Big Joe Williams, Tony Hollins, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf & Peter Green Splinter Group

John Lee Hooker passed away on June 21, 2001.

The U.K. label Eagle Records brought “From Clarksdale to Heaven – Remembering John Lee Hooker” to market early the following year, featuring a wide array of British Blues Royalty as well as a few Americans, covering some of Hooker’s best known songs and more than a few rarities.

Peter Green Splinter Group offer their respects with a cover of ‘Crawlin’ King Snake’.

Recorded in 1948, released as the A-side of a Modern 78, Hooker’s song is actually a cover of a Big Joe Williams song originally released in 1941.

Big Joe Williams

Big Joe Williams: 9-string guitar & vocal /

William Mitchell: imitation bass

Recorded March 27, 1941, Chicago, Illinois

Released A-side Bluebird 78 (July 1941)

Big Joe Williams – Crawlin’ King Snake (2:52) –

It is certainly possible that Williams had heard the song in his travels through the Mississippi Delta in his youth and was simply the first to title it and put it to wax.

The bare bones production allows us to really hear the African derived percussive technique of Williams’ guitar playing (on a nine-string guitar), backed only by William Mitchell on a wash-tub bass.

The number originally attracted only a few covers after release but was picked up by rock groups in the mid-sixties and has remained a popular with both blues and rock musicians to this day (though few remain faithful to the song as written).

The first to cover the song was Tony Hollins, another Mississippi musician.  He recorded ‘Crawlin’ King Snake’ in June of 1941 and it was released as the A-side of the first of two 78s that he had released on the Okeh label.

Tony Hollins

Tony Hollins: vocal & guitar /

Unknown: washboard

Recorded June 03, 1941

Released A-side OKeh 78 (August 1941)

Tony Hollins – Crawlin’ King Snake (2:58) –

Hollins dated Hooker’s sister and taught Hooker guitar, (according to Hooker, he bought him his first guitar)  Hooker credited Hollins and Tommy McClennan as major influences on his style.  He also claimed that Hollins taught him the song ‘Crawlin’ King Snake’.

Note the different lyrics used by Hollins.  As stated earlier, it is possible that the song had been popular at fish frys, rent parties and work camps throughout the Delta and Williams was the first to record it.

Hollins must have felt some proprietary hold on the song, as when he next went into the studio, for Decca Records in 1952, he recorded the number again (with Sunnyland Slim on piano) and it was released as the B-side of his first release on the label.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker: guitar & vocal

Recorded September 03, 1948, Detroit, MI

Released A-side Modern 78 – Released October 1949

John Lee Hooker and His Guitar – Crawlin’ King Snake (3:02) –

Hooker recorded his first version  in September of 1948. 

It was released as the A-side of a 78 on the Modern label to strong sales.  The song would remain in his repertoire throughout his career. (Hooker would release eight performances of the song, five of them live, between 1948 and 1991).

His first recording, credited to Hooker and Bernie Bessman tracks more closely (especially lyrically) to Williams’ recording than to Hollins’.

In April of 1951, Hooker recorded ‘I Need Lovin’’ using Hollins’ arrangement for ‘Crawlin’ King Snake’ for a new, unrelated set of lyrics.  That recording would not see release until 1970, on the Specialty LP “Alone”.

Muddy Waters recorded the song (and an alternate take) in January of 1959, at a session which also saw him recording two Leroy Carr / Scrapper Blackwell numbers.  The first take was released on the GRT LP “They Call Me Muddy Waters” in 1971.

The superior alternate take remained in the vaults until 1994’s “One More Mile – Chess Collectables Vol. 1” .

Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters: vocal / Little Walter: harmonica / Otis Spann: piano /

Luther Tucker: guitar, Andrew Stephenson: bass, Franscis Clay: drums

Recorded January 1959, Chicago, IL

Released on “One More Mile” (Chess Collectables Vol. 1) (Chess 1994)

Muddy Waters – Crawlin’ Kingsnake (alternate) (2:31) –

In April of 1966, Waters’ labelmate, Howlin’ Wolf did a four song session with this song being chosen as the A-side of the lone single pulled from the session to be released at the time.

Howlin’ Wolf

Howlin’ Wolf: vocals / Hubert Sumlin: guitar / Henry Gray: piano /

Eddie Shaw: tenor saxophone / Unknown: saxophone / Unknown: bass / Cassell Burrow: drums

Recorded April 11, 1966, Chicago

Released A-side Chess single

Howlin’ Wolf – New Crawling King Snake (2:56) –

“New” in the title was not simply an acknowledgement of the many covers that came before, but also Wolf’s updating of the arrangement, forcibly transplanting the number from the Delta, to Chicago, with horns, Sumlin’s driving guitar and Henry Gray’s piano transforming a plow-pulling mule into a streamlined, chrome trimmed Cadillac.

Peter Green Splinter Group

Peter Green: vocal, guitar & harmonica / Nigel Watson: guitar /

Pete Stroud: upright bass / Larry Tolfree: drums /

Roger Cotton: keyboard

September 2001 – Recording date not known

Released on “Blues Don’t Change” (Eagle Records 2001) /

“From Clarksdale to Heaven – Remembering John Lee Hooker” (Eagle Records 2002)

Peter Green Splinter Group – Crawlin’ King Snake –

The idea behind “Blues Don’t Change” was to do a tribute to the Chicago Blues that the band all loved.  It was originally only sold at the band’s shows.  It was made available for retail worldwide in 2012.

Unlike Howlin’ Wolf, The Splinter Group bring the number right back into the underbrush and swamp of the Delta where it was born. 

They slow the tempo down to a literal crawl, setting the mood and atmosphere with layers of guitars, rustles of harmonica and slithering drums, the intro moving steadily through the grass as it patiently stalks it’s prey for just over a minute.

Green’s talk / singing, his voice a hoarse whisper, emphasizes his complete confidence, knowing that he does not have to raise his voice to make himself understood, he “rules his den”.

As with Green’s ghostly harmonica floating in and out of the mix, the metallic hum of a National Steel guitar rises and falls as the number unfurls, adding to the disconcerting sensation that one is slowly being cornered, with no place left to run.

One of the best Splinter Group recordings.