Okeh Records (OKeh 06152).
In 1958, a different version of this song, Junker's Blues, penned by Dupree himself, and which focuses on the allure of hard drugs, appeared on Dupree's first album, ''
Blues from the Gutter'', featuring
Larry Dale Larry Dale (born Ennis L. Lowery, January 7, 1923 – May 19, 2010) was an American blues singer, guitarist and session musician.
Life and career
He was born in Hungerford, Texas, United States. During the early 1950s he took initial inspiration ...
on guitar,
Wendell Marshall
Wendell Marshall (October 24, 1920 – February 6, 2002) was an American jazz double-bassist.
Marshall was Jimmy Blanton's cousin. He studied at Lincoln University, then served in the Army during World War II. Following his discharge, he p ...
on double bass, Willie Jones on drums and
Pete Brown
Peter Ronald Brown (born 25 December 1940) is an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce. Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), , p. 80 ...
on alto saxophone.
Covers
Fats Domino attracted national attention to the song (Junker Blues) by varying the tune, changing the lyrics and calling it "
The Fat Man". Domino recorded the song for
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group.
Early years to ...
in
Cosimo Matassa
Cosimo Vincent Matassa (April 13, 1926 – September 11, 2014) was an American recording engineer and studio owner, responsible for many R&B and early rock and roll recordings.
Life and career
Matassa was born in New Orleans in 1926.Komorowski ...
's J&M studio on
Rampart Street
Rampart Street (french: rue du Rempart) is a historic avenue located in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The section of Rampart Street downriver from Canal Street is designated as North Rampart Street, which forms the inland or northern border of the Fr ...
in New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday, 10 December 1949. The song, an example of early
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
, features a rolling piano with Domino doing "
wah-wah" vocalizing over a fat
back beat
In music and music theory, the beat is the basic unit of time, the pulse (regularly repeating event), of the ''mensural level'' (or ''beat level''). The beat is often defined as the rhythm listeners would tap their toes to when listening to a p ...
. The recording sold over a million copies, and is widely regarded as the first rock and roll record to do so.
According to some sources, the original version, Junker Blues, served as a template for the 1951 song, "
Junco Partner
"Junco Partner", also known as "Junco Partner (Worthless Man)", is a blues song first recorded by James Waynes in 1951. ". Other sources however claim that "
Junco Partner
"Junco Partner", also known as "Junco Partner (Worthless Man)", is a blues song first recorded by James Waynes in 1951. " was the 'national anthem' of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at
Angola
, national_anthem = "Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
; and that with each inmate being required, as a rite of passage, to contribute, there are more than 3,000 verses to "
Junco Partner
"Junco Partner", also known as "Junco Partner (Worthless Man)", is a blues song first recorded by James Waynes in 1951. ".
Lloyd Price used the melody of "Junker Blues" in 1952 for his song, "
Lawdy Miss Clawdy
"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" is a song by New Orleans singer/songwriter Lloyd Price that "grandly introduced '' The New Orleans Sound''".
It was first recorded by Price in 1952 with Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew during his first session for Art Rup ...
", as did
Professor Longhair in 1953 for "
Tipitina
"Tipitina" is a song written and made famous by Professor Longhair. The song has been widely covered, and the Professor Longhair version was recorded in 1953 for Atlantic Records. "Tipitina" was first released in 1953. A previously unreleased ...
", for Atlantic Records that same year. A newer recording of Professor Longhair's "
Tipitina
"Tipitina" is a song written and made famous by Professor Longhair. The song has been widely covered, and the Professor Longhair version was recorded in 1953 for Atlantic Records. "Tipitina" was first released in 1953. A previously unreleased ...
", was later released on his album, ''New Orleans Piano'', in 1972.
Smiley Lewis
A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such a ...
's "Tee-Nah-Nah" was yet another close copy.
In 1990,
Willy DeVille
Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr.; August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created ori ...
recorded Dupree's 1958 "Junker's Blues" for his ''
Victory Mixture
''Victory Mixture'' is a 1990 album by Willy DeVille. The album consists of cover versions of New Orleans R&B and soul classics by DeVille’s musical idols. Trouser Press said about the album, “A rootsy covers collection, ''Victory Mixture'' ...
'' album. English actor and vocalist
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in a ...
covered "Junker's Blues" on his 2013 album, ''
Didn't It Rain
"Didn't It Rain", sometimes given as "Oh, Didn't It Rain", is a spiritual about Noah's flood. In 1919 it appeared as sheet music in an arrangement for voice and piano by Henry Thacker Burleigh (1866–1949).
Modern versions
* The Galilee Singe ...
''.
See also
*
Junco Partner
"Junco Partner", also known as "Junco Partner (Worthless Man)", is a blues song first recorded by James Waynes in 1951.
References
{{Authority control
Blues songs
Okeh Records singles