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.
Nosey Joe
Bull Moose Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the women know
He goes by the name of Nosey Joe
Don't care if they're married
He takes his pick
Long as they're women
He's ready to stick
His big nose in their business
That's Nosey Joe
The nosiest guy I know
He ain't good lookin'
And he ain't big and strong
That guy's got a nose that's four foot long
I'm tellin' you women, this ain't no jive
If you get too close this man will drive
His big nose in your business
His big nose in your business
That's Nosey Joe
The nosiest guy I know
I saw him just the other day
Tried to steal my girl away
He offered her money
He offered her love
She said "thank you sir
But please don't shove"
Your big nose in my business
Your big nose in my business
That's Nosey Joe
He's nosiest guy I know
Oh! Nosey finally lost his life
Messin' with my buddy's wife
My buddy he caught him with his chick
Chopped off his nose
Now he can't stick
His big nose in my business
His big nose in your business
That's Nosey Joe
The nosiest guy I know
The lyrics of the song "Nosey Joe" by Bull Moose Jackson tell a story about a man in town who is infamous for being nosy and gathering information about people's personal lives, particularly women. The song describes him as a man who capitalizes on the vulnerability of women, with no regards to their marital status. The first verse refers to the familiarity of the women with Nosey Joe and his tendencies. The lyrics "Don't care if they're married, He takes his pick" underscores his attempt to invade the privacy of these women. The chorus emphasizes the titular character's nosiness, describing how Joe inserts his large nose into other people's affairs without permission.
The second verse describes Joe's unattractive physical features, which he compensates for with his inquisitive personality. The lyrics "He ain't good lookin', And he ain't big and strong, That guy's got a nose that's four foot long" highlight these attributes. The final verse depicts the end of the story-line with Joe being caught by a man whose wife was being subjected to Nosey Joe's inquisitive nature. The line "Chopped off his nose, Now he can't stick His big nose in my business" implies that Joe received a violent reprisal for his nosiness.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a man in town
There is a person in the town
All the women know
All the women are aware of him
He goes by the name of Nosey Joe
He is known as Nosey Joe
Don't care if they're married
He doesn't care if they are married
He takes his pick
He chooses whoever he wants
Long as they're women
As long as they are female
He's ready to stick
He is ready to interfere
His big nose in their business
He interferes in their affairs
His big nose in their business
He interferes in their affairs
That's Nosey Joe
That's Nosey Joe
The nosiest guy I know
He is the most interfering person I know
He ain't good lookin'
He isn't attractive
And he ain't big and strong
He isn't physically strong
That guy's got a nose that's four foot long
He has a long nose
I'm tellin' you women, this ain't no jive
I am warning you, this is not a joke
If you get too close this man will drive
If you get too close, he will interfere
His big nose in your business
He will interfere in your affairs
His big nose in your business
He will interfere in your affairs
That's Nosey Joe
That's Nosey Joe
He's nosiest guy I know
He is the most interfering person I know
I saw him just the other day
I saw him recently
Tried to steal my girl away
He tried to take my girlfriend
He offered her money
He offered her money
He offered her love
He offered her love
She said "thank you sir
She politely declined
But please don't shove"
She asked him not to interfere
Your big nose in my business
He is interfering in my affairs
Your big nose in my business
He is interfering in my affairs
That's Nosey Joe
That's Nosey Joe
He's nosiest guy I know
He is the most interfering person I know
Oh! Nosey finally lost his life
Nosey died
Messin' with my buddy's wife
He was interfering with my friend's wife
My buddy he caught him with his chick
My friend caught him with his girlfriend
Chopped off his nose
He cut off his nose
Now he can't stick
He can't interfere anymore
His big nose in my business
He was interfering in my affairs
His big nose in your business
He was interfering in your affairs
That's Nosey Joe
That's Nosey Joe
The nosiest guy I know
He is the most interfering person I know
Writer(s): Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Contributed by Layla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Learned_Duvel
There's a man in town
All the women know
He goes by the name of Nosey Joe
Don't care if they're married
He takes his pick
Long as they're women
He's ready to stick
His big nose in their business
His big nose in their business
That's Nosey Joe
The nosiest guy I know
He ain't good lookin'
And he ain't big and strong
That guy's got a nose that's four foot long
I'm tellin' you women, this ain't no jive
If you get too close this man will drive
His big nose in your business
His big nose in your business
That's Nosey Joe
The nosiest guy I know
I saw him just the other day
Tried to steal my girl away
He offered her money
He offered her love
She said "thank you sir
But please don't shove"
Your big nose in my business
Your big nose in my business
That's Nosey Joe
He's nosiest guy I know
Oh! Nosey finally lost his life
Messin' with my buddy's wife
My buddy he caught him with his chick
Chopped off his nose
Now he can't stick
His big nose in my business
His big nose in your business
That's Nosey Joe
The nosiest guy I know
@rafachrzaszcz6997
Bull Moose, Wynonie Harris and Roy Brown are the best dirty blues singers ever! Their songs are so catchy and make smile on my face 😂
@keithmackenzie-ingle757
Brilliant, great voice AND a honker 'n' shouter on that tenor sax....nice!
@MetryRoad
Bull Moose Jacson was notorious for the double entendres in many of his songs. Listen to his song 'Big Ten Inch Record' for another blatant example. Best wishes
@loganarencicibia1001
The 50s had great songs back then
@robertp1947
Man relax It was different back then
@porkchop745
I laughed out loud. It's just fabulous.
@Rockabillykid01
this song is soo good!!
@loganarencicibia1001
This song is great oldies
@nicholasgoodrum1713
Tremendous 😋🎶💯
@kaspastarr
CLASS!!! dirty sax <3 64