Saturday Song - Stagger Lee, Stack-O-Lee, etc

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 3:49pm

Hey, it's songday. Today I pick a song that I believe warrants it and publish an assortment of the covers of that song by various persons and or groups. Pick a few that are new to you and have a listen. It is also, of course, an open thread to talk about anything you feel like.

Today's song is: Stack O' Lee, Stack A Lee, Stagger Lee, etc.

Remember this R&R hit? The studio execs actually found it controversial & demanded some edits.
Lloyd Price

Ma Rainey

Furry Lewis

Mississippi John Hurt

Long "Cleve" Reed & Little Harvey Hull - Down Home Boys

Cisco Houston

Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group
Woody Guthrie

Amy Winehouse

Jesse Fuller

Pete Seeger

Champion Jack Dupree

Dave Van Ronk
The Journeymen
Johnny Rivers
The Righteous Brothers
Jim Kweskin

Dr. John

Doug Sahm (Sir Douglas Quintet)

Beck

Dave "Baby" Cortez (yeah, really, "Happy Organ" Dave Cortez)

James Brown & His Famous Flames

Wilson Pickett

Taj Mahal

Pat Boone -- This is actually pretty funny

Dion - ditto

The Youngbloods

Niel Diamond - heh, why not

Huey Lewis & The News

The Levon Helm Band

Grateful Dead

Tags:

Open Thread

Little Red Rooster

Howlin Wolf

Willie Dixon

Vote

Comments

Submitted by Bisbonian on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 4:10pm

Based on a true story

Happened in St. Louis (at about the same time as "Frankie & Johnnie"). Immortalized in the Anthology of American Folk Music, by Harry Smith. You found a few versions I don't have

—

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Submitted by Bisbonian on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 4:32pm

Pat Boone did Dr. John's version

no favors....

—

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 6:13pm

One thing I find fascinating is that in some versions

Billy is a cheat, and in others Stack is simply a sore loser.

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by Bisbonian on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 6:23pm

One of the joys of folk music

it can easily be changed to fit the lesson desired by the storyteller.

—

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Submitted by UntimelyRippd on Sun, 01/01/2017 - 3:49pm

Nothing to do with Stagger Lee, but also based on true story:

I "knew" someone (virtually) who claimed to know the woman, and identified both the grocery store and the liquor store. (Grocery was the old Eisner's at ... uh ... Neil and Green, I think.) I can't think her husband was super happy to learn about the state of her heart on the radio, but somebody else told me that Fogelberg was kind of self-absorbed and narcissistic, as so many of those sensitive singer-songwriters are (are you listening, Joni Mitchell?).

—

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

Submitted by Not Henry Kissinger on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 4:26pm

The Clash...

does a short tribute to Stagger Lee at the beginning of "Wrong 'em Boyo":

which is itself a cover of the old ska song by the Rulers with a similar tribute:

—

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

Submitted by mimi on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 5:31pm

Happy New Year, el, I am already in 2017

just wanted to wish you good health and happiness for another year to come along.

Thank You for all your music offerings. I needed that. German TV New Years celebration shows ... oh jeez, I am lucky to find something better around here.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 6:15pm

Happy New Year to you too, mimi, thanks for dropping by.

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 7:21pm

Wow.

I grew up on the Lloyd version and Pat Boone version. Later in life, I represented a guy who killed a man who won the pool game. I knew the victim.
He did very short time, got into drug dealing, is now one of the dead ass victims in a capital murder case.
My Stagger Lee ...and this is my life...saw me at a convenience store in town. We hugged. He was working, I chided him about staying honest and clean.
There are Stagger Lee stories all over.
My Stagger Lee got shot down by Mister Big, and in time, we will have songs about the Big Man in the drug trade.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Lookout on Sat, 12/31/2016 - 10:18pm

Joe Buzzard...

may have one of the oldest (78) copies that you can listen to here:
http://oldhatrecords.com/cd1004.html
21. ORIGINAL STACK O’ LEE BLUES Long Cleve Reed & Little Harvey Hull-Down Home Boys

from wiki

The historical "Stagger Lee" was Lee Shelton, an African-American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri in the late 19th century. He was nicknamed "Stag Lee" or "Stack Lee", with a variety of explanations being given for the moniker: he was given the nickname because he 'went "stag"', meaning he was without friends; he took the nickname from a well-known riverboat captain called "Stack Lee"; or, according to John and Alan Lomax, he took the name from a riverboat owned by the Lee family of Memphis called the Stack Lee, which was known for its on-board prostitution.[2] He was well known locally as one of the "Macks", a group of pimps who demanded attention through their flashy clothing and appearance.[3] In addition to these activities, he was the captain of a black "Four Hundred Club", a social club with a dubious reputation.[4]

On Christmas night in 1895, Shelton and his acquaintance William "Billy" Lyons were drinking in the Bill Curtis Saloon. Lyons was also a member of St. Louis' underworld, and may have been a political and business rival to Shelton. Eventually, the two men got into a dispute, during which Lyons took Shelton's Stetson hat.[5] Subsequently, Shelton shot Lyons, recovered his hat, and left.[6] Lyons died of his injuries, and Shelton was charged, tried and convicted of the murder in 1897. He was pardoned in 1909, but returned to prison in 1911 for assault and robbery, and died in incarceration in 1912.[7]

The crime quickly entered into American folklore and became the subject of song as well as folktales and toasts. The song's title comes from Shelton's nickname, "Stag Lee" or "Stack Lee".[8] The name was quickly corrupted in the folk tradition; early versions were called "Stack-a-Lee" and "Stacker Lee"; "Stagolee" and "Stagger Lee" also became common. Other recorded variants include "Stackerlee", "Stack O'Lee", "Stackolee", "Stackalee", "Stagerlee", and "Stagalee"

—

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sun, 01/01/2017 - 1:00pm

Thanks for the info. I think that 78 is in the playlist.

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by Lookout on Sun, 01/01/2017 - 1:33pm

it is indeed...

I missed it when I scanned through them. However, you should check out the other cuts Joe has at the link.

—

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”