Recently I read Nick Tosches’ book Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock and Roll which talks a lot about the beginnings of classic songs; their original authors, their heritage, stuff like that. I got to thinking about the 60s band Them and their hit “Baby, Please Don’t Go.” I figured Van Morrison was not the first to sing that song and I was right! Have a look at what I found:

Decades before Them, Big Joe Williams recorded this song for RCA in 1935. Obviously the previous clip is from a later performance but, damn, that’s the real deal! In all honesty Van Morrison’s version ain’t too shabby either…

AC/DC speeds everything up even more…and Bon Scott dresses like a woman….

Amazon carries all of Nick Tosches books. His stuff makes for great reading if you are into the history behind the music.