I Know Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well
Benjamin Clarence "Bull Moose" Jackson (April 22, 1919 – July 31, 1989) was… Read Full Bio ↴Benjamin Clarence "Bull Moose" Jackson (April 22, 1919 – July 31, 1989) was an American blues and rhythm & blues singer and saxophonist, who was most successful in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, he learned to play the saxophone and started his first band, The Harlem Hotshots, while he was still in high school. In 1943, he was recruited as a saxophonist by bandleader Lucky Millinder, and the musicians in Millinder's band gave him the nickname "Bull Moose" for his appearance. He began singing when required to stand in for Wynonie Harris at a show in Texas.
Millinder encouraged Jackson to sign a solo contract with Syd Nathan of King Records to play rhythm and blues. He first recorded in his own right in 1946, with "I Know Who Threw the Whiskey", an answer song to Millinder's "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well". The following year, his recording of "I Love You, Yes I Do" reputedly became the first R&B single to sell a million copies, holding the #1 spot on the R&B chart for three weeks and crossing over to the pop chart, where it made #24.
He formed his own group, The Buffalo Bearcats, and over the next five years recorded in a wide variety of musical styles, including both romantic crooning and bawdy jump blues. Other big hits in 1948 included the double-sided hit "All My Love Belongs to You" / "I Want a Bowlegged Woman", and his biggest R&B chart hit, "I Can't Go On Without You", which stayed at # 1 on the R&B chart for eight weeks. He also made an appearance in the 1948 film, Boarding House Blues, with Millinder.
In 1949, he covered "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me" a song that been successful for Wayne Raney as well as several country and western performers.
Jackson toured throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s. Around 1951, his band included bebop composer and arranger Tadd Dameron on piano, and another jazz musician, Benny Golson, on saxophone.
Some of Jackson's later risqué material, including "Big Ten Inch Record" (later covered by Aerosmith on Toys in the Attic) and "Nosey Joe" (written by Leiber and Stoller), both from 1952, were too suggestive for airplay, but remained popular.
Jackson continued to record until the mid-1950s, but as musical tastes changed began working for a catering firm in Washington, D.C. In 1961 he re-recorded and had a minor hit with "I Love You, Yes I Do".
In the early 1980s he was persuaded by Carl Grefenstette to perform and record again with the Pittsburgh R&B revival band, The Flashcats, who had been playing his songs, and to record the album Moosemania! in 1985. Jackson also toured nationally and internationally. However, his health began to fail, and he died of lung cancer in Cleveland in 1989.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, he learned to play the saxophone and started his first band, The Harlem Hotshots, while he was still in high school. In 1943, he was recruited as a saxophonist by bandleader Lucky Millinder, and the musicians in Millinder's band gave him the nickname "Bull Moose" for his appearance. He began singing when required to stand in for Wynonie Harris at a show in Texas.
Millinder encouraged Jackson to sign a solo contract with Syd Nathan of King Records to play rhythm and blues. He first recorded in his own right in 1946, with "I Know Who Threw the Whiskey", an answer song to Millinder's "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well". The following year, his recording of "I Love You, Yes I Do" reputedly became the first R&B single to sell a million copies, holding the #1 spot on the R&B chart for three weeks and crossing over to the pop chart, where it made #24.
He formed his own group, The Buffalo Bearcats, and over the next five years recorded in a wide variety of musical styles, including both romantic crooning and bawdy jump blues. Other big hits in 1948 included the double-sided hit "All My Love Belongs to You" / "I Want a Bowlegged Woman", and his biggest R&B chart hit, "I Can't Go On Without You", which stayed at # 1 on the R&B chart for eight weeks. He also made an appearance in the 1948 film, Boarding House Blues, with Millinder.
In 1949, he covered "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me" a song that been successful for Wayne Raney as well as several country and western performers.
Jackson toured throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s. Around 1951, his band included bebop composer and arranger Tadd Dameron on piano, and another jazz musician, Benny Golson, on saxophone.
Some of Jackson's later risqué material, including "Big Ten Inch Record" (later covered by Aerosmith on Toys in the Attic) and "Nosey Joe" (written by Leiber and Stoller), both from 1952, were too suggestive for airplay, but remained popular.
