Take a load off, Fannie

Music in this episode:

The Band - “The Weight” (1968)

Bob Dylan - “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” (1965)

The Canadian Squires - “Uh Uh Uh” (1965)

Ronnie Hawkins - “Mary Lou” (1959)

Peter, Paul & Mary - “Puff, the Magic Dragon” (1963)

The Staple Singers - “The Weight” (1968)

The Band feat. The Staple Singers - “The Weight” (1976)

James Carr - “The Dark End of the Street” (1967)

The Band - “Up On Cripple Creek” (1969)

The Band - “Ophelia” (1975)

Aretha Franklin - “The Weight” (1970)

The Chambers Brothers - “The Weight” (1973)

Mavis Staples - “You Are Not Alone” (2010)

Norah Jones and Mavis Staples - “I'll Be Gone” (2019)

Lottie Kimbrough - “Wayward Girl Blues” (c. 1924)

Jimmie Rodgers - “Blue Yodel No. 9” (1930)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys - “Steel Guitar Rag” (1936)

I learned a lot of my background material from the excellent episode of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs about “The Weight”. There’s further background in this Rolling Stone article.

Here’s a good guitar tutorial for the song.

Corrections: at one point, I refer to Ronnie Hawkins as Roger Hawkins, who was his cousin. Also, the Bob Wills song uses tenor sax, not alto sax.