"Spider in My Stew" is a song composed by Willie Dixon and first recorded by American blues musician Buster Benton. It is performed as a slow, minor-key blues, with Benton's impassioned vocal and B. B. King-influenced electric guitar playing.[1] For the recording, Benton, on vocal and guitar, is joined by blues veterans Dixon on bass, Carey Bell on harmonica, Mighty Joe Young on guitar, and Billy Davenport on drums.[2]
| "Spider in My Stew" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Buster Benton | |
| Released | 1970 |
| Recorded | 1970 |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 3:25 |
| Label | Supreme |
| Songwriter(s) | Willie Dixon |
| Producer(s) | Soul Productions |
In 1970, the small Supreme Records label released the song on a single,[3] with "Dangerous Woman" on the flip side (no A-side/B-side designations). When the Shreveport, Louisiana, Jewel Records released it again in 1974, it still failed to reach the Billboard charts,[4] but it "gave Benton a taste of fame," according to biographer Bill Dahl.[1]
The song was used as the title track for the well-regarded 1979 Benton album on Jewel subsidiary Ronn Records, Spider in My Stew;[5] however, as the music journalist Tony Russell commented, Benton "never found another money spider."[6] As Benton's best-known song, it is included on several anthology albums of Benton's music and various artists' compilations.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Dahl, Bill. "Buster Benton – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ Inaba, Mitsutoshi (2011). Willie Dixon: Preacher of the Blues. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6993-6.
- ^ Dahl, Bill (2001). American Blues Volume 2 (Album notes). Various artists. Universal City, California: Fuel 2000. pp. 5–6. 302 061 110 2.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). "Listings". Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. pp. 40, 41, 552. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ Dahl, Bill. "Buster Benton: Spider in My Stew – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 91. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ "Buster Benton: 'Spider in My Stew' – Appears on". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2022.