(Hot Tamales) They're Red Hot

**Michael Thompson** · Jan-12-2013, 7:14pm

Anybody know the chords to this song as played by Sam Bush on his Circles Around Me album? I've tried googling or finding videos on youtube for reference, but with no luck so far.

**doc holiday** · Jan-12-2013, 9:40pm

I haven't heard Sam do this song....but here's a Robert Johnson version from 1936.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOXXh24HnmY

**AW Meyer** · Jan-13-2013, 11:33am

I just dug out my copy of "Circles Around Me" and could not find "Hot Tamales They're Red Hot" on the album. I couldn't find it in any of my Sam collection, which I'll admit is not very extensive. The chord changes on the Robert Johnson version seem to be the basic C-A-D7-G-C, which then goes to C-C7-F-F#dim-C-A-D7-G-C. Give that a try.

Oops, I just found it hidden at the end of the album. Sam plays it in A. Same chord pattern -- you just have to transpose it to key of A.

**greg_tsam** · Jan-13-2013, 1:12pm

Originally Posted by doc holiday

I haven't heard Sam do this song....but here's a Robert Johnson version from 1936.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOXXh24HnmY

Is this the right pitch? Sounds like Alvin & the Chipmunks produced it.

**Charles E.** · Jan-13-2013, 2:37pm

That is also the same changes for some good Texas swing, such as 'Bring it on down to my house" ( Bob Wills ) and " I cant tame wild women but I can make tame women wild" ( Bill Boyd ).

**allenhopkins** · Jan-13-2013, 3:50pm

Extended live version with some hot mandolin work:

**doc holiday** · Jan-13-2013, 4:23pm

Nice fiddle & mando work. The lyrics though....remind me of listening to country bands in Japan.They seemed familiar, but when you listened closely, the words were incomprehensible.

**Larry S Sherman** · Jan-13-2013, 7:43pm

Not on "Circles Around Me", but there are live versions of Sam playing this on archive.org.

Larry

**Michael Thompson** · Jan-13-2013, 8:00pm

Originally Posted by AW Meyer

I just dug out my copy of "Circles Around Me" and could not find "Hot Tamales They're Red Hot" on the album. I couldn't find it in any of my Sam collection, which I'll admit is not very extensive. The chord changes on the Robert Johnson version seem to be the basic C-A-D7-G-C, which then goes to C-C7-F-F#dim-C-A-D7-G-C. Give that a try.

Oops, I just found it hidden at the end of the album. Sam plays it in A. Same chord pattern -- you just have to transpose it to key of A.

Thanks, that helped. I'm still not very good at identifying chords/keys by ear, but once you put that progression on here, I was able to figure it out on my piano and transcribe it. It sounds roughly right to my ears now, if I play an A-F#-B-A, A-F#-B-E-A. Either way, I'll be able to make it work now! That was really helpful.