Baby Huey, Hard Times | Throwback Vibez

In the 202^nd edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Hard Times” by Baby Huey.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 202^nd edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Hard Times” performed by Baby Huey.  

That is not only hard but also sad. Baby Huey (James Thomas Ramey, 1944 – 1970) sings those memorable but unfortunate lyrics from his song, “Hard Times”. “Hard Times” is the fifth track from his 1971 posthumous album, The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend. You see, Ramey died of a drug-related heart attack in 1970 at the young age of 26 😢. Legendary Chicago soul musician Curtis Mayfield (1942 – 1999) wrote and produced “Hard Times,” the definitive track Ramey is renowned for.

The songwriting by Curtis Mayfield is on point. That is an understatement! Baby Huey not only brings the gorgeous melodies to life with his distinct, soulful instrument but also the dramatic, poetic, and thought-provoking lyrics. “Cold, cold eyes, upon me they stare / People all around me, and they’re all in fear,” Ramey sings in the first verse, and continues, “They don’t seem to want me, but they won’t admit / I must be some kind of creature up here having fits.” Woo! In both the second and third verses, Huey colorfully mentions his “body house” (aka brain, head, mind). At the end of the third verse, he memorably sings, “But to my surprise, I find man corrupt / Although he be my brother, he wants to hold me up.” True. Hard times, indeed, Baby Huey. The chorus, excerpted earlier, is a big deal, but so is the breakdown section, where the truly unforgettable “Eatin’ Spam, and Oreos, and drinkin’ Thunderbird, baby” lyrics hail. An influential posthumous song, “Hard Times” has been sampled a lot with many artists lifting multiple elements.  This is a special song featuring a badass musical accompaniment, distinct, expressive vocals by Ramey, and real, authentic songwriting that sticks with you. This sugar, honey, iced tea is once-in-a-lifetime, kept alive time and time again as it is repurposed through sampling.

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Baby Huey » The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend » Rhino Entertainment » 1971

Baby Huey, Hard Times: Throwback Vibez No. 202 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Rhino Entertainment; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]

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