(Image courtesy of https://www.vinileshop.it/vinili/images/taj-mahal-Natch-l-Blues-vinile-lp2.jpg)
Taj Mahal remains one of my favorite blues musicians. I can listen to him any time, and whenever I do, he makes me smile.
I remember Bleeding Gums Murphy told Lisa Simpson, “The blues isn’t about making yourself feel better. It’s about making other people feel worse!” Well, Taj Mahal always makes me feel better.
I started listening to him back in high school. I bought a cheap cassette of “The Natch’l Blues” and just about burned it out. I used to borrow the family’s 1986 Pontiac 6000 and drive that car all over Montgomery County, Maryland (and often into Frederick, Howard, and Prince George’s) listening to Taj Mahal. The first song I ever heard of his was “Corrina,” which my mother played for me because it was on the soundtrack of the 1996 film “Phenomenon.” I loved the song, and dove into his music.
“The Natch’l Blues” remains a desert island record for me (along with “Taj Mahal,” his debut album). I love every song on it, but my favorite is “Good Morning Miss Brown.” It is upbeat, funny, and painterly in its attention to detail. It pokes fun at complaining about your ailments. Taj Mahal studied agriculture as an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts, and I often hear his knowledge of the land and its lifeways in his lyrics. That has only made me love his music that much more.
“Good Morning Miss Brown” has perhaps my favorite lyric of all time:
The blues jumped a rabbit
Rabbit run a quarter mile
Yes the blues jumped up a rabbit
Rabbit run for a quarter, quarter, quarter, quarter mile
You know that poor little furry bunny
Scared just like a baby child
And if you ain't scared
Man you ain't right!
-Taj Mahal (copyright 1968)
So, I want to share the song with you as my tribute to a blues master who has never ceased to bring me joy.
Take it from me: You need to listen to the full album.
-Jeremy Nathan Marks