Who originally recorded "Motherless Children"?

Question

Steve Miller did it well in 1969 or so; Eric Clapton did it in 1974....did anyone do it earlier? Always liked that tune....

Answer 1

Blind Willie Johnson recorded "Motherless Children" - or "Mother's Children" somewhere between 1927 and 1930.

Answer 2

You get a star for a great, challenging question. I had to go through my Steve Miller albums to find the right one (Your Saving Grace), pull out Clapton's 461 Ocean Blvd., several books, and the complete recorded works of both Barbecue Bob and Blind Willie Johnson.

Blind Willie recorded it first (it's his tune) in 1927-issued as "Mother's Children Have A Hard Time" on Vocalion under his own name, and as "Motherless Children" on Anchor under the pseudonym "The Blind Pilgrim" (same recording)

The Barbecue Bob tune is the same song that Ritchie Havens made famous at Woodstock, and it has been recorded by HUNDREDS of artists. It was first made popular in the 1870s by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. A different song than the Johnson/Miller/Clapton tune.

Answer 3

Blind Willie Johnson recorded it first I believe in 1927.
Robert Hicks, better known as Barbecue Bob popularized the tune.

Answer 4

Wikipedia says it is Barbecue Bob aka Robert Hicks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue_Bob
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherless_Child

Answer 5

Blind Willie Johnson, not sure of the year he recorded it, but pretty sure that's where it came from. He died in 1945.

Answer 6

The first time i heard it was the Alman Brother,s band. don't know if they were first or not . I guess ill try to look it up.
Good question.