With Forgotten Bob's song Ain't Nothin' Gonna Go On, Hambone Riley's cover version is perhaps the largest change in style in what Hambone usually plays. Forgotten Bob relates how he got Hambone to expand his style to include R&B:
I sent Hambone the audio file of my song along with the chord chart and lyrics and asked him to create his cover for it. I thought I'd be interesting to compare the versions, especially in light of hearing Amos Carter's cool version. By the way, Amos' Mama is one hell of a piano thumper! Hambone got back to me after a few days and told me the song really didn't fit his style. So I decided to tweak his nose a little. I told him if he meant in the same ol' tired style as his past songs, he's right. But if he wanted to branch out a little from his normal, the possibilities were there. Well, the tweak worked! Hambone's pretty laid back, but that got his hackles raised and he started cussin' me out! Hah!
So I let him ramble, then told him about an idea I had. Make a bigger production out of it, get a brass band to back you up, and just sing. Don't play the guitar along with it. He kind of uses the guitar to hide behind because of some sort of crazy performance anxiety he's got. The bug eyes in all the pictures of him performing shows the nervousness he has. Well, I suggested maybe if he concentrated on the singing and left the instrumental to some solid studio men he could enjoy himself more. He told me he wants to make music his way and has to lead the others. I told him I know some solid old pros in the business that would do whatever he wanted, can be as anal as he wants! So he agreed.
I set up the recording studio and studio men, and then had to practically drag his ass there! Took him a while to get loosened up, but I was delighted when after the umpteenth take he started getting into it and the musicians followed his lead! Ended up he was delighted with it as much as I was,. and was as relaxed and happy as I've ever seen him in performance! He really made the song his own, and I like his version better than my original!
Hambone removed about half of the verses, and molded the song into something very different than his usual, all with the prodding, encouragement, and advice of his mentor Forgotten Bob!
Got support socks on, ain’t no lie
Just ‘nough aspirin to get me by
Ask to boogie, ain’t gonna fly
Do I have to tell ya the reason why
Look out pretty Mama
Ain't nothin’ gonna go on
Said lookout cute Mama
Ain't nothin’ gonna go on
Gotta pain in my back and it’s
Kept me all awake until dawn
Ain't no wonder why I got the ills
I forgot to take all my pills
Got the urge but it's just all talk
Got nothin' left to walk the walk
Look out pretty Mama
Ain't nothin’ gonna go on
Said lookout cute Mama
Ain't nothin’ gonna go on
Gotta bad case of the trots
I just feel so put upon
I know it's only ten o'clock
But I'm all wore out, really shot
Could do it all night, never quit
Now it takes all night just to do it!
Look out pretty Mama
Ain't nothin’ gonna go on
Said lookout cute Mama
Ain't nothin’ gonna go on
Ya know that I love ya babe
But ain't nothin' gonna go on
Look out pretty Mama
Wish somethin' was gonna go on
Said lookout cute Mama
Wish somethin' was gonna go on
Ya know that I love ya babe
But there ain't nothin' gonna go on
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