Cover Wars: The Ballad Of Curtis Loew
The Ballad Of Curtis Loew was originally released on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s aptly titled sophomore effort Second Helping. There is a FAQ section on Skynrd’s website that asks if there was a real Curtis Loew. Here’s the answer…
The inspiration for Curtis Loew was loosely based around the characters that lived near Ronnie’s home on Jacksonville’s Westside. The corner store in the song is based on Claude’s Midway Grocery on the corner of Plymouth and Lakeshore in Jacksonville. While there wasn’t a ‘real’ Curtis Loew, there were many Curtis Loews in the neighborhood. The actual spelling of the name came when Ed was writing the liner notes for the Second Helping album in 1974. He thought it would be funny to name this old Florida black bluesman after the Jewish Loew’s Theatre.
Looking back at last week’s Eminence Front Cover Wars, Max Creek has emerged victorious with a little help from guest guitarist Jeff Pevar.
The Contestants:
Keller Williams: Leading off this week we’ve got a short rendition from the early years of Keller Williams. Source: 1-25-1998
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READ ON for the rest of this week’s Cover Wars contestants…
moe.: moe. played Curtis Loew four times in 2003 and quickly dropped it from the repertoire. This particular performance that is featured came in a three-cover encore that followed up a two-song 90+ minute second set. Source: 5-6-2003
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The band also recorded this song with John Hiatt for an album titled Under the Influence: A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Phish: Phish played Curtis Loew 25 times between 1987 and 1993 but it has yet to resurface on the live stage (not including soundchecks). The good news is that ScottyB set the odds of its return at only 100:1 Source: 3-14-1993
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Wes Loper Band: As I searched the LMA for a rendition from a band I had never heard of before, I came upon this show with a monstrous setlist from a guitar player based in Alabama named Wes Loper. Source: 1-28-2006
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June 20th, 2009 at 8:22 am
5 31 09 fenway wow curts back
June 1st, 2009 at 1:39 pm
[...] since 1991 and the first The Ballad of Curtis Loew since 1993. We recently profiled Curtis Loew for Cover Wars as well as a B List with the 10 Phish Songs That Got Away. Tonight’s show contained more [...]
June 1st, 2009 at 12:57 am
[...] since 1991 and the first The Ballad of Curtis Loew since 1993. We recently profiled Curtis Loew for Cover Wars as well as a B List with the 10 Phish Songs That Got Away. Tonight’s show contained more [...]
May 31st, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I bet the song will resurce this evening.
May 31st, 2009 at 10:21 pm
100:1 for phish, huh? who woulda thunk it! hopefully it gets a some more action this summer
May 5th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
this wes loper band is pretty good
May 5th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
yay, 100% for phish!