Artists: Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite
Hometown: Elvin: Born in Glendale, California, raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Charlie: Kosciusko, Mississippi. (Both artists now live in northern California)
Song: “If I Should Have Bad Luck”
Album: 100 Years of Blues
Release Date: September 25, 2020
Label: Alligator Records
In Their Words: “‘If I Should Have Bad Luck’ is a song I wrote about something I know a lot about: being on the road and far from home for long amounts of time. All the ups and downs one goes through on the road are pretty bleak and empty if you donāt have somebody you love and loves you at home waiting for you to get back home. Thatās why I say ‘Your love will keep me going.’
“Another line, ‘passing people’s houses on a dark and lonely road; looks mighty cozy but itās a place I canāt go,’ is a scene out of my life that Iāve seen so many times. There you are rolling down the road in the dark and you look over and see a little home in the distance with a cozy light coming from the windows and you feel like thereās happy people there all cozy in their home. You donāt know them and theyāll never know you and itinerant strangers are not welcome there and this just makes you miss your own home thatās hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
“Same with ‘I’m making 90 miles an hour up down this highway in the dark; yonder kitchen lights make me wonder how you are,’ another similar scene. You can see that warm inviting light from a stranger’s kitchen window as you speed by in the dark thinking again of your own home and how you look forward to having a seat at the kitchen table and enjoying a home cooked mealā¦ if you ever make it back homeā¦ one of these daysā¦ again.” — Charlie Musselwhite
Photo credit: Pat Johnson
