What do
Cliff Edwards (1928),
Lloyd Price (circa 1959),
The Rulers (1967),
R.L. Burnside (late 1980s/ early 1990s),
Grateful Dead (live in 1993), and
Nick Cave (live in 1996) have in common? If nothing else, they all
sang some variation of the crime of Lee Shelton, also known as
Stack O'Lee, Stagolee, Stack-a-Lee , Stackerlee, Stagger Lee and other names, with
as many variations in the details of that fateful night. Join MeFite
Paul Slade with
his journalistic narrations of
murder ballads, tales of
Secret London (
previously), and
other works of
long-form journalism (which
may or may not be ideal for the web,
previously). [via
mefi projects; more clips and bits inside]
Of the three murder ballads currently covered on PlanetSlade, Stagger Lee is the most commonly covered, with some counts tallying
tributes by more than 400 different artists. The version of Stagger Lee by
Lloyd Price (then and
now) is apparently the most common version to start from, with covers by
Ike and Tina,
Isley Brothers,
Wilson Picket,
Bob Lumen,
Tommy Quickly (
wiki), and
Huey Lewis And The News,
P.J. Proby (
wiki), amongst others.
Burnside's version, from the 2001 compilation of of tunes and interviews, recorded between 1986 and 1993, called
Well...Well...Well (perhaps named for his
filler phrase), was covered by
Samuel L. Jackson in
Black Snake Moan. More fun with Stack-o-Lee:
how to play a version by Mississippi John Hurt. Yet another version was performed by
The Rulers, entitled
Wrong Emboyo, from 1967 on a Jamaican single on the Sir JJ label, UK single (Rio R 132) with Why Don't You Change on the b-side, 1967, produced by JJ Johnson. This song was covered by
The Clash on their 1979 album London Calling, with the song re-titled as "Wrong 'em Boyo." Versions of this song have also been titled "Wrong Embryo." For further deconstruction of the song, check
The Stagger Lee Files (moving from
geocities, which was
covered previously).
Frankie and Johnny may be behind Stack-o-Lee/ Stagger Lee in the count of covers (
wikipedia states "at least 265 versions") but the tale that started before Allen Britt was dead lives on, from
the movie of the same name featuring
Elvis and Donna Douglas to
Lindsay Lohan as Lola Johnson from
A Prairie Home Companion (
the movie), as well as
Johnny Cash (once or
twice),
Chet Atkins,
Dr. John, and more, with
10 versions of the lyrics at Bluegrass Messengers. Going way back, here is
Frank Crumit's version from 1927.
Knoxville Girl is the story that goes beyond the shores of the United States, and before there were states to unite, though it has found a home in relatively modern country music. Hear "a confession sung in the first person" from
Arthur Tanner and His Corn Shuckers, recorded in 1927;
The Louvin Brothers in years past, and recently performed by
Charlie Louvin and friends (along with further write-up on the ballad and the performers). Also:
Wilburn Brothers,
Jim and Jesse in 1976, and
Nick Cave.
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posted by wheelieman at 9:24 AM on September 22