying'' (1991), respectively. Critic Dan Forte noted, "Stevie tips his Clint Eastwood hat to ''two'' of his idols: Elmore James, who wrote the tune, and Albert King, who also recorded it, and whose influence is evident in every lick and bend here n the 1991 release"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sky Is Crying, The 1959 songs Elmore James songs 1959 singles Songs written by Elmore James Albert King songs Freddie King songs Stevie Ray Vaughan songs Blues songs