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Traveling with My Creole Belle

Written: 1974

Writers: David Jenneson, Alan Hovden, Peter Sinclair

Status: Recorded but unpublished

Genre and Style: Delta Blues Rock

Comments: Dave: This song was inspired by the Mississippi John Hurt song My Creole Belle, later performed by Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band in 1970. Its an on the road song where a younger man picks up an older woman hitch hiking. She tempts him all across America, driving him crazy until the last possible moment. It was such a standout rocker The Alan Horowitz Band adopted it as part of their standard gig play list and recorded an absolutely cooking version of it, complete with female backup, at Vancouver’s Studio 3 in 1975. Click on the title below to hear the song.

Traveling With My Creole Belle

Vocals - Al Harlowe

I got two good hands

And I do believe I trust the Lord

I love this land

And I also own a four door Ford

So I swung her into gear

Man you should have seen the gravel spray

When I passed a lady standing

With a sign reading San Jose

And she said,

Slow down son,

You know your travelling’s just begun

Traveling with my Creole Belle

Traveling with my Creole Belle

Pulled into Kansas

While we were high on wine

Her head fell on my shoulder

So I put her little hand in mine

She said,

Slow down son

You know you’re travel ling’s just begun

Traveling with my Creole Belle

Traveling with my Creole Belle

Downtown St. Louis

We were sitting at a light

I said don’t those big hotels seem nice?

She said Slow down

I said ‘Let’s go to Newport’

We highballed all of the way

I was hoping that the jazz is gonna

Drive my blues away

Laying on the grass

We let the music across our bodies roll

She leaned real close and whispered

Then she freed my soul

And she said

Come on son,

You know this traveling can be fun

Traveling with my Creole Belle

Traveling with my Creole Belle

I was traveling with my Creole Belle

Traveling with my Creole Belle.