Hi all, For "Cheatin' Woman", recorded on August 1, 1933 in New York City, will Batts sang the vocal, and sat out the tune on violin, so you're instrumentally left with Jack Kelly playing lead guitar out of Spanish tuning, the unknown second guitarist working out of C position in standard tuning and D. M. Higgs playing the jug. One sort of peculiarity of the band is that they quite often gave a number of tunes in their recorded repertoire the very same instrumental intro, and Will Batts did this to an unusual extent. The solos in the middle of their songs are consistently more exciting and fresher sounding than the opening solos. Perhaps they were inclined to play it a little safe on the intros to avoid screwing up the front ends of takes. Here is "Cheatin' Woman":
INTRO SOLO
Did you ever wake up in the morning, with the blues all 'round your bed? Did you ever wake up in the morning, with the blues all 'round your bed? (Spoken: Yeah, boy!) Thought about your good friend, these are the words you said
"I believe to my soul, woman, Great God, something's going on wrong. I believe to my soul, woman, Great God, something's going on wrong. I couldn't rest last night. I been worried all day long."
SOLO (Spoken during solo: Play it, boy!)
You can always tell when your wife ain't treatin' you right You can always tell when your wife ain't treatin' you right (Spoken: Why?) She mistreats you, talkin', with a fresh man ev'y night
When you come in, she have a towel tied on her head When you come in, she have a towel tied on her head "Husband, your stuff ain't done, I been layin' sick in the bed."
Then you send for the doctor, doctor walk through your door Then you send for the doctor, doctor walk through your door "Man, your wife ain't sick--she just don't want you no more."
All best, Johnm
« Last Edit: July 13, 2018, 06:58:29 AM by Johnm »
Hi all, "Cadillac Baby" might more aptly be considered a Will Batts cut than one by Jack Kelly & His South Memphis Jug Band, for Will Batts sang lead on it. The instrumentation on the track features two guitars, a lead part played out of E position in standard tuning, probably by Jack Kelly and a second guitar flat-picking out of G position in standard tuning. The JSP set I have the track on identifies Dan Sane as the probable second guitarist, but the touch of the player really does not sound like Dan Sane. Perhaps more likely, it is Will Batts playing the second guitar himself. Whoever it is, the duo has a wonderful sound. In any event, here is "Cadillac Baby":
INTRO SOLO
Ahhh, somebody learned my baby how to shift gear on a Cadillac 8 Ahhh, somebody learned my baby how to shift gear on a Cadillac 8 Every since that day, I can't keep my baby straight
Ahhh, I was warned, baby, I'm gon' let you have your way Ahhh, I was warned, baby, I'm gon' let you have your way 'Cause every dog, he sure got to have his day
SOLO
Ahhh, I said, late one evenin', I looked over your keyhole door Ahhh, I said, late one evenin', I looked through your keyhole door Woman, you know you done me wrong, I ain't comin' back here no more
Ahhh, I turned right around, these are the words I said, Ahhh, I turned right around, these are the words I said, "Nobody don't have to tell me, 'cause I heard the springs cry on your bed."
Hi all, The subject of "High Behind Blues" is exactly what you might think it would be. Jack Kelly, working out of Spanish tuning, is seconded by a guitarist flat-picking out of C position in standard tuning, with (most likely) Will Batts fiddling. Here is "High Behind Blues":
FIDDLE INTRO
I've got a girl, she is made high behind I've got a girl, she is made high behind Every time I feel it, she will give me a dime
She turned right around, and she begin to grin She turned right around, and she begin to grin "I ain't had none of this, Lord, in God knows when."
