Bye Bye Blackbird

I’m not a perfect singer at the best of times, rather, I’m a song stylist of sorts - so, after listening to the live recording of ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ I fell in love with the fragility of this version, captured while in the throes of a virulent type of man-flu…

The song was performed in a small and intimate venue without the aid of microphone or amplification and was the first time I had ever sung the song in public.

I went back to the earliest version I could find and pieced together some lesser known verses that I remember from a favourite Josephine Baker recording from the 30s.

And, as Kyle once remarked, ‘I can’t get it out of my head…’

So, here, for better or for worse, is my version of Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon’s 1916 tune ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’.

Click the image below to download the track.