Help Identify WWII Blues Songs
 

Need help discovering blues songs which reference World War 2 for a project. Does anyone know of blues songs which mention World War II, Nazi's etc.?

Nothing comes to mind right away. Although Wanda Jackson did make a Rockabilly song that references the atomic bombing of Japan, which somehow went on to become a big hit in Japan... (edit: Oh god, i'm sorry, that pun wasn't intended...)



Anyway, once the Blues-influenced Hard Rock and early Heavy Metal bands came around, they wrote a bunch of songs about pretty much every war and political event ever (like Judas Priest's "Dissident Aggresor", which was about the division of Berlin post World War Two).

Anyway, here's a Blues song about war, although it's not about World War Two.

Not really about WWII but in a movie about WWII.

Here's a few to get you started that I dug out of the files. A couple of notes on these, to wit: All of these are 78 Rpm discs (I added all of the original catalog numbers. I don't know if that will be of any help to you or not.) A few of these recordings are not strictly Blues, but rather, Jazz in the Blues idiom. Peter Cleighton and Dr. Clayton are the same artist. The Josh White records were part of an album, That is a group of 78 RPM recording issued in a "Book" of records.

You may also want to take a look at Various label's "Race Series" of the era to find more songs.

rooster



Win The War Blues - Sonny Boy Williamson (Bluebird Cat. No. 0722)

War Time Blues - Sonny Boy Williamson (Bluebird Cat. No. 8580)

Stop The War (Them Cats Are Killing Themselves) - Wingie Manone And His Orchestra (Bluebird Cat. No. 11107)

Blitzkrieg Baby - Una Mae Carlisle (Bluebird Cat. No. 11120)

'41 Blues - Peter Cleighton (Okeh Cat. No 06375)

Pearl Harbor Blues - Dr. Clayton (Bluebird Cat. No. 9003)

Draftin' Blues - Count Basie (Conqueror 9632)

In The Army Now - Big Bill Broonzy (Okeh Cat. No. 06601)

Defense Factory - Josh White Blues (Keynote Cat. No. 516)

Uncle Sam Says - Josh White (Keynote Cat. No. 514)

Uncle Sam Come And Get Him - Bea Booze (Decca Cat. No. 8619)

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Dachau Blues