In the 1940s and 1950s Jeffries recorded for a number of labels, including RCA Victor, Exclusive, Coral, Decca, Bethlehem, Columbia, Mercury and Trend. His album Jamaica, recorded by RKO, is a concept album of self-composed calypso songs.
Jeffries was born Umberto Alexander Valentino in Detroit to an Irish mother who ran a rooming house, and a father, whom he never knew, of mixed Sicilian, Ethiopean, French, Italian and Moorish roots, on September 24, 1913. He once characterized himself in an interview as "three-eighths Negro", claiming pride in his racial heritage during a period when many other light-skinned black performers were attempting "to pass" as all-white in an effort to broaden their commercial appeal. In marked contrast, Jeffries used make-up to darken his skin—in order to pursue a career in jazz and to be seen as employable by the leading all-black musical ensembles of the day. Yet, much later in his career, Jeffries would assume the identify of a white citizen for economic or highly personal reasons. Jet reported that Jeffries identified himself as White and stated his "real" name as "Herbert Jeffrey Ball" on an application in order to marry Tempest Storm in 1959. Jeffries told the reporter for Jet:
"... I'm not passing, I never have, I never will. For all these years I've been wavering about the color question on the blanks. Suddenly I decided to fill in the blank the way I look and feel.
Look at my blue eyes, look at my brown hair, look at my color. What color do you see?" he demand to know. "My mother was 100 per cent white," Jeffries said, his blue eyes glinting in the New York sun. "My father is Portuguese, Spanish, American Indian, and Negro. How in the hell can I identify myself as one race or another?"
A 2007 documentary short describes Jeffries as "assuming the identity of a man of color" early in his career. He is shown in Black/White & All That Jazz explaining that he was inspired by New Orleans-born musician Louis Armstrong to say falsely, at a job interview in Chicago, that he was "a creole from Louisiana" when he was of Irish and Sicilian heritage, among other ethnic backgrounds.
In 2007, while assembling material for the producers of a documentary film about him (A Colored Life), Jeffries found his birth certificate; this reminded him that he actually was born in 1913 and that he had misrepresented his age after he left home to look for a job. His four marriages (including one to exotic dancer Tempest Storm) produced five children. He appeared at jazz festivals and events benefiting autism and other developmental problems and lectured at colleges and universities. He supported music education in schools. In June 2010, aged 96, Jeffries performed to raise funds for the Oceanside (California) Unified School District's music program, accompanied by the Big Band Jazz Hall of Fame Orchestra under the direction of clarinetist Tad Calcara. This benefit concert was his second (the previous concert was in 2001).
A jazz and popular singer, he starred as a singing cowboy in several all-black Western films, in which he sang his own western compositions. Jeffries obtained financing for the first black western film and hired Spencer Williams to appear with him. In addition to starring in the film, he sang and performed his own stunts as cowboy "Bob Blake". He began his career working with Erskine Tate and his Vendome Orchestra when he moved to Chicago from Detroit at the urging of Louis Armstrong. His break came during the 1933 Chicago World's Fair—Century of Progress Exposition singing with the Earl Hines Orchestra on Hines’ national broadcasts live from the Grand Terrace Cafe. His first recordings were with Hines in 1934, including "Just to be in Carolina". He then recorded with Duke Ellington from 1940 to 1942. His recording of "Flamingo" (1940) with Ellington was a best seller in its day. He was replaced in the Ellington band by Al Hibbler in 1943.
Playing a singing cowboy in low-budget films, Jeffries became known as the "Bronze Buckaroo" by his fans. In a time of American racial segregation, such "race movies" played mostly in theaters catering to African-American audiences. The films, now available on video, include Harlem on the Prairie, The Bronze Buckaroo, Harlem Rides the Range and Two-Gun Man from Harlem. Jeffries went on to make other films, starring with Angie Dickinson in Calypso Joe (1957). He later directed and produced Mundo depravados, a cult film starring his wife, Tempest Storm. In 1968, Jeffries appeared in the long-running western TV series The Virginian playing a gunslinger who intimidated the town. At the age of 81, he recorded a Nashville album of songs on the Warner Western label in 1995 entitled The Bronze Buckaroo (Rides Again).
He lived in Wichita, Kansas and turned 100 on September 24, 2013. He died of heart failure at a California hospital on May 25, 2014.
For his contributions to the motion-picture industry, Jeffries has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6672 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2004 he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A restaurant in Idyllwild, Cafe Aroma, has a room named for him. In 1998 a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.
Discography
Sidney Bechet: "1940-1941" (Classics)
Earl Hines: "1932-1934" (Classics)
Duke Ellington:"The Blanton–Webster Band" (RCA, 1940–42)
Michael Martin Murphey: "Sagebrush Symphony"
"Jamaica" (RKO Records ULP - 128) all songs composed by Jeffries
"Passion" (Brunswick, BL 54028) Coral singles compiled on 12" LP
"Say it Isn't So" (Bethlehem BCP 72) with the Russ Garcia Orchestra
"Herb Jeffries" (Harmony HL 7048) Columbia singles LP
"Magenta Moods" (Mercury 2589 10") LP transfer of Exclusive label album
"Herb Jeffries Sings" (Mercury 2590 10") more Exclusive singles with the Buddy Baker Orchestra
"Herb Jeffries and his Orchestra" (Mercury 2591 10") Exclusive label singles
"Songs by Herb Jeffries" (Mercury 2592 10") Exclusive label singles
"I Remember the Bing" (Dobre Records 1047)
"Play and Sing the Duke" (Dobre Records 1053)
"The King and Me" (Dobre Records 1059)
Cow Cow Boