Dupree's birth date is disputed, given as July 4, July 10, and July 23, in the years 1908, 1909, or 1910. He died January 21, 1992, in Hanover, Germany. Dupree's playing is almost all straight blues and boogie woogie, with no ballads or pop songs, not even blues ballads. He was not a sophisticated musician or singer, but he had a wry and clever way with words: "Mama, move your false teeth, papa wanna scratch your gums." He sometimes sang as if he had a cleft palate and even recorded under the name Harelip Jack Dupree. This was an artistic conceit, as Dupree had excellent clear articulation, particularly for a blues singer.
He sang about life as he found it, singing about jail, drinking, drug addiction, although he himself was a light drinker and did not use other drugs. His "Junker's Blues" is still sung in New Orleans, and was also transmogrified by Fats Domino into his first hit "The Fat Man". Dupree's songs included not only gloomy topics, such as "TB Blues" and "Angola Blues" (about the infamous Louisiana prison farm), but also cheerful subjects like the "Dupree Shake Dance": "Come on, mama, on your hands and knees, do that shake dance as you please".
On his best known LP, 1958's "Blues from the Gutter" for Atlantic, he was accompanied on guitar by Larry Dale, whose playing on that LP inspired Brian Jones (of Rolling Stones fame) ("Yeah! I have to play this… what a sound").
Dupree was a New Orleans blues and boogie-woogie pianist, a barrelhouse "professor". His father was from the Belgian Congo and his mother was part African American and Cherokee. His birth date has been given as July 4, July 10, and July 23, 1908, 1909, or 1910; the researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc give July 4, 1910.
He was orphaned at the age of eight and was sent to the Colored Waifs Home in New Orleans, an institution for orphaned or delinquent boys (about the same time, Louis Armstrong was also sent there as a child, after being arrested as a "dangerous and suspicious character". Dupree taught himself to play the piano there and later apprenticed with Tuts Washington and Willie Hall, whom he called his father and from whom he learned "Junker's Blues". He was also a "spy boy" for the Yellow Pocahontas tribe of the Mardi Gras Indians. He soon began playing in barrelhouses and other drinking establishments.
He began a life of travelling, living in Chicago, where he worked with Georgia Tom, and in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he met Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr. He also worked as a cook. In Detroit, after Joe Louis encouraged him to become a boxer, he fought 107 bouts, winning Golden Gloves and other championships and picking up the nickname Champion Jack, which he used the rest of his life.
He returned to Chicago at the age of 30 and joined a circle of recording artists, including Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red, who introduced him to the record producer Lester Melrose. Many of Dupree's songs were later credited to Melrose as composer, and Melrose claimed publishing rights to them.
Dupree's career was interrupted by military service in World War II. He was a cook in the United States Navy and was held by the Japanese for two years as a prisoner of war.
After the war, his biggest commercial success was "Walkin' the Blues", which he recorded as a duet with Teddy McRae. This led to several national tours and eventually a European tour. In 1959 he played an unofficial (and unpaid) duo gig with Alexis Korner at the London School of Economics.
Dupree moved to Europe in 1960, settling first in Switzerland and then Denmark, England, Sweden and, finally, Germany. On June 17, 1971, he played at the Montreux Jazz Festival, in the Casino Kursaal, with King Curtis, backed by Cornell Dupree on guitar, Jerry Jemmott on bass and Oliver Jackson on drums. The recording of the concert was released in 1973 as the album King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree: Blues at Montreux on the Atlantic label.
During the 1970s and 1980s he lived at Ovenden in Halifax, England. A piano he used was later discovered at Calderdale College in Halifax. He continued to record in Europe with the Kenn Lending Band, Louisiana Red and Axel Zwingenberger and made many live appearances. He also worked again as a cook, specializing in New Orleans cuisine. He returned to the United States from time to time and performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
It seemed that Dupree could not escape from the prejudice and racism anywhere he settled in the United States. Finally in late 1958, he decided to move to Europe. Over the next 32 years, he lived in a number of locales in Switzerland, France, England, Denmark and Germany. He also recorded a multitude of wonderful albums during this time for a long list of European labels. Among these is the outstanding live recording, "Blues at Montreux" on Atco that also featured sax great, King Curtis.
He died from complications of cancer on January 21, 1992 in Hanover. As one of the most prolific recording Bluesmen of all time, he left a large catalog of material. Champion Jack Dupree was posthumously honored by the Blues Foundation, receiving election into their Hall of Fame, along with "Blues From The Gutter" being selected as an entry as a "Classic of Blues" recording (Albums).
All Aboard
Champion Jack Dupree Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mean old Frisco, take my babe away
All Aboard!!
Mean old Frisco, take my babe away
I've been hoping, I've been tussling1
My baby come back home one day.
Well, that people,
One day people,
Just don't understand.
Well, now to take my woman away,
Can not try another man
I left town, you're traveling
While the train goes 'round the bend
Down at here and traveling,
While the train goes 'round the bend
Well, what've I started ain't no crime,
Me without all, have no friends
Welcome there new love,
Round all, tear'm down
Welcome there new love,
Round all, tear'm down
Well, I worked hard all of my life,
Now I'm getting pushed around
The song All Aboard by Champion Jack Dupree is a blues classic about the heartache of losing a loved one. The opening line "All aboard" signifies the departing of a train that will be taking his beloved away. The reference to Frisco refers to San Francisco, and it's used as a metaphor for his heart being taken away. The lyrics express the sadness of the singer, who has been hoping and praying for the return of his love. The lines "I've been hoping, I've been tussling, my baby come back home one day" show the singer's desperation to have his love back and his helplessness in the situation.
The second verse highlights the lack of understanding from people around him. The man's lover is being taken from him, and it seems like no one cares or understands his pain. He fears that someone else might take his place while he is away, but he cannot let go. The phrase "Can not try another man" emphasizes his commitment to his love.
The third and final verse tells the story of the singer's hard work and his struggle to find peace. He has worked hard all his life, but he is now getting pushed around. He feels that he has lost everything, and his pride is being trampled. The line "Now I'm getting pushed around" suggests that he feels powerless to reverse the situation.
Overall, the song All Aboard by Champion Jack Dupree is a melancholic blues ballad that captures the pain of heartbreak and the struggle to find peace after losing a loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
All aboard!!
We're getting on the train, everybody!
Mean old Frisco, take my babe away
My lover is leaving me and going to San Francisco.
I've been hoping, I've been tussling1
My baby come back home one day.
I've been trying hard to get my lover back and I hope she/he will return to me someday.
Well, that people,
Just don't understand
One day people,
Just don't understand.
Well, now to take my woman away,
Can not try another man
Other people can't understand what I'm going through, and there's no other man who can replace my lover.
I left town, you're traveling
While the train goes 'round the bend
Down at here and traveling,
While the train goes 'round the bend
Well, what've I started ain't no crime,
Me without all, have no friends
I left town while my lover is traveling away on the train. I don't regret what I've done, but now I don't have any friends.
Welcome there new love,
Round all, tear'm down
Welcome there new love,
Round all, tear'm down
Well, I worked hard all of my life,
Now I'm getting pushed around
My lover has moved on and found someone new. I worked hard my whole life, but now I'm feeling defeated and pushed around.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MC KINLEY MORGANFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jake Fantom
on She Cooks Me Cabbage
The only line that confuses me is "and she called them turnip greens." Anyone got an idea what Champion Jack is trying to convey here? Why would she cook him cabbage and call it turnip greens?