Topic: Freddie Spruell Lyrics

[MTJ3]

1.  Here is biographical information on Freddie Spruell from Gayle Dean Wardlow's indispensible Chasin' That Devil Music

"Six Who Made Recorded History (1926-1935)" from Chasin' That Devil Music by Gayle Dean Wardlow.

"Freddie Spruell's widow gave me historical data on her husband, the most interst of which pinpointed "Mr. Freddie" as being from Lake Providence, Louisiana, just across the Mississippi River from Issaquena County."
p. 70

"FREDDIE SPRUELL--One of the first self-accompanied Delta bluesmen to record, if not the first, Spruell lived in Chicago when he made his debut for Okeh Records in 1926.  Although his musicianship had a decidedly Southern slant, it was apparently developed in the North.  "Freddie was only a boy when he moved to Chicago with his parents," his widow recalled in 1981.  Formerly, he had lived in Lake Providence, Louisiana, the one-time residence of Blind Joe Reynolds.  "When I met him in the late '20s, he was already makin' records," she said.  Apparently seeking to enlarge his reputation, he told her that he was the composer of "Mr. Freddie Blues," which was originally recorded by Priscilla Stewart in the summer of 1924 and credited to her piano-playing accompanist, who later recorded as Freddie Shayne.  Spruell's secular music career ended by the end of World War II:  "The last thing he played for I knew about, was his mother's birthday?She asked him to stop playin' (blues), and he did it after that.  She wanted him to go back into the church, and he did.  That's why he quit playing the blues and started preaching."  She added, "He was preaching by 1945.  He was a Baptist?but he didn't preach that much and didn't play in church."  Spruell, she said, died in Chicago in 1956 after a lengthy hospital stay.  Yet, no local death certificate for Spruell appears to exist, possibly due to the many spelling variants of his name."

pp. 72-73

2.  Wardlow refers to Priscilla Stewart's "Mr. Freddie Blues."  She recorded "Mr. Freddie Blues" in Chicago c. August 1924.  She was accompanied by J.H. Shayne on piano.  This may have sold a respectable number of records because she was back in the studio c. April 1927 to record "New Mr. Freddie Blues."  This time she was accompanied by Jimmy Blythe on piano.  The composer credit for the original version goes to J.H. Shayne; for the "new" version, it goes to Henry Shayne.

The lyrics to the original and the "new" versions of the song, which were identical in all material respects, are set forth below. 

Let me tell you just what Mr. Freddie will do.  (2x)
Take your money and stay out all night from you.

Who said, who said that these Freddie blues ain't bad?  (2x)
They're the worst old blues that I ever had.

I went up on the mountain looked as far as I could see.  (2x)
The women had my Freddie, Lord, and the blues had me.

I'm gonna buy me a bloodhound and leave this lonesome town.  (2x)
I'm gonna spend the rest of my life running my Freddie down.

I love my Freddie, but he just won't behave.  (2x)
I'm gonna buy me a shotgun and put him in a lonesome grave.

[Bunker Hill]

She wanted him to go back into the church, and he did.  That's why he quit playing the blues and started preaching."  She added, "He was preaching by 1945. 

Be that as it may it didn't prevent Shayne recording for Rudi Blesh, Harriett Janis and Eugene Grossman's nacent jazz label, Circle, on 4th February 1946. Something in the back of my mind tells me that Blesh wrote about this event. But where, but where?

[Johnm]

Hi Bunker Hill,
Isn't the "he" referred to in the quote you cited Freddie Spruell rather than Shayne?  Since it was Freddie's widow talking, it seems unlikely she was up on Shayne's recording activity.
All best,
Johnm

[Bunker Hill]

Isn't the "he" referred to in the quote you cited Freddie Spruell rather than Shayne?  Since it was Freddie's widow talking, it seems unlikely she was up on Shayne's recording activity.

Duh, sorry the result of a long, frustrating, tiresome day on the "chaing gang".

[MTJ3]

The details of Spruell's limited recorded output (thanks, of course, to B&GR) are interesting and somewhat instructive in terms of how the record companies and artists operated.  Without editorial comment, it is as follows.

Spruell recorded a single side, "Milk Cow Blues," on June 25, 1926, for Okeh in Chicago. 

Several months later, he was back in the studio for Okeh on November 17, 1926, also in Chicago, to record "Muddy Water Blues" and "Way Back Down Home."  These sides were released by Okeh under the name "Papa Freddie."  On some records "Milk Cow Blues" (from the June session) and "Muddy Water Blues" (from the November session) are paired; on others, both sides from the November session are paired.

Less than two years later, Spruell was back in the studio c. July 1928, for a different record company, Paramount, also in Chicago, to record "Tom Cat Blues" and "Low-Down Mississippi Bottom Man."  These sides were released by Paramount under the name "'Mr. Freddie' Spruell."

