Tuesday, December 27, 2011

I Wondered Where That Came From...!


I remember the song, but never had even the slightest idea where it came from!

I guess that I always figured that, like most songs, it was something that someone made up. Somehow it's kind of exciting to find out that the character in the song was based on a real person. Kind of makes me want to go back and listen to the song again, only with "new ears!" Does that make any sense?

Dec 27, 1895:
The legend of "Stagger Lee" is born

Murder and mayhem have been the subject of many popular songs over the years, though more often than not, the tales around which such songs revolve tend to be wholly fictional. Johnny Cash never shot a man in Reno, and the events related in such famous story songs as "El Paso" and "I Shot The Sheriff" never actually took place. The same cannot be said, however, about "Stagger Lee"—a song that has drifted from the facts somewhat over the course of its many lives in the last 100-plus years, but a song inspired by an actual murder that took place on this day in 1895, in a St. Louis, Missouri, barroom argument involving a man named Billy and another named "Stag" Lee.

Under the headline "Shot in Curtis's Place," the story that ran in the next day's edition of the St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat began, "William Lyons, 25, colored, a levee hand... was shot in the abdomen yesterday evening at 10 o'clock in the saloon of Bill Curtis... by Lee Sheldon, also colored." According to the Globe-Democrat's account, Billy Lyons and "Stag" Lee Sheldon "had been drinking and were in exuberant spirits" when an argument over "politics" boiled over, and Lyons "snatched Sheldon's hat from his head." While subsequent musical renditions of this story would depict the dispute as one over gambling, they would preserve the key detail of "Stag" Lee Sheldon's headwear and of his matter-of-fact response to losing it: "Sheldon drew his revolver and shot Lyons in the abdomen... When his victim fell to the floor Sheldon took his hat from the hand of the wounded man and coolly walked away."

In his 2003 book Stagolee Shot Billy, based on his earlier doctoral dissertation on the subject, scholar Cecil Brown recounts the story of how the real "Stag" Lee became an iconic figure in African-American folklore and how his story became the subject of various musical renderings "from the [age of the] steamboat to the electronic age in the American 21st century." The most famous of those musical renditions were 1928's "Stack O' Lee Blues" by Mississippi John Hurt and 1959's "Stagger Lee," an unlikely #1 pop hit for Lloyd Price. Versions of the story have also appeared, however, in songs by artists as wide-ranging as Woody Guthrie, Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, James Brown, The Clash, the Grateful Dead and Nick Cave.



There ya go! Now I feel a lot better that I've used "new ears" to listen to the song again! Sort of makes you appreciate the old songs again, ya know?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Let's put on some more of the "oldies" and liven the place up! OK?

10 comments:

The Griper said...

history is a mighty fine topic of life. many memories and lessons are its finest contribution to the present generation.

may your new year begin with the past to guide you down your path of the future.

HermitJim said...

Hey Griper...
I never cared much for history until I started getting older!

Guess maybe it's true that "with age comes wisdom", but I really don't think that too much wisdom came my way. I really just find it interesting more than I used to!

I hope you have a great day, and thank you for coming by today!

Ben in Texas said...

Dang!!! Learned something new today Professor!!! I do remember the song of course. But at that time I don't think we even gave a thought that it maybe a real story.

Dizzy-Dick said...

Sure did leand something again today. You are a fountain of knowledge.

JO said...

Interesting story. I never gave much thought to the story of the song because I didn't like others know there was one. Thank you again for the history lesson.
Coffee in the kitchen with muscic sounds like fun.

Sixbears said...

. . . and now you know the rest of the story.

Good day!

Phelan said...

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds redid this song. They have an entire album "Murder Ballads" that are based on true crimes. A couple include the victims version. I had to do research on a few of them because I was surprised I had not heard of them as gruesome and serialistic as they were.

I'm ready for some of that coffee I think.

TROUBLEnTX said...

Wow Phelan, will have to look that up. And thx, HJ,,loved that song back when. Now, let me ask ya,,how bout Frankie and Johnnie?,,,lol.

HermitJim said...

Hey Ben...
You know me...always trying to increase the grey matter!

I'm just a vast warehouse of useless knowledge!

Thanks for coming over, buddy!


Hey Dizzy...
I'm always glad to throw something out that is a little new to us.

Kinda fun to find these little tidbits!

Thanks, Dizzy, for coming by this morning!


Hey JoJo...
Having coffee with you is always fun, sweetie!

Thanks for dropping by today!


Hey Sixbears...
Always interesting to find out the rest of the story, isn't it?

Thanks, my friend, for coming over today!


Hey Phelan...
You've probably done more in learning the history behind some of these songs than I.

Maybe I should have you teach me a thing or two!

Many thanks for the visit!


Hey Trouble...
You just never know what you may find over at the Hermit's house!

Thanks for coming by today!

Mayberry said...

That's interesting! Thanks Jim.