From Delta Blues to Dobro: A Bluegrass Master Reimagines a Lead Belly Lament
When the incomparable Jerry Douglas turns his Dobro to an old song, it’s a form of musical archaeology. He excavates the tune’s core sentiment, cleans off the dust of time, and rebuilds it with his own unique blend of virtuosity and earthy soul. “On a Monday,” a track featured on his 2012 album, Traveler, is a perfect example of this process: taking a foundation laid by a blues giant and giving it a new life in the acoustic, Americana landscape.
Like many of Douglas’s best works, this is an instrumental deep cut that showcases his mastery of the resophonic guitar. While the track itself is rooted in the folk tradition—specifically being a cover of the Lead Belly classic, “On a Monday” (or “Gonna Take My Time”)—it is not a song designed for commercial chart position. Jerry Douglas, a 14-time Grammy winner and one of the most prolific session musicians in modern music, operates in a sphere where critical respect and instrumental innovation matter more than radio hits. His albums, such as Traveler, generally perform on specialized metrics, with The Jerry Douglas Band’s presence noted on niche listings like the Official Americana Chart (where some of his albums have peaked near the top 40) and the Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart, reflecting his cross-genre appeal.
The story behind “On a Monday” originates with the iconic blues and folk figure Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter), who frequently recorded this work song/blues lament. The original lyrics usually dealt with themes of longing, travel, and hard work: the narrator deciding on a Monday (the start of the work week or a journey) to pack up and leave. This theme of perpetual motion and restless travel fits perfectly with the overall concept of Douglas’s Traveler album, which is built around collaborations and journeys.
Douglas’s “On a Monday” is an instrumental powerhouse that relies entirely on the nuanced emotional coloring of his Dobro. In his hands, the instrument doesn’t just provide the melody; it embodies the narrative. The song’s meaning shifts from a literal lament about leaving home to a showcase of instrumental agility and deep emotional resonance. The Dobro’s gliding, crying tones mimic the heavy-hearted decision to set out on a journey, the feeling of the train wheels turning, and the quiet determination to face the week ahead. It’s a piece that demonstrates the sheer expressive power of acoustic music, proving that you don’t need a single lyric to convey the complex, nostalgic feeling of starting over.
For older readers, this track is a subtle nod to the foundational American music forms—Delta blues and early folk—that gave rise to the entire spectrum of Americana and bluegrass that Douglas now masters. It connects the raw, visceral sound of Lead Belly’s acoustic guitar to the sophisticated, contemporary bluegrass world, proving that the roots of the music are still vibrant and constantly inspiring new interpretations.