It Hurts Me Too

Known as "The Guitar Wizard," Tampa Red was one of Chicago's most sophisticated and prolific blues musicians. In 1940, he laid down the blueprint for one of the most enduring 8-bar blues standards in history. "It Hurts Me Too" featured Red's incredibly clean, crying slide guitar technique played over a smooth, rolling piano groove by Blind John Davis. Red sang the lyrics of empathy and heartbreak with a warm, relaxed vocal style that contrasted sharply with the harsh shouts of the rural South, perfectly illustrating the polished, urbane "Bluebird Beat" that dominated wartime Chicago.