Steppin' Out

Album: What's The Matter? (1959)
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Songfacts®:

  • This instrumental is not to be confused with the later Joe Jackson song. Also known as "Stepping Out," it was written by Memphis Slim and first released in 1959. A shade over two minutes, it features some guitar but is largely sax and piano-based. It was released on the Vee-Jay label backed by "My Gal Keeps Me Crying."
  • The best known recording is by Cream as a fiery guitar instrumental; the live version from the 1972 release Live Cream Volume II runs to over 13-and-a-half minutes. Its other claim to fame is that it was the partial inspiration for the Deep Purple track "Lazy," as Ritchie Blackmore pointed out in a 2017 video whimsically titled Ritchie Blackmore About His Inspiration & Thievery, although Blackmore attributed the inspiration to Clapton rather than to Memphis Slim. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

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