Come Back Baby
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{{Infobox song
| name = Come Back Baby
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| artist = Walter Davis
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| written = 1940
| published = 1940
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| length = 2:46
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| writer = Walter Davis
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"Come Back Baby" is a slow blues song written and recorded by the blues singer and pianist Walter Davis in 1940.{{cite book |last1=Birnbaum |first1=Larry |title=Before Elvis: The Prehistory of Rock 'n' Roll |date=14 December 2012 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-8629-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F2lKOl2R8FcC&dq=%22Come+Back+Baby%22+-wikipedia+Walter+Davis+1940&pg=PA270 |language=en}}
Ray Charles's version, with the title "Come Back" and with songwriting credited to Charles, was released as the B-side to Charles's 1954 single, "I Got a Woman". The song received airplay and peaked at number four on the R&B singles chart. It later appeared as "Come Back Baby" on his 1957 album Ray Charles, with songwriting still credited to Charles.
Other renditions
- Lowell Fulson recorded in early 1950.
- Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker recorded multiple versions.
- Stevie Wonder included a version on his Tribute to Uncle Ray album in 1962.
- Carolyn Hester recorded a version in 1962 with Bob Dylan accompanying on harmonica.
- Dave Van Ronk, accompanying himself on guitar, included it on his 1963 Folkways recording Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger.
- Bert Jansch covered the song on his 1967 album Nicola.
- Aretha Franklin later covered the song in a faster-paced version in 1967, featured on her Lady Soul album. Footage of Franklin recording the song can be found on a PBS documentary about her life. Franklin included a live recording on the album Aretha in Paris (1968).
- Love Sculpture covered the song in 1967, on their Blues Helping album.
- Hot Tuna covered the song on their 1970 debut album Hot Tuna.
- Plume Latraverse's 1978 album All Dressed includes a French language version of the song, with an entirely different set of lyrics, called "Cobaye Blues". It is erroneously credited as a 1928 song.
- Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin covered the song on their 1998 album Legends.
- Eric Clapton covered the song on his 2001 album Reptile.
- Jorma Kaukonen also covered the song on his 2007 album Stars in My Crown''.
- Johnny Winter covered the song on his 2011 album Roots, featuring John Medeski (from Medeski Martin & Wood) on organ.
- Pat Donohue (member of The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion) covered the song on his 2011 album Nobody's Fault.
Credits
=Ray Charles version=
- Lead vocal and piano by Ray Charles
- Instrumentation by the Ray Charles Orchestra
- Produced by Jerry Wexler
=Aretha Franklin version=
- Lead vocals and piano by Aretha Franklin
- Background vocals by Erma Franklin and Carolyn Franklin
- Instrumentation by the Muscle Shoals orchestra
- Produced by Jerry Wexler
References
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Category:Aretha Franklin songs
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