"Weary Blues" is a 1915 tune by

Artie Matthews Artie Matthews (November 15, 1888 – October 25, 1958) was an American songwriter, pianist, and ragtime composer. Artie Matthews was born in Braidwood, Illinois; his family moved to Springfield, Illinois in his youth. He learned to play p ...

. Despite the name, the form is a multi-strain ragtime rather than a conventional

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

. (At the time it was published, many hot or raggy numbers were published with the word "Blues" in the title). It is often known by the alternative title "Shake It and Break It," especially when played by New Orleans jazz bands. The first jazz recording of the number was made by Yellow Nunez with the

Louisiana Five The Louisiana Five was an early Dixieland jazz band that was active from 1917 to 1920. It was among the earliest jazz groups to record extensively. The Louisiana Five was led by drummer Anton Lada. History The Louisiana Five was formed in New Y ...

in 1919. The tune is a perennial

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...

, especially with Dixieland groups. Important recordings of the piece include those by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings,

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Johnny Dodds Johnny Dodds (; April 12, 1892 – August 8, 1940) was an American jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonist based in New Orleans, best known for his recordings under his own name and with bands such as those of Joe "King" Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, ...

, Sidney Bechet, George Lewis,

Wooden Joe Nicholas Wooden Joe Nicholas (September 23, 1883 – November 17, 1957) was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist, active on the early New Orleans jazz scene. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Nicholas began playing professionall ...

, Bunk Johnson,

Sweet Emma Barrett "Sweet Emma" Barrett (March 25, 1897, New Orleans, Louisiana – January 28, 1983) was an American, self-taught jazz pianist and singer who worked with the Original Tuxedo Orchestra between 1923 and 1936, first under Papa Celestin, then William ...

, and many others. The McGuire Sisters covered "Weary Blues" in 1956. Their version reached #32 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' chart.''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' -

References

1915 compositions Rags 1910s jazz standards Jazz compositions in F major The McGuire Sisters songs {{1910s-jazz-composition-stub

See also

References