It's Tight Like That, with or without the "it's", has stayed a blues mainstay for a lot of years. But sometimes strange things happen to standards. They tend to wander across genre lines and show up in interesting ways.
Today I'd like to share a couple of traditional guitar blues versions of Tight Like That, one from Leadbelly and the other from Tampa Red with Georgia Tom. As a contrast, have a listen to the Benny Goodman version, a swung-to-the-rafters take on a great song, with some scat sauce for awesome, but the fun lyrics have all been removed.
One presumes the more risque versions of the song might have offended Goodman's audiences and he likely wouldn't have been allowed to perform it on the radio, though you'd be amazed what slipped past the censors back in the day. But, having heard the song, I imagine people ended up with a recording or two of the wordier versions, which was all to the good.
Whatever the case, enjoy these three takes on a fun blues standard. I have a great version from Jeff Healey & the Jazz Wizards that unfortunately wasn't on Grooveshark but if you happen across it (on the album of the same name) I recommend it, as well. Let me know if you think Benny Goodman was right to drop the verses or if you like his version.
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