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song that has been cited as one of the oldest in the genre. As with most traditional blues songs, there is great variation in the melody and lyrical content as performed by different artists. However, there is often a core verse containing some variation of the line "I'm a poor boy a long way from
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musicians. Strangely enough, "Poor Boy", after decades of being a standard refrain, especially in country music, resurfaced among postwar bluesmen.
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much a part of black folklore as it is of white folklore, and its origin is quite questionable. It is probably an
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around 1900, playing a version of the song. In 1927, Cannon recorded the song under the pseudonym Banjo Joe for
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177:. He performed the piece using a slide on a five string banjo, with guitar accompaniment by
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in 1957 is described by
Herzhaft as "a sensational rendering".
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The Howlin' Wolf Story – The Secret
History of Rock & Roll
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recalled hearing a slide guitarist named Alec or Alex Lee in
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Big Road Blues: Tradition and
Creativity in the Folk Blues
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issued it as a single, with another traditional song, "
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371:: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
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19:For the song "Poor Boy Blues" by Poison, see
320:Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1927-1928)
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350:"Sitting on Top of the World" / "Poor Boy"
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284:Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "Poor Boy".
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161:The song is often associated with a
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16:Song performed by Bo Weavil Jackson
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457:The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
434:With Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley
53:"Can You Blame the Colored Man"
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21:Flesh and Blood (Poison album)
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124:Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home
521:Howling Wolf Sings the Blues
361:. 1957. Record labels. 1679.
290:University of Arkansas Press
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288:. Fayetteville, Arkansas:
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322: – Review"
286:Encyclopedia of the Blues
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505:Moanin' in the Moonlight
441:The Howlin' Wolf Album
196:" as the second side.
184:A version recorded by
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653:My Country Sugar Mama
632:I Ain't Superstitious
213:Evans, David (1987).
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768:Year of song unknown
590:Smokestack Lightning
537:More Real Folk Blues
449:Message to the Young
126:", is a traditional
570:Moanin' at Midnight
563:How Many More Years
529:The Real Folk Blues
367:cite AV media notes
783:Songwriter unknown
778:Howlin' Wolf songs
639:Little Red Rooster
465:The Back Door Wolf
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267:978-0-14-006223-6
175:Paramount Records
151:old English piece
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670:Documentary
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357:. Chicago:
179:Blind Blake
155:Appalachian
153:revised by
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112:Traditional
762:Categories
696:Ike Turner
576:Forty-Four
252:Deep Blues
200:References
167:Gus Cannon
39:Gus Cannon
99:Paramount
706:Pat Hare
625:Spoonful
604:Poor Boy
545:His Best
327:AllMusic
248:(1981).
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333:May 19,
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128:blues
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87:Blues
82:Genre
583:Evil
373:link
335:2021
294:ISBN
262:ISBN
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