| "I Pity the Fool" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bobby Bland | ||||
| from the album Two Steps from the Blues | ||||
| A-side | "I Pity the Fool" | |||
| B-side | "Close to You" | |||
| Released | 1961 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | Houston, Texas, 1960 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 2:30 | |||
| Label | Duke 332 | |||
| Writer(s) | Deadric Malone | |||
| Producer | Don Robey | |||
| Bobby Bland singles chronology | ||||
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"I Pity the Fool" is a song originally recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961 for Duke Records. The song was credited to Deadric Malone, a pseudonym of Duke Records owner Don Robey.[1] David Bowie covered it under the name The Manish Boys in 1965 and it was released as his second single.
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The recording was made in Houston, Texas in 1960 probably with Joe Scott and Melvin Jackson on trumpets, Pluma Davis on trombone, Robert Skinner and L.A. Hill on tenor saxophone, Rayfield Devers on baritone saxophone, Teddy Raynolds on piano, Wayne Bennett on guitar, Hamp Simmons on bass, John "Jabo" Starks on drums and with unknown flute, choir and strings.[2][3]
Bland was enjoying a highly successful point of his career, at the time sending five consecutive songs into the Billboard R&B chart. The song "I Pity the Fool" became one of his biggests hits of his career, topping the R&B chart and also reaching #48 on the pop chart.[4]
| Preceded by "Pony Time" by Chubby Checker |
Billboard Hot R&B Sides number-one single (Bobby Bland version) March 27, 1961 |
Succeeded by "Blue Moon" by The Marcels |
| "I Pity the Fool" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Manish Boys | ||||
| B-side | "Take My Tip" | |||
| Released | March 5, 1965 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | IBC Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 2:08 | |||
| Label | Parlophone R5250 | |||
| Writer(s) | Deadric Malone | |||
| Producer | Shel Talmy | |||
| David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
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The Manish Boys' (at that time featuring David Bowie) version was released in 1965. The recording was produced by Shel Talmy, who was also producing the early singles and albums by The Who and The Kinks. Jimmy Page was Talmy's regular session musician and he played the guitar solo on "I Pity the Fool".
During these sessions Page gave Bowie a guitar riff, which he didn't know what to do with. Bowie later used this guitar riff in two different songs, first on "The Supermen" from 1971 and second on "Dead Man Walking" from 1997.
The B-side, "Take My Tip" was the first song written by David Bowie (then known and credited as Davie Jones) to be released on record. [5]
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