Tune Tuesday – Steamroller

Sweet Baby James Taylor celebrates his sweet 76th birthday today. The man is a legend. The singer-songwriter has won 6 Grammy Awards, has written countless hits, and is one of the most loved singers in America.

Songs like Fire and Rain, Handy Man, You’ve Got a Friend, and How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You made him a household name and a radio favorite. I want to dig into his Sweet Baby James album for a song that he never released – Steamroller.

According to SongFacts.com :

James Taylor wrote this song when he was in a band called The Flying Machine, which issued one single in 1966 before disbanding. He came up with the song after seeing lots of white college kids playing blues songs by the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf – he noticed a disconnect there. This song is a parody of sorts, taking aim at overtly sexual blues metaphors. Taylor has “the steamroller blues” and compares his love machine to a cement mixer, a demolition derby, and even a napalm bomb.

“Steamroller” was never released as a single, but is one of Taylor’s most popular live songs, making its way into most of his setlists. He has done different versions over the years, often having some fun with the last verse. The song was loved by not just fans, but by Rock and Roll Royalty:

Elvis Presley added this song to his live set, and performed it on his 1973 Aloha from Hawaii special. This live version was released as a single (as “Steamroller Blues”) and made #17 US.

Happy Birthday to James Taylor!

I gotta include Elvis here:

Just because – one of my favorite covers – country singer Billy Dean, who keeps his version very close to James’ version.