The Y! Music Playlist Blog

Black Cat Blues

If you were to ask a random group of people what the number one symbol of Halloween is, the responses may vary, but I can guarantee that you'll hear choices like the jack-o-lantern, the bat, the witch and the black cat. For this playlist I wanted to focus on the latter. In many cultures the black cat is a symbol of good luck, but during the middle ages they came to be viewed as evil - the devil himself in animal form, or the companion of witches. Black cats were killed on sight, and some historians believe this led to an increase in the rat population, which in turn caused the black plague to be all the worse. This black cat superstition was brought to the new world by puritanical pilgrims who would take no issue with sentencing a "witch" to death. This history made black cats synonymous with bad luck. And what genre tells the story of bad luck better than any other? Why, the blues of course. So, for this playlist I've selected 10 blues songs about black cats. 

It's the perfect combination, what would you add?

Black Cat Blues

1. Black Cat, Hoot Owl Blues - Ma Rainey

2. Black Cat Blues - Memphis Minnie 

3. Black Cat Rag -Big Bill Broonzy

4. Black Cat Bone - Albert Collins 


5. Black Cat Moan - Don Nix

6. Black Cat - Memphis Slim

7. Black Cat Blues - Lightnin' Hopkins

8. Black Cat Cross My Tail - Sunnyland Slim

9. Black Cat Scratchin' - Big Mike Griffin

10. Black Cat Blues - Buddy Guy

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