Ten killer deep cuts that turn fifty this year

“IF WALLS COULD TALK” by Ry Cooder

Fans of slide guitar legend Ry Cooder may point to ”Tattler” or “Ditty Wah Ditty” as the hits from this album of old time blues covers. But this cover of Little Milton’s peppy blues warning is a true standout. You get some fancy slide work along with a bouncy rhythm from long-time pros Jim Keltner on drums and Russ Titelman on bass, and some classic backing vocals from Bobby King and Gene Mumford.

The song comments on how lucky we all are that shoes and doors and cars can’t talk and reveal the secrets they know about what we’ve been doing. Oddly enough, I’m pretty sure Cooder never mentions the titular “walls” in the song. That’s the blues for you. Unlike the influence that I suspect the above-mentioned Bowie song had on Lou Reed, I don’t think Ashley McBryde and her songwriting pals were influenced at all by this song on “If These Dogs Could Talk,” though both are fantastic songs on very similar subjects.

“TRUDY” by the Charlie Daniels Band

Charlie Daniels released Fire on the Mountain on a small label in ’74 and then gave it a second, bigger release a couple of years later. Two tracks – “Long Haired Country Boy” and “The South’s Gonna Do It” – became signature songs. But for me, “Trudy” is the definitive Daniels. He’s not pushing a political agenda here. He’s just telling a classic country tale of wine, women, gambling, and a few shotgun blasts. Unlike his biggest hit, “Uneasy Rider,” Charlie cannot outrun the cops in this one.

“Call up Trudy on the telephone – Send a letter in the mail – Tell her I’m hung up in Dallas – And they won’t let me out of this jail.” This is about as tight as the band ever sounded with Taz DiGregorio blasting away on his piano and the rhythm section pumping out an up-tempo blues groove that was just made for some barroom dancing. It even has a proper Southern rock boast: “It took half the cops in Dallas county – Just to put one cool-ass boy in jail.”