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.
Feather Bed
Cannon's Jug Stompers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Colored man used to fuss about shucks and straw
But now, bless God, old Massa dead
Colored man plumb fool about feather bed
Whee, whee, my dear, and it's
Over the road I'm bound to go
I went uptown, gonna sneak in the house
Whee, whee, whee, honey
Over the road I'm bound to go
Whee, whee, baby
Over the road I'm bound to go
I went downtown, didn't mean no harm
Police grabbed me right by my arm
Soon I begin to kick, I begin to rear
Felt like strollin' in the air
Ooooh, oooh, oooh, baby
Over the road I'm bound to go
I went downtown, doin' my best
Find the boy that stole the vest
Went on round about Court Square
To find the boy that done stole the coat
Whee, whee, baby
Over the road I'm bound to go
Now I knew Judge Lewis was in the stand
Had them law books in his hand
When I begin to speak, pulled out a writ
Begin to read it to me
"This means you've been stealin', oh, it's clear."
Whee, whee, whee, baby
Over the road I'm bound to go
Here's Old Pritt and Moses Brown
Them goin' across the street to keep goin' to town
Oooh, oooh, oooh, baby
Over the road I'm bound to go
The song "Feather Bed" by Cannon's Jug Stompers is a blues tune that depicts the changes happening in the lives of African Americans just before the World War broke out. In the opening verse, the singer talks about how colored men used to complain about the shucks and straw, which probably means the uncomfortable bedding that they used to sleep on. The situation changes for the better when the old master dies, and the colored man becomes crazy about feather beds, which are soft and comfortable. The line "over the road, I'm bound to go" suggests that the singer is determined to make it to a better place where he can acquire a feather bed for himself.
The remaining verses focus on the singer's struggles as he tries to navigate life in the city. The second verse talks about how the singer thought he heard his baby crying, and the subsequent chorus reinforces his determination to make it out of the difficult situation. In the third verse, the singer gets in trouble with the law when the police catch him, and he fights back. In the fourth verse, the singer is still trying to make it in the city and catches a boy who stole his coat. However, his persecution continues when the judge catches him and accuses him of stealing.
Overall, the song "Feather Bed" captures the socio-economic changes that were occurring in the lives of African Americans in the early 20th century. It speaks to the struggle and determination of people who sought better living conditions despite the discrimination and persecution they faced.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember the time just before the war
I recall a period before the war
Colored man used to fuss about shucks and straw
African American men would be upset about things like shucks and straw
But now, bless God, old Massa dead
Now, thankfully, the old Master is dead
Colored man plumb fool about feather bed
African American men are now crazy about feather beds
Whee, whee, my dear, and it's
A sound of excitement and enthusiasm
Over the road I'm bound to go
I am about to go down the road
I went uptown, gonna sneak in the house
I was headed to the city to sneak into a house
Think I heared my baby cryin'
I thought I heard my child crying
Whee, whee, whee, honey
A sound of excitement and enthusiasm
I went downtown, didn't mean no harm
I went to the city, without any ill intentions
Police grabbed me right by my arm
The police detained me by grabbing my arm
Soon I begin to kick, I begin to rear
I began to resist and buck against the police
Felt like strollin' in the air
I felt like I was walking on air
Ooooh, oooh, oooh, baby
A sound of excitement and enthusiasm
I went downtown, doin' my best
I went to the city, trying my hardest
Find the boy that stole the vest
I was looking for the boy who stole the vest
Went on round about Court Square
I went around Court Square
To find the boy that done stole the coat
To find the boy who stole the coat
Now I knew Judge Lewis was in the stand
I knew that Judge Lewis was present
Had them law books in his hand
He had law books in his hand
When I begin to speak, pulled out a writ
When I started to speak, he pulled out the writ
Begin to read it to me
He started reading it to me
"This means you've been stealin', oh, it's clear."
He said, "This means you've been stealing, it's quite apparent."
Here's Old Pritt and Moses Brown
Old Pritt and Moses Brown have appeared
Them goin' across the street to keep goin' to town
They are going across the street to continue to the city
Oooh, oooh, oooh, baby
A sound of excitement and enthusiasm
Over the road I'm bound to go
I am about to go down the road
Contributed by Ryan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@stacyblue1980
I remember listening to this years ago. I was much younger then. Lol I loved the spirit of the song. I love this band.❤
@viennapalace
Such a cool song & so much fun to play on the harp!
Thanks for sharing it.
@balastegi
Reminds me of Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love. Is not that great?
Love the Stompers.
@bluesmusicandwhatnot2845
Hell yeah! And seems to have this rockin’ rhythm you can hear at the beginning behind Cannon’s jug blowing that I haven’t really heard in any of their other recorded songs.