Black water risin', Southern people can't make no time. And I can't get no hearin' from that Memphis gal of mine - Blind Lemon Jefferson, Rising High Water Blues
Hi all, Champion Jack Dupree did a really nice version of "Stack-O-Lee" on an album called "Blues From the Gutter". He's joined on the track by a bass player, drummer and tenor saxophonist (no personnel for the recording date was shown at youtube). Jack accompanied himself out of Ab here, and he employs a really pretty 8-bar chord progression, like so:
| Ab | C7/G | Db | Bdim7|
| Ab/C | Eb7 | Ab | Eb |
Jack's version of the fracas between Staggerlee and Billy has some different twists, among them, the Stetson hat starting out as Billy's, rather than Staggerlee's. The last verse gives the rendition a real New Orleans feel. Though the song is titled "Stack-O-Lee" on the album, Jack pronounces it "Staggerlee" in his vocal, so I've chosen to spell it as he pronounced it.
Staggerlee and Billy Lyons, they was gamblin' in the dark Staggerlee told Billy, "Billy Lyons, let's take a walk."
Staggerlee won Billy Lyons' money, and he took Billy Lyons' Stetson hat Billy Lyons said, "Staggerlee, Lord, why'd you do me like that?"
Now Billy Lyons begged Staggerlee, said, "Please give me back my hat. 'Cause you know you won my money, please don't take my hat."
Now Billy Lyons said to Staggerlee, said, "Please, please don't take my life. I got two little children and a poor little homeless wife."
SAXOPHONE SOLO
Billy Lyons said to Staggerlee, "Would you do your friend like that? Saying, you won all my money, and you took my Stetson hat."
Staggerlee shot Billy Lyons, and he fell down on his knees He said, "Lawd, have mercy, Lawd, have mercy, if you please."
Staggerlee run to the corner, and he look up and down Said, "I'd rather see you, Billy, six feet in the ground."
Now the people started to weepin', and some of them begin to moan Everybody was worried about poor Billy Lyons was gone
no personnel for the recording date was shown at youtube
The other musicians are Pete Brown, saxophone; Ennis Lowery, guitar; Wendell Marshall, bass; Willie Jones, drums. All the songs on the LP were recorded in New York City on February 4 1958.
It's one of my favorite albums. It also includes a song titled "Frankie and Johnny," but Champion Jack's lyrics don't tell the story of Frankie shooting Johnny after he cheats on her. Instead, it's the story of another song ("Betty and Dupree") in which Dupree (Johnny) gets Betty (Frankie) a diamond ring by shooting the jewelry man. "Frankie and Johnny" directly precedes "Stack-O-Lee" on the album and Champion Jack sort of links the two songs together by including a verse of Tee nah, tee-nah-nah near the beginning of "Frankie and Johnny" and towards the end of "Stack-O-Lee." Ma Rainey's version of "Stack-O-Lee also creates a link between the two songs, but she does it by singing "Stack-O-Lee" to the tune of "Frankie and Johnny."
« Last Edit: December 21, 2013, 12:09:59 PM by jphauser2000 »
Hi all, Here is Champion Jack Dupree's version of "Frankie & Johnny" that Jim Hauser cited in the last previous post in this thread. As he noted, it conflates the names Frankie and Johnny with the story of Betty and Dupree. It appeared on the same album as Champion Jack's version of "Stack-O-Lee", and the ensemble is the same. Here is a video of the performance, which is played in F:
Well, Frankie, Frankie told Johnny, "Lord, I want a diamond ring." Oh, Johnny told Frankie, "I'll get you most anything."
Oh, Johnny went down to the German, on Rampart and Dumaine He walked in the store, the German had a diamond in his hand
The blueprint for "The Fat Man" (Fats Domino) and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (Lloyd Price). The song was written sometime in the 1920s by Willie Hall, known as "Drive 'em Down" Hall. Hall never recorded nor received credit for the song. Dupree (a light drinker and did not use other drugs) recorded the song also on the classic LP "Blues From The Gutter".
Key of F
Champion Jack Dupree - Vocals, Piano Wilson Swain or Ransom Knowling - Bass
Recorded January 28, 1941 in Chicago, IL
They call they call me a junker 'Cause I'm loaded all the time I don’t use no reefers I’ll be knocked out with that Anjou wine
Six months six months ain’t no sentence And one year ain’t no time They got boys in penitentiary doin’ from nine to ninety-nine
I was standin’ I was standin’ on the corner With my reefers in my hand Up stepped the sergeant took my reefers out my hand
My brother my brother used the needle And my sister sniffed cocaine I don’t use no junk I’m the nicest boy you ever seen
My mother my mother she told me And my father told me too That that junk is a bad habit why don’t you leave it too
My sister she even told me And my grandma told me too That usin’ junk partner was gon’ be the death of you
« Last Edit: August 31, 2020, 02:57:37 PM by harry »
Thanks for posting that, Harry, that's a great tune!
I think the missing variety of wine in the first verse is Anjou wine
I think the last word in the first line of the second verse is "sentence", with a very mumbly pronunciation. This is based on many other singers singing the same verse with the word "sentence" in that place in the phrase. In the fourth verse, I think his sister "sniffed" cocaine, once again with a lazy pronunciation.
Thanks for the kind words, Harry. I would like to, but I find my timing is well behind other master listeners, who usually catch hard to hear stuff. Glad to help. Dave
Champion Jack Dupree – Vocals, Piano prob. Jesse Ellery – Guitar prob. Wilson Swain – Bass
Chicago, Illinois November 27, 1941
Key of G
Well I been to Lou’siana down to the Gulf of Mexico Well I been to Lou’siana down to the Gulf of Mexico Well I buy wine and women most everywhere that I go
My black woman said she loved me but I believe she told a lie My black woman said she loved me but I believe she told a lie When my heart get to achin' and then I sit right down and cry
It's so cold in Chicago ‘til the mockingbird can't sing It's so cold in Chicago ‘til the mockingbird can't sing I say hurry down sunshine see what tomorrow bring
« Last Edit: October 08, 2020, 03:12:24 PM by harry »