Jackson continued to record until the mid-1950s, but as musical tastes changed began working for a catering firm in Washington, D.C. In 1961 he re-recorded and had a minor hit with "I Love You, Yes I Do".
In the early 1980s he was persuaded by Carl Grefenstette to perform and record again with the Pittsburgh R&B revival band, The Flashcats, who had been playing his songs, and to record the album Moosemania! in 1985. Jackson also toured nationally and internationally. However, his health began to fail, and he died of lung cancer in Cleveland in 1989.
I Know Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well
Bull Moose Jackson Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Bull Moose Jackson:
Big 10 Inch Got me the strangest woman Believe it, this chick's no sinch…
Big 10 Inch Record Got me the strangest woman Believe it, this chick's no sinch…
Big Fat Mamas Are Back in Style Again Listen Sister, you should wear a smile Jump for joy like…
Big Ten Inch Got me the strangest woman Believe it, this chick's no sinch…
Big Ten Inch Record Got me the strangest woman Believe it, this chick's no sinch…
Big Ten-Inch Record Got me the strangest woman Believe it, this chick's no sinch…
Broken Hearted Melody Broken-hearted meelody Once you were our song of love Now …
Embraceable You Embrace me, my sweet embraceable you! Embrace me, you irrepl…
I Can't Go on Without You You made me cry Because you said goodbye And tears from my…
I Love You Yes I Do I love you, yes, I do I want you, yes, I…
I Love You, Yes I Do I love you, yes, I do I want you, yes, I…
I Want a Bowlegged Woman I want a bowlegged woman that's all I want a bowlegged…
My Big Ten Inch Got me the strangest woman Believe it, this chick's no sinch…
My Big Ten-Inch Got me the strangest woman Believe it, this chick's no sinch…
My Big Ten-Inch Record Got me the strangest woman Believe it, this chick's no sinch…
My Little Baby All my friends keep asking what do I see in…
Nosey Joe There's a man in town All the women know He goes by…
There Is No Greater Love There is no greater love Than what I feel for you No…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Mush Morant
Another sequel to "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well" is "Fare thee well, Deacon Jones".
Anthony Madrid
Bb
It was a lovely Sunday mornin’
and everyone was gay
everyone but Deacon Jones
C F
who did not feel that way
Bb
He was loaded down with pills
D#
he was plastered to the gills
Bb
you could tell it, you could smell it
F Bb
every time you heard him yell:
I found out who threw the whiskey in the well
in the well
C
yes I know who threw the whiskey in the well
F
in the well
Bb
Yes, I’m squealin’ on my friend
D#
’cause he went south with my N
Bb F
yes I know who threw the whiskey in the well
in the well
—Deacon Jones, who threw the whiskey in the well?
—Just wait and see!
—Deacon Jones, who threw the whiskey in the well?
—It wasn’t me!
I will tell you in a minute
soon as I find out what’s in it
yes I know who threw the whiskey in the well
[solo]
I’m gonna tell who threw the whiskey in the well
in the well
I’m gonna tell who threw the whiskey in the well
in the well
When you kneel down on your knees
I will set your mind at ease
’cause I know who threw the whiskey in the well
Through the window came a Bible
and it landed on my head
the folks knelt down to pray
they thought Deacon Jones was dead!
Elder Brown went way down
then he raised the Deacon’s head
the Deacon’s eyes flew open
and this is what he said:
It wasn’t Sister Ash
no!
it wasn’t Elder Brown
no!
it wasn’t Sister Kitty
’cause that gal was in the city
It wasn’t Brother Smith
no!
it wasn’t Cousin Sammy
—Who was it, Deacon Jones?
—It was Caledonia’s mammy!
It was Caledonia’s mammy, it was Caledonia’s mammy
she threw the whiskey in the we-e-e-e-ell
•
Malik Davis
Great song
Ozmulki
Nice - have not heard this answer song to the original!
onthegoldenline
I always knew it was Caldonia's mammy!
1otherstreasure
Bullmoose Jackson was Wynonie Harris' replacement. No wonder he snitched!