 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2008) |
| "Hesitation Blues" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Victor Military Band | |
| Released | September 15, 1916 |
| Recorded | September 15, 1916 |
| Studio | Victor, Camden, New Jersey |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 3:03 |
| Label | Victor |
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Smythe |
"Hesitation Blues" is a popular song adapted from a traditional tune. One version was published by Billy Smythe, Scott Middleton, and Art Gillham. Another was published by W.C. Handy as "Hesitating Blues". Because the tune is traditional, many artists have taken credit as writer, frequently adapting the lyrics of one of the two published versions. Adaptations of the lyrics vary widely, though typically the refrain is recognizably consistent. The song is a jug band standard and is also played as blues and sometimes as Western swing. It is cataloged as Roud Folk Song Index No. 11765. Composer William Grant Still arranged a version of the song in 1916 while working with Handy.[1][2]: 310
- ^ Staff (2019). "Hesitating Blues, The - W C Handy (arr. William Grant Still)". The Wind Repertory Company. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Catherine Parson (2000). William Grant Still: A Study in Contradictions. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 310.