A FEW SONG DEDICATIONS . . .

A recent post on Bettye Griffin's blog (Chewing The Fat With Bettye) both inspired and amused my inner DJ. In her post entitled, "Who's Making Love To Your Old Lady While You Were Out Making Love" Griffin rails against all of those who've either been caught and/or who've been moved to confess of having "knocked boots" with someone other than a spouse.

While Ms. Griffin had the newly installed Governor of NY and his wife in mind when she selected one of Johnnie Taylor's classic hits for her blog's title, when I first heard about the past affairs of the legally blind, African American Governor, the first song that came to my mind was one by the blind Blues musician, Clarence Carter . . . you know, the song where he brags, "I be stroking, I be wearing it out."

A commercial with the blind Mr. Carter singing that particular song used to air pretty frequently when I lived in Memphis, which, in case you didn't know, is the offical home of both Beale Street and the Blues.

Anyway, after reading Ms. Griffin's post, my inner DJ was moved to dedicate a few songs, mainly of the Blues variety, to some of the folks who've been in the news of late.

1) To NY Governor David Paterson, I'd like to dedicate my man Clarence Carter's "I Be Strokin."

2) To Paul McCartney, I'd like to dedicate two songs: Johnny Taylor's "It's Cheaper To Keep Her" and John Lee Hooker's "I Need Some Money."

3) To Idaho Congressman Larry Craig, I'd like to dedicate two songs: Little Milton's "Behind Closed Doors" and Ko-Ko Taylor's "Wang-Dang-Doodle."

4) To Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former Chief of Staff, I'd like to dedicate Johnnie Taylor's "We're Getting Careless With Our Love."

5) To Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary, also affectionately known as "Billary" I'd like to dedicate Z. Z. Hill's "Cheating In the Next Room."

6) To Former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer and his wife Silda, I'd like to dedicate: Memphis Slim's "Messin' Around" and B. B. King's "The Thrill is Gone."

7) For Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds, I had to step outside of the box a bit in order to dedicate Kanye's "Golddigger." How's that line go again? "I ain't saying she's a golddigger, but she ain't messin' with no broke . . ." Also, in the more traditional vein, I'd like to dedicate to the pair B. B. King's "Never Make Your Move Too Soon."

8) And for the woman who sat on the toilet for two years (y'all heard about that madness, right?) I'd like to dedicate two songs: Jimmy Witherspoon's "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do" and Big Joe Turner's "Everyday I Have The Blues."

Okay, those are my selections. You want a turn? Is there someone to whom you'd like to dedicate a song or two? Go 'head. Give it a whirl (smile).

(Written while listening to John Lee Hooker's "You Know, I Know" "It Serves You Right To Suffer" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer;" Muddy Water's "Mannish Boy" and Johnny Taylor's "Take Care of Your Homework.")