Well, it's look-a-here, baby, what you gonna do? Well, it's look here, baby, baby, what are you gonna do? Now, you may be lovin', and you jumped up and through
SOLO
If I get hands off of you, baby, it will be too sad If I get hands off of you, baby, it will be too sad You splitting up our lovin', some stuff I really have had
All best, Johnm
« Last Edit: July 12, 2018, 06:45:06 PM by Johnm »
Hi all, Jack Kelly & His South Memphis Jug Band recorded "Joe Louis Special" at a session in Memphis on July 14, 1939. The band that day featured Jack Kelly singing and accompanying himself out of Spanish tuning with an unknown second guitarist working out of C position in standard tuning and probably Will Batts on fiddle. I would say definitely Will Batts on fiddle, since he plays the same intro Will Batts played on almost all of the band's recorded repertoire. Here is "Joe Louis Special":
FIDDLE INTRO
If you give Joe what he want, that will be a big mistake If you give Joe what he wants, that will be a big mistake And he will hit you so hard, 'til you will want to jump in the lake
Now, steak and gravy, that's his favorite dish Well, steak and gravy, that is his favorite dish Well, he'll draw back, make you want to jump in the lake
Now, Joe ain't too lean, and ain't too fat, that wicked left he got, says, John Henry will tell you that Now, Joe ain't too lean, and he ain't too fat Now, that wicked left he's got, John Henry will even tell you that
FIDDLE SOLO
Now, along come John Henry, hit you on the chin, but he won't need no tellin', when he meet Joe Louis again Now, along come John Henry, and he hit Joe right on the chin But, he really won't need no tellin', when he meets Joe Louis again
Hi all, Jack Kelly recorded "Neck Bone Blues" at a session in Memphis on July 14, 1939 for which he was joined by an unnamed seconding guitarist and almost certainly Will Batts on violin. Kelly, as was most often the case on his recordings, accompanies himself out of Spanish tuning capoed up and the seconding guitarist sounds to be flat-picking or using a thumbpick to back him up out of C position in standard tuning. There are a couple of places that I can't hear what is being sung, and I'd very much appreciate help with them, as well as corrections of anything I have wrong thus far. Here is "Neck Bone Blues":
INTRO
Mmm, when you buy neck bone, go to a meat-sellin' house When you buy neck bones, go to a meat-sellin' house They are clean and sanitary, and you really can thaw 'em out
The time has got so hard, caused a many man to eat neck bones The time has got so hard, caused a many man to eat neck bones And it don't get no better, says I will be long gone
Get you a nickel's worth of feet, and a dime's worth of bones Get you a nickel's worth of feet, and get you a dime's worth of bones You talkin' 'bout something good, it will be happiness in your home
ENSEMBLE SOLO
Well, pass around the ginger, babe, and let's do the twist Well, pass around the ginger, babe, and let's do the twist Now the woman's cooked these bone, says I'm really missin'
CODA
Edited 6/6 to pick up corrections from Blues Vintage
All best, Johnm
« Last Edit: June 09, 2022, 12:59:18 PM by Johnm »
They are clean and sanitary, and you really can thaw 'em out
The time hasis got so hard, caused a many man to eat neck bones The time hasis got so hard, caused a many man to eat neck bones
Not sure of 'caused'.
You gon' buy her something good, it will be happiness in your home
Well, pass around the gin jugginger, babe, and let's do the twist Well, pass around the gin jugginger, babe, and let's do the twist Now the woman's cooked these bones, says I really miss
I don't hear "I really miss". But don't know what it could be
I think he sings "bone" in every verse not "bones".
« Last Edit: June 06, 2022, 02:50:47 PM by Blues Vintage »
Thanks for the suggestions, Blues Vintage. I agree with your solution for the tagline of the first verse. I"m still hearing "has" in the second verse, and "bones". I think the tagline in the third verse begins "You talkin' 'bout". I agree that it is "ginger" in the first two lines of the last verse--that's the way I heard it originally and I think you're right. See if you think I got the end of the tagline in the last verse right. I'll make a couple of those changes you suggested. Thanks!
« Last Edit: June 06, 2022, 06:32:40 PM by Johnm »
How the woman[ s ] cooked these bones, that['s] I really miss
I'm uncertain about the [ s ] following "woman." (I added spaces to prevent it from appearing as a strikeout.) I'm also unsure about "s" following "that."
Edited to add: I listened again, this time slowing it down to try to get a better sense of what is being sung between "that" and "I." It is possible what I'm hearing as "s" at full speed is a contraction of "that's what." Perhaps "tha's't" would be one way of representing it using modified spelling to approximate the pronunciation. --"That's what I really miss," using standard English spelling.
« Last Edit: June 08, 2022, 04:06:01 PM by Stuart »
I think this is a very common contraction, Stuart. Most commonly it is used as (spelled out) "That is what I said!" Interestingly, several sounds get voiced in the contraction so a 'ts' sound gets voiced and sounds like a 'z' and the 't' of 'what' gets voiced and sounds like a 'd'. So the contraction usually sounds like ' A'z'd I said', with maybe a schwa ('ə' or 'uh') between the 'z' and 'd'. Try it. Just rolls off the tongue because you've probably said it many times yourself. Here he does pronounce the initial 'th' sound.
Wax
Logged
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." George Bernard Shaw
“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.” Joseph Heller, Catch-22
I was simply stating what I hear on the present state of the recording, knowing that there's variation in pronunciation. If my younger self (with much better hearing) was present when the song was recorded, I'm pretty sure I would have heard things differently than I do now on the recording.
I'm not arguing about the sounds of language and how they vary. Even though the present state of the recording is several steps removed from being there during the original performance, I take it as the primary source. Any attempt on my part to help approximate what I hear on the recording is secondary at best--And even that is an overly generous estimate.