After a hiatus of almost seven years, Spruell was back in the studio on April 12, 1935, also in Chicago, with yet another record company, Bluebird, this time backed by Carl Martin, to record "4A Highway," "Don't Cry Baby," "Your Good Man Is Gone," "Let's Go Riding," and "Mr. Freddie's Kokomo Blues."  Bluebird released these sides under the name "Mr. Freddie."  "4A Highway" and "Mr. Freddie's Kokomo Blues" were paired, as were "Don't Cry Baby" and "Your Good Man Is Gone."  "Let's Go Riding" (which was probably the introduction of many of us to Spruell on the OJL album of that title) was ultimately paired with "Walking Blues," by Chasey Collins, which was recorded on October 31, 1935. (The only other side recorded by Collins (who is designated as Chasey "Kokomo" Collins in B&GR) was paired with a side by Memphis Minnie recorded that same day.  Collins's output is available on vol. 2 of Document's Big Joe Williams set, the logic to that evidently being that BJW backed Collins on those sides.) 

B&GR notes that Spruell's name was spelled "Sproul" in the Victor (i.e., Bluebird) files. 

[Johnm]

Hi dingwall,
I've worked through the suggestions you made for Freddie Spruell lyrics, and after a lot of listening, found as follows:
   *In "Tom Cat Blues", first line of the last verse, I am satisfied Freddie said "somebody", not "some pussy", though he pronounces "somebody" like "somebotty"
   * In "Low-Down Mississippi Bottom Man", I believe you are right, in the fourth verse he says "get drunk" rather than "dip snuff"
   * In "4A Highway", I do not hear the word "and" leading off the tagine of the fourth verse.  In the tagline to the next-to-last verse, I believe you are right about the word "there", but I think he says "between" rather than "'tween".  You are right about the tagline to the last verse leading off with "I'd get"
   * In "Mr. Freddie's Kokomo Blues", I missed a "baby" in the opening line of the first verse, as you said.  In the second verse, he certainly means "hollerin'", but pronounces it "holl'in'", I think.  I hear no "yet", as you suggest at the beginning of the tagline of the second verse.  In the fourth verse, your line "Why don't you come on and go with me, baby, I declare I'm goin' back to Kokomo" is right on the money.  I believe the verse about Mary's little lamb is all correct, with the exception of the "on" you suggested be added in the next-to-last line.  In the final verse, I think Freddie says "I'm gonna buy you a ticket, baby" the first time he sings the line, and "I have buyed you a ticket, baby" the second time he sings it.  I do think he says "leave", rather than "leaves" in the tagline.
   * In "Let's Go Riding", I believe he says "girls" in the first verse, but your insertion of "can" in the second line is correct.  Likewise, "and" in the tagline of the second verse is correct.  In the fourth verse, "could" is correct, as is "you buy", but I do not hear "and" in the last line.  In the fifth verse, "for" is correct, as you suggest.  In the sixth verse, your suggested opening of "Now, if you ever tell me" sounds right on the money, but the tail end of the line still sounds like the nonsensical "'bout the no" to me.  In the "Soaps and towels" verse, I hear no "do" in the next-to-last line.  I don't hear "I want you to" at the beginning of the tagline to the last verse.
   * In "Don't Cry Baby", I don't hear "here 'fore" in the first verse.  In the next-to-last verse, I am satisfied that "worried and bothered about me" is correct.
   * In "Your Good Man Is Gone", I do not hear "baby, and" in the second verse.  In the tagline to the third verse, I do hear the "could" you suggest.  In the tagline line to the fourth verse, your "now" is correct, but I think "Freddie's" is correct.
   * In "Muddy Water Blues", I like "rather" in the second half of the opening line, but I don't think he says "to".  "And" in the tagline of that verse is correct.  I'm satisfied that "'lowed as" is correct in the third verse in both locations.  In the final verse, I believe he sings the opening line as "I'd rather drink muddy water, I'd rather wade muddy water, too" the first time and sings it "I'd rather drink muddy water and I'd rather wade muddy water, too" the second time.  In the tagline to the last verse, "before that" and the "and" you suggest are both correct, I think.
   * In "Milk Cow Blues", I think the suggestions for Freddie's Biggest Fan are correct, except that I think he says "has been want", and I don't hear "this old".. I think Freddie does say "I'm ready".  Your suggestions for changes to the third verse sound right.  Your suggestions for the third verse from the end and the final verse look good, too.

I will make the corrections.  Thanks very much for your suggestions.  I think the transcriptions are considerably more accurate for them.
All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
The last time this thread was posted to you was 2007.  I just went back in the thread and entered links to videos of all of Freddie Spruell's songs for those of you who'd like to listen to them.
All best,
Johnm