"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 Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

, who was accompanied on piano by Johnson. The song was revived in 1943 by jazz bandleader

Erskine Hawkins Erskine Ramsay Hawkins (July 26, 1914 – November 11, 1993) was an American trumpeter and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is best remembered for composing the jazz standard " Tuxedo Junction" ( ...

, 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 and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...

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, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, and

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

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

Cover versions

*In 1943,

recorded a version of the song with vocals by

Jimmy Mitchell Jimmy Mitchell (22 October 1924 – 11 March 2004) was a Scottish association football, footballer, who played for Queen's Park F.C., Queen's Park, Greenock Morton F.C., Morton, Aberdeen F.C., Aberdeen and was player/manager of Cowdenbeath F.C. ...

. This version went to number one on the

Harlem Hit Parade The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

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 Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

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

Madeleine Peyroux Madeleine Peyroux (born April 19, 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 acc ...

'' album. Others who have recorded the song are: *

Bob Wills James Robert "Bob" Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although Spade C ...

Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll ( ; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. Carroll was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards for her stage and screen performances, incl ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...

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 Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

Appearances in popular culture

* The Erskine Hawkins recording of "Don't Cry Baby" is on the soundtrack to

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

's 1992 film ''

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

''.

References

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

Cover versions

Appearances in popular culture

See also

References