Hard To Handle

You may or may not know that “Hard To Handle” off the Black Crowes 1990 debut, Shake Your Money Maker was originally written and recorded by the late Otis Redding. Often referred to as the “King of Soul”, Redding died tragically in a plane crash at the age of 26 along with 4 members of his backup band, The Bar-Keys. The song was officially released in 1968 following his death on the album, The Immortal Otis Redding, reaching #38 on the Billboard R&B charts and #51 on the pop charts. It has been covered several times, including by The Black Crowes, Stefan Roland, Tom Jones, DJ Andy Smith, Rustix, Band from TV, and The Grateful Dead, as well as by Mae West in the film Myra Breckinridge.



The melody of the Crowe's version is taken from Buddy Guy's song 'A Man of Many Words' from the 1972 album Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Plays The Blues. Two versions of the song exist, the original album version and the hit single remixed with an overdubbed brass section. The Crowes' version reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. See below as the Crowes perform the song with a horn section at the Fillmore, San Francisco in 2005.



“Hard To Handle” became a mainstay in Grateful Dead set lists. This is footage of the Dead performing the song in France in 1971.



Patti Drew’s version is great. It has that true 1969 soul vibe to it.


This…is TERRIBLE. Blackfoot, 1982.