"Don't Cry Baby" is a song composed by

James P. Johnson James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key ...

, with lyrics by Saul Bernie, and Stella Unger. The song was first recorded on October 11, 1929 by Bessie Smith, who was accompanied on piano by Johnson. The song was revived in 1943 by jazz bandleader Erskine Hawkins, who greatly simplified Johnson's original composition by removing both the introductory (sectional) verse and the "B" section of the chorus. This simplified arrangement formed the basis of most later recordings on the song. Throughout the late 1940s and 1950s, the song was recorded fairly regularly (by artists working in genres including western swing, traditional pop, and rhythm & blues), but was not a hit again until

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

recorded it in 1961. Between 1962 and 1964, versions were released by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

, and Ray Charles. Since the mid-1960s, the song has been occasionally revived.

Cover versions

*In 1943, Erskine Hawkins recorded a version of the song with vocals by

Jimmy Mitchell Jimmy Mitchell (22 October 1924 – 11 March 2004) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Queen's Park, Morton, Aberdeen and was player/manager of Cowdenbeath. Mitchell also represented the Scottish League XI once.

. This version went to number one on the Harlem Hit Parade and number fifteen on the pop chart. With fourteen non consecutive weeks at number one, the Erskine Hawkins version was the most successful song on the Harlem Hit Parade for 1943. *In 1950, Tony Bennett recorded the song for Columbia Records. Bennett recorded in the song again in 2001 for the album Playin' with My Friends * In 1961,

, recorded her version which reached number six on the R&B chart and number thirty-nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. *A 1962 recording by

was included in her

The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin ''The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin'' is the third studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released in 1962 by Columbia Records. It was her first album to achieve any commercial success, reaching number 69 on the '' ...

album. * In 2004 it was recorded by American jazz singer

Madeleine Peyroux Madeleine Peyroux (born April 18, 1974) is an American jazz singer and songwriter who began her career as a teenager on the streets of Paris. She sang vintage jazz and blues songs before finding mainstream success in 2004 when her album ''Carele ...

, in her ''

Careless Love "Careless Love" is a traditional song, with several popular blues versions. It has been called a "nineteenth-century ballad and Dixieland standard". The death referenced in an old version was the son of a Kentucky governor. Although published acco ...

'' album. Others who have recorded the song are: * Ray Charles * Bob Wills *

Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll (; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. She rose to prominence in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts, including ''Car ...

* Queen Latifah *

Gina Sicilia Gina Sicilia (born March 6, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Her album, ''Heard the Lie'', peaked in the ''Top 10'' on Billboard charts blues music charts in September, 2018 as well as ''Sunset Avenue'' peaking at #15 in Se ...

* Kenny Burrell

Appearances in popular culture

* The Erskine Hawkins recording of "Don't Cry Baby" is on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's 1992 film '' Malcolm X''.

References

{{authority control 1929 songs 1943 singles Etta James songs Bessie Smith songs

Cover versions

Appearances in popular culture

See also

References