Does anyone know who is the composer of this classic is?

Here are the covers of the songs I have heard:

Keith Richards

Eric Clapton

Sonny Terry and Brownie Macghee -- -watch out man!!!




BB King

What other famous covers are out there? Any info appreciated.

Big Bill Broonzy and Charles Segar

OLDKR

Little walter did the best version

Doctor is right - fantastic version! its a blues standard every blues tinged artist must have done a cover of it at some point

OLDKR

great song, I love to play harmonica with it


Key To The Highway
by Charles Segar and Willie Broonzy
I got the key to the highway,
Billed out and bound to go.
I'm gonna leave here running;
Walking is most too slow.


I'm going back to the border
Woman, where I'm better known.
You know you haven't done nothing,
Drove a good man away from home.


{Live Verse}
When the moon peeks over the mountains
I'll be on my way.
I'm gonna roam this old highway
Until the break of day.


Oh give me one, one more kiss mama
Just before I go,
'Cause when I leave this time you know I,
I won't be back no more.


Repeat First Verse


Repeat Second Verse

let me add another vote for Little Walter. his singing is unreal on this cut... and then he starts to play the harmonica.

No question
Mick is singing the best version. My favorite song since month

Isn't "Key To The Highway" what Stu is playing at the tail end of the "Dirty Work" album?

A lovely sign-off/tribute...

Rev. Robert W. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Isn't "Key To The Highway" what Stu is playing at
> the tail end of the "Dirty Work" album?
>
> A lovely sign-off/tribute...


I always thought it was. The chord progression is the same. But most think otherwise.


C



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-11-20 11:53 by liddas.

Clapton does great justice to this song...

I've heard many versions of this song by my vote for my favorite would have to Derek and the Dominoes version from the LayLa album.

EC and Duane Allman really tear it up and the guitar interplay is wonderful!

TomTom

__________________________

edited....

JR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-11-20 22:24 by stone-relics.

liddas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I always thought it was. The chord progression is
> the same. But most think otherwise.

awful lot of songs with the same chord progression, including many recorded by the stones. How would one really decide which blues standard this is by the piano alone?

>awful lot of songs with the same chord progression, including many recorded by >the stones. How would one really decide which blues standard this is by the >piano alone?

Not that many actually, Key to the Highway is unusual in that it is an 8 bar blues, a variation on the standard 12 bar. Another example is Bring it on Home which can be done with eactly the same chord progression as key to Highway. maybe that's what Stu was playing

kooyong73 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >awful lot of songs with the same chord
> progression, including many recorded by >the
> stones. How would one really decide which blues
> standard this is by the >piano alone?
>
> Not that many actually, Key to the Highway is
> unusual in that it is an 8 bar blues, a variation
> on the standard 12 bar. Another example is Bring
> it on Home which can be done with eactly the same
> chord progression as key to Highway. maybe that's
> what Stu was playing

That's it Kooyong. It is not a usual progression, and for sure there are not that many stones songs with the same structure (are they?). The reason why I always related it to Key to the Highway is for that last verse

Oh give me one, one more kiss mama
Just before I go,
'Cause when I leave this time you know I,
I won't be back no more.

I don't know, it just drops in perfectly! At least, that's what I sing in my head when the coda of DW is on

C

also been done by Roy Harper and my favourite version is by Michael Chapman.

Still to hear the orig version though which might well be the best of the lot

Keith did a sweet solo version, apparently in 78 or 79.
it's preceded by him sayin "don't mess it up!" he's the only musician on the track:
piano, guitar, vocals & talkin to himself. i love it :E

Keith sings "i'm going back to the bottom where i'm better known", no?
not "back to the border". eloquent

Keith did a version with Johnny Johnson about 10 years ago
Its on Johnson's solo album

thanks, kooyong, for the pointer.

Doctor Dear! Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Keith did a version with Johnny Johnson about 10
> years ago
> Its on Johnson's solo album

doctor:

is this the same version with mr johnson that is on the japanese release of main offender?

ive also heard it done like this

"im takin the bus, cos walking's much too slow"

>> is this the same version with Mr Johnson that is on the japanese release of Main Offender? <<

yeah, same one.
Keith also performed it at the Rainforest Alliance Benefit in march 2001,
and with Mick Taylor at ... some gig somewhere ... ah here it is:
december 1986 at the Lone Star Cafe (thanks & praises to nzentgraf.de!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-11-21 18:54 by with sssoul.

And let's not forget the Rolling Stones take of
Key To The Highway..Chess 8 November 1964....It's
appearance alone on Time Trip Vol 5 muscles it in for boot of the 2007 year...



Big Bill Broonzy......................Little Walter Jacobs..................Rolling Stones.....



ROCKMAN

>Not that many actually, Key to the Highway is unusual in that it is an 8 >bar blues, a variation on the standard 12 bar. Another example is Bring it on Home which can be done with eactly the same chord progression as key to Highway. maybe that's what Stu was playing


spot on. one song covered by the stones is another variation-a 24 bar. any guesses? hint: terrific live version

Midnight Rambler

nice try but no-it's carol

well now what about Black Limousine - what's the bar-count in that?

dunno-never liked that song much

big bill - what a guy

heres a short movie of him playing shot in 1956




'key to the highway' is a firm candidate for a classic. 'stardust' by hoagy carmichael is another song thats a classic. such great writing.

Rockman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And let's not forget the Rolling Stones take of
> Key To The Highway..Chess 8 November 1964....It's
>
> appearance alone on Time Trip Vol 5 muscles it in
> for boot of the 2007 year...
>
> [i9.photobucket.com]
> IMMERBOY%205/BROO1.jpghttp://i9.photobucket.com/al
> bums/a66/GLIMMERBOY/GLIMMERBOY%205/BROO7.jpghttp:/
> /i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/GLIMMERBOY/GLIMMERB
> OY%205/BROO6.jpg
>
> Big Bill Broonzy......................Little
> Walter Jacobs..................Rolling Stones.....



cool...