I Had a Good Father and Mother

"I Had a Good Father and Mother"
Single by Washington Phillips
B-side	"The Church Needs Good Deacons"
Format	10" 78rpm single
Recorded	December 2, 1929; Dallas, TX
Genre	Gospel blues
Length	3:01
Label	Columbia 14566-D
Writer(s)	Washington Phillips
Producer(s)	Frank B. Walker [1]
Washington Phillips singles chronology
"A Mother's Last Word to Her Daughter" / "I've Got the Key to the Kingdom" "I Had a Good Father and Mother" / "The Church Needs Good Deacons"

"I Had a Good Father and Mother" is a 1929 gospel blues song by Washington Phillips (1880–1954, vocals and zither).^[2] The song has sometimes been covered as "I Had a Good Mother and Father"; or with, in both cases, "Real" inserted before "Good".

Unusually, the song does not have a conventional refrain; instead, the verses are separated by a wordless vocalise.

The final verse reflects a concept mentioned several times in the Gospel of John:

<div " style="padding-left: 3em; padding-right:0em; overflow: hidden; ">A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. – John 13:34 <div " style="padding-left: 3em; padding-right:0em; overflow: hidden; ">As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. – John 15:9 <div " style="padding-left: 3em; padding-right:0em; overflow: hidden; ">This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. – John 15:12

The recording history suggests that the song was composed by Phillips himself: there seems to be no earlier or contemporary version, nor any cover version until 64 years after his recording of the song.

Recordings

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• 1929 – Washington Phillips,^[2][3][4] 10" 78rpm single Columbia 14566-D
• 1993 – Palace Brothers ^[5][6] on the album There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You
• 1994 – Kate Wolf ^[7] on the album Looking Back at You ^[8]
• 2003 – Gillian Welch ^[9] on the album Soul Journey
• 2004 – Paul Rishell and Annie Raines ^[10] on the album Goin' Home ^[11]

References

1. Corcoran, Michael (December 29, 2002). "Exhuming the Legend of Washington Phillips". Austin Statesman. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
2. "Washington Phillips discography". wirz.de. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
3. George Washington Phillips: I Had a Good Father and Mother, Composed by George Washington Phillips at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
4. I Had a Good Father and Mother at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
5. The Palace Brothers: I Had a Good Mother and Father at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
6. The Palace Brothers: I Had a Good Mother and Father at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
7. Kate Wolf: I Had a Good Father and Mother, Composed by Traditional at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
8. Unterberger, Richie. Kate Wolf: Looking Back at You at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
9. Gillian Welch: I Had a Real Good Mother and Father, Composed by Gillian Welch / Traditional at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
10. Annie Raines / Paul Rishell: I Had a Good Mother and Father, Composed by George Washington Phillips at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
11. Lankford, Ronnie D., Jr.. Paul Rishell: Goin' Home at AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2015.