Best Cover Songs

The passing of Isaac Hayes started us thinking about cover songs, the tunes made popular, or not, by someone other than the original artists.

In 1969, Hayes, known more for the theme from Shaft, made what would become a classic R&B cover of Glenn Campbell’s country ballad, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” Hayes’ remake came in at a little over 18 minutes. Incidentally, Hayes also wrote “Soul Man,” the Sam and Dave hit that was covered by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as the Blues Brothers.

Unfortunately, Hayes’ cover of the Campbell hit didn’t make the DigitalDreamDoor.com top ten, but here are the tunes that did. The complete list is at Digitaldreamdoor.com, a music and movies site based in Boca Raton, Fla.

– “All Along the Watchtower,” Jimi Hendrix (1968), original by Bob Dylan (1967)
– “Respect,” Aretha Franklin (1967), Otis Redding (1965)
– “Crossroads,” Cream (1968), Robert Johnson (1938)
– “With a Little Help From My Friends,” Joe Cocker (1969), the Beatles in 1967)
– “Mr. Tambourine Man,” The Byrds (1965), Bob Dylan (1964)
– “Hound Dog,” Elvis Presley (1956), Big Mama Thornton (1953)
– “You Shook Me,” Led Zeppelin (1969), Muddy Waters (1962)
– “Hallelujah,” Jeff Buckley (1994), Leonard Cohen (1985)
– “Hurt,” Johnny Cash (2003), Nine Inch Nails (1994)
– “Statesboro Blues,” Allman Brothers (1971), Blind Willie McTell (1928)