There's doubt about his birth year; his tombstone gives the date as 1874.
Although their last recordings were made in 1930, Cannon's Jug Stompers were one of Beale Street's most popular jug bands through the 1930s. A few songs Cannon recorded with Cannon's Jug Stompers are "Minglewood Blues", "Pig Ankle Strut", "Wolf River Blues", "Viola Lee Blues", "White House Station" and "Walk Right In", later made into a pop hit by The Rooftop Singers. By the end of the 1930s, Cannon had effectively retired, although he occasionally performed as a solo musician.
Cannon began recording, as "Banjo Joe", for Paramount Records in 1927. At that session he was backed up by Blind Blake. After the success of the Memphis Jug Band's first records, he quickly assembled a jug band featuring Noah Lewis and Ashley Thompson (later replaced by Elijah Avery). Cannon's Jug Stompers first recorded at the Memphis Auditorium for the Victor label in January 1928. Hosea Woods joined the Jug Stompers in the late 1920s, playing guitar, banjo and kazoo, and also providing some vocals.
Born on a plantation at Red Banks, Cannon moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi, then the home of W.C. Handy, at the age of 12. Cannon's musical skills came without training; he taught himself to play using a banjo that he made from a frying pan and raccoon skin. He ran away from home at the age of fifteen and began his career entertaining at sawmills and levee and railroad camps in the Mississippi Delta around the turn of the century.
While in Clarksdale, Cannon was influenced by local musicians Jim Turner and Alex Lee. Turner's fiddle playing in W. C. Handy’s band so impressed Cannon that he decided to learn the fiddle himself. Lee, a guitarist, taught Cannon his first folk blues, "Po' Boy, Long Ways from Home", and showed him how to use a knife blade as a slide, a technique that Cannon adapted to his banjo playing.
Cannon left Clarksdale around 1907. He soon settled near Memphis and played in a jug band led by Jim Guffin. He began playing in Memphis with Jim Jackson. He met harmonica player Noah Lewis, who introduced him to a young guitar player named Ashley Thompson. Both Lewis and Thompson would eventually become members of Cannon’s Jug Stompers. The three of them formed a band to play parties and dances. In 1914 Cannon began touring in medicine shows. He supported his family through a variety of jobs, including sharecropping, ditch digging, and yard work, but supplemented his income with music.
He returned in 1956 to make a few recordings for Folkways Records. In the "blues revival" of the 1960s, he made some college and coffee house appearances with Furry Lewis and Bukka White. He also recorded an album for Stax Records in 1963, following the chart success of "Walk Right In", with his fellow Memphis musician, Will Shade, the former leader of the Memphis Jug Band.
Cannon can be seen in the King Vidor produced film, Hallelujah! (1929), during the late night wedding scene.
'Modern' listeners can hear Cannon's Jug Stompers recording of "Big Railroad Blues" on the compilation album The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead.
Bugle Call Rag
Cannon's Jug Stompers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're gonna brag 'bout the Bugle Call Rag.
Thin or fat, young or old;
Shake their shoulders bold.
You're bound to fall for the bugle call;
You're gonna brag 'bout the Bugle Call Rag.
Hold me baby; Let's syncopate to that blue melody;
Just hesitate while a break they take Shh!
The lyrics of Cannon's Jug Stompers' song "Bugle Call Rag" is a tribute to the lure of dancing and the power of music that can attract anyone to the dance floor. The lyrics start with the phrase "You're bound to fall for the bugle call," which is an indication of how infectious the sound of the bugle can be. The subsequent lines express the idea that people of all shapes, sizes, and ages can enjoy the music and dance together with confidence. The words "Shake their shoulders bold" suggest that the music can evoke a sense of pride and enthusiasm among the dancers. The next line "You're gonna brag 'bout the Bugle Call Rag" indicates that the song invokes a sense of ecstasy and pride that compels people to talk about it.
The lines "Hold me baby; Let's syncopate to that blue melody; Just hesitate while a break they take Shh!" are an invitation to the listeners to join in the dance, and the lyrics encourage them to shed their inhibitions and immerse themselves in the rhythm of the music. The words "While we're dancing please hold me tight; step lively don't lag" express a sense of urgency and excitement about the dancing experience. The overall message of the song is that the power of music can bring people together and create a sense of community and joy, and the Bugle Call Rag is an experience that people should savor and appreciate.
Line by Line Meaning
You're bound to fall for the bugle call;
It is inevitable that you will be drawn to the sound of the bugle.
You're gonna brag 'bout the Bugle Call Rag.
You will proudly boast about this particular song.
Thin or fat, young or old;
Regardless of one's age or physical stature,
Shake their shoulders bold.
people will move their bodies with confidence and enthusiasm.
Hold me baby; Let's syncopate to that blue melody;
Embrace me and let's dance to the lively and rhythmic tune of this style of music.
Just hesitate while a break they take Shh!
Take a brief pause and be quiet when there is a pause in the music.
While we're dancing please hold me tight; step lively don't lag.
As we dance, please hold me close and move energetically without falling behind the beat.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Billy Meyers, Elmer Schoebel, Jack Pettis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind