I Don't Know (Willie Mabon song)

"I Don't Know"
Single by Willie Mabon
B-side"Worry Blues"
Released1952
RecordedOctober 1952
StudioUniversal Recording Corp. (Chicago)[1]
GenreRhythm and blues
Label
Songwriter(s)Willie Mabon

"I Don't Know" is a rhythm and blues song recorded in October 1952 by Willie Mabon and His Combo. Mabon is credited as the songwriter, although blues historian Gerard Herzhaft notes that it was "inspired by Cripple Clarence Lofton".[2]

The song was recorded at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago.[1] Chicago blues label Parrot Records originally issued it as a single, but Chess Records soon reissued it after purchasing Parrot.[3] In 1952, the Chess single reached number one in the U.S. on Billboard's R&B chart in December 1952.[4] The song is included on several compilations of Mabon's recordings as well as various artists' collections from the period.[5] The 1959 Chess compilation album Oldies in Hi Fi includes "I Don't Know", plus the follow up hits "I'm Mad", and "Poison Ivy."

The song was covered by The Blues Brothers in 1978 for their live album Briefcase Full of Blues.

  1. ^ a b "The Chess Label Part II (1953-1955)". A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry. The Red Saunders Research Foundation. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  2. ^ Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "Willie Mabon". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. p. 215. ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
  3. ^ Dahl, Bill. "Willie Mabon – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 369.
  5. ^ "Willie Mabon: 'I Don't Know' – Appears on". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2020.