In 1953, veteran bluesman Eddie Boyd released 'Third Degree', a blues hit written by another legend Willie Dixon. It reached No. 3 on the R&B charts.
The song hits a sweet spot for showing the plight of those who are uneducated or poor and are taken advantage of by authorities, as well as scapegaoting them.
The song in it's original form is very mellow and somber:
And then skip ahead 33 years, late guitar legend Johnny Winter covered the song in his signature smokin' gi-tar playing. It turns things up a notch, with an extended solo in the middle, but still evokes the theme of the song. Hope you enjoy this interpretation, showing how you can reimagine a tune and still keep it relevant:
