"Come Back Baby" is a slow blues song written and recorded by the blues singer and pianist Walter Davis in 1940.^[1]

Ray Charles's version, with the title "Come Back" and with songwriting credited to Charles, was released as the B-side to Charles's 1954 single, "I Got a Woman". The song received airplay and peaked at number four on the R&B singles chart. It later appeared as "Come Back Baby" on his 1956 album Ray Charles, with songwriting still credited to Charles.

Other renditions

• Lowell Fulson recorded in early 1950.
• Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker recorded multiple versions.
• Stevie Wonder included a version on his Tribute to Uncle Ray album in 1962.
• Carolyn Hester recorded a version in 1962 with Bob Dylan accompanying on harmonica.
• Dave Van Ronk, accompanying himself on guitar, included it on his 1963 Folkways recording Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger.
• Bert Jansch covered the song on his 1967 album Nicola.
• Aretha Franklin later covered the song in a faster-paced version in 1967, featured on her Lady Soul album. Footage of Franklin recording the song can be found on a PBS documentary about her life. Franklin included a live recording on the album Aretha in Paris (1968).
• Love Sculpture covered the song in 1967, on their Blues Helping album.
• Hot Tuna covered the song on their 1970 debut album Hot Tuna.
• Plume Latraverse's 1978 album All Dressed includes a French language version of the song, with an entirely different set of lyrics, called "Cobaye Blues". It is erroneously credited as a 1928 song.
• Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin covered the song on their 1998 album Legends.
• Eric Clapton covered the song on his 2001 album Reptile.
• Jorma Kaukonen also covered the song on his 2007 album Stars in My Crown.
• Johnny Winter covered the song on his 2011 album Roots, featuring John Medeski (from Medeski Martin & Wood) on organ.
• Pat Donohue (member of The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion) covered the song on his 2011 album Nobody's Fault.

Credits

Ray Charles version

• Lead vocal and piano by Ray Charles
• Instrumentation by the Ray Charles Orchestra
• Produced by Jerry Wexler

Aretha Franklin version

• Lead vocals and piano by Aretha Franklin
• Background vocals by Erma Franklin and Carolyn Franklin
• Instrumentation by the Muscle Shoals orchestra
• Produced by Jerry Wexler