Talk:Spider in My Stew
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Original release
[edit]Various sources give different details about Benton's original release. Herzhaft and others focus on Jewel Records, which appears to be a reissue. Bill Dahl (researcher/author for AllMusic, Blues Hall of Fame, etc.) wrote in the liner notes to American Blues Volume 2:
Benton roared the Dixon-penned minor-key grinder "Spider in My Stew" with harpist carey Bell and pianist Lafayette Leake for the tiny Supreme lable in 1970; Jewel picked up the rights four years later. Dahl, p. 6
However, in Dahl's Benton bio for AllMusic, he only mentions Jewel:
Dixon is credited as songwriter of Benton's best-known song, the agonized slow blues "Spider in My Stew." Its release on Stan Lewis' Shreveport-based Jewel Records gave Benton a taste of fame.
It's not mentioned in Dixon's autobiography, but the very comprehensive discography/sessionography in Inaba's bio includes (paraphrasing table entry):
- "1970 – Spider in My Stew – 777-104 [matrix no.] – Supreme 1004 – Caery Bell (h), Lafayette Leake (p), Mighty Joe Young (g), Willie Dixon (b), Billy Davenport (d)" Inanba, eBook
It's unknown where 45cat.com and Secondhandsongs.com got their info, but since they are user-generated, they shouldn't be considered reliable (see entries on WP:NOTRSMUSIC). While it is Benton's best known song, the single didn't reach the charts (according to Whitburn), so it really can't be called a "hit".