Deep Ellum and the Blues: An Interesting Fact or Two

I have been thinking about "Deep Elem Blues" a lot lately. Perhaps it is because I have a signing at Deep Vellum Books next Saturday evening. If you read this blog with any frequency, it probably comes as no surprise that the song "Deep Elem Blues" is one of my favorite old standards. I like it so much, in fact, that I often play it on my guitfiddle on the back porch.

There are numerous versions of this old song, which was written about the famous Dallas neighborhood where legends like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Leadbelly, and even Robert Johnson used to play, and the song has influenced generations of musicians. As a case in point, "Deep Elem Blues" was even the inspiration for Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues."

Here is a version of "Deep Elem Blues" I first heard on Lone Star Dead radio. This version, by the Shelton Brothers, was recorded in the 1930s and was originally released on a 78 rpm record.

And here is the information for my book signing on KERA's Art and Seek calendar.

http://artandseek.org/calendar/event/87140/heath-dollar-waylon-county-book-signing