Tom Paley - Sporting Life Blues

[@YaroandNightshade]

I rode up to the Northland bluegrass festival in northern Wisconsin with my friend, and we gave Tom Paley a ride to it. He had many good stories to tell and was pretty damn hillarious. He played this song at the show. Before the festival, I had never heard of Tom Paley. I will never forget that experience of getting to know him over the festival.

[@BAPHUCUSC]

What a treat! I've been a fan of tom paley since 1964 when I bought my first NLCR record.

[@EricFlatpick]

What a great performance of this great number. Tom Paley just gets better with time, like so many other fine things in life.

[@PeterKeaneMusic]

Nobody gets as beautiful a tone as Tom Paley, as evidenced here. It's breathtaking.

[@gordonmiller9129]

Met him at a folk club in London 3 or 4 years ago. What a lovely man!

[@lookinglassalice]

Tom is still ramblin' around...and sharing his great music! He played in Chico Calif. a couple of years ago. I am glad i can hear and see him on You Tube. He plays great Swedish fiddle tunes..as does his son, Ben.

[@Yahziboy]

Stumbled onto this here song by way of Dave Van Ronk's book "Mayor of MacDougal Street" where Chapter 4 talks of the early folk music sessions (1956) at Washington Square. Tom Paley was there. You Tube is making Van Ronk's book come to life! Paley's blues fingerpickin' here is just heaven.

[@laurelpaulson-pierce942]

Tom has been gone for 2 years now...Remembering Tom Paley who died in 2017. Huge influence on so many, and a lovely, generous funny person with the sweetest singing voice who toured right into his 80s. I always really liked hearing him do this one.

[@FririkurEllefsen]

Did not know Tom Paley but heard him play buckdancers choice and I was blown away. Truly a great player.

[@woodrat223]

I always liked Tom Paley's playing, beginning in NLCR days....Damn, that's why this picking is so compelling, magical.. thanks thanks.

[@H1r9m3n4]

His voice is even better than fifty years ago!

[@ayikueleo2277]

Just brilliant.

[@stevemarsden9386]

Lovely stuff.

[@uncle-andy-guitar-herbst]

Awesome performance. Making that ol' guitar sing. I enjoyed it. Nice roll. "like" # 169 on this one. And subscribed # 27. Thanks for posting.

[@stephenhayesuk]

Great peformance, great song. I love the playability and tone of parlour guitars, don't know why they're not more popular. The Tanglewood TW73 is a pretty good all solid cedar and mahogany copyof this Martin for a quarter of the price. Thanks for posting.

[@crouchenddistrictu3a744]

DStephen Hayes

[@stringsideup]

Absolutely superb! Love the guitar playing, love the singing.

[@FRUGALZZZ1]

Wonderful!!

[@patrickpjr]

Best I've ever seen! Has anybody tabbed this? Where can I buy tablature for this version?

[@slubberde]

The oringinal HARD LUCK PAPA playing a 0042 prewar Martin Guitar. Tom was a recording artist for Stefan Grossmans' Kicking Mule record label of the same name as above. I still play his dynamite version of Blind Blakes' EARLY MORNING BLUES; more triplets in that song than any man has every seen! His versions of MISSISSIPPI HEAVY WATER BLUES (Barbacue Bob), & FRANKLIN BLUES,(Sam McGee), were also " vor allen Dingen "

[@johannessauer4574]

R.I.P. Tom

[@countryalexander7175]

Great!

[@Chris180Z]

Brilliant.

[@calypsojimmy]

Re: " ... less talk..." : Hey... Mr. Paley used to hang with Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie too. I am glad to hear what he has to say.

[@writerrad]

Willie Nelson obviously ripped this song off with his "Night Life" which at some points in the l970s was one of the most recorded songs on all kinds with multiple charting blues, jazz, and country versions.

[@MrMusicguyma]

Tom is a picking and singing maven.

[@delilablack5921]

[@ernestayo6131]

Well, I thought I could play “Sportin’ life” pretty good. Think I’ll burn my old guitar and try to learn harmonica.

[@joeyboy491]

N

[@SpareParts54]

More playing, less talk...