“Blues Stay Away from Me” was written by the Delmore Brothers — Alton and Rabon — with the musician Wayne Raney and the producer Henry Glover, and the Delmores recorded it in 1949 for King Records in Cincinnati. It reached number one on the country chart early in 1950.
The record is a cornerstone of what came to be called hillbilly boogie: a slow, hypnotic shuffle, harmonica and electric guitar laid over a rolling boogie bass figure, with the singer simply pleading for the blues to leave him be. It pointed toward the rhythm-and-blues and rockabilly sounds just over the horizon.
The song became the Delmore Brothers’ signature number and was later honored by the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame. Its haunting melody and easy three-chord shape carried it into the bluegrass repertoire, where it remains a favorite slow number for singers and pickers alike.
