Statesboro Blues

"Statesboro Blues" is a blues song in the key of C written by Blind Willie McTell; the title refers to the town of Statesboro, Georgia. McTell made the first recording of the song on October 17 1928.

McTell borrowed part of the lyrics from a 1923 Sippie Wallace recording of "Up the Country Blues", which was later popularized by Canned Heat as "Goin' up the Country".

The song has since been covered by many other artists, including Dave Van Ronk and Taj Mahal.

The most familiar version of the song is by The Allman Brothers Band, as recorded at the Fillmore East in March 1971 and first released on the 1971 album "At Fillmore East". It features Duane Allman's slide guitar playing, which as "Rolling Stone" would write years later, featured "the moaning and squealing opening licks [that] have given fans chills at live shows." After Allman's death in a motorcycle accident later that year, the performance was also included on the 1972 album "".

In 2008, "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked The Allman Brothers Band's version of "Statesboro Blues" as #9 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/20947527/page/7 The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time : Rolling Stone ] ]

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