"I Know You Don't Want Me No More" - Fred Wesley

“I Know You Don’t Want Me No More” (PDF) from the Idris Muhammad album, House of the Rising Sun

New Orleans singer Barbara George wrote her signature song “I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More)” for her 1961 debut album. With its musical similarities to “Just A Closer Walk With Thee,” it is clear why the tune became a hit that inspired multiple cover versions prior to Idris Muhammad’s 1976 recording. What remains unclear, however, is exactly why the instrumental arrangement by David Matthews didn’t make it onto the final album. According to historian Doug Payne, the recording took place in the same session as the title track, but “I Know You Don’t Want Me No More” remained unreleased for nearly 25 years until it was included as bonus material for the digital reissue of House Of The Rising Sun.

Matthews’ arrangement includes a brief 8-bar trombone solo from Fred Wesley in the key of F, similar to a half-verse of the traditional gospel tune. The arrangement then extends the form by vamping on its tonal centers, giving time to groove on both G7 and Bb7 funk breaks. But without a written coda to the piece, the recording gradually fades out with Fred jamming over the G7 groove and background riffs.

Recommended Reading: Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman by Fred Wesley Jr. Published by Duke University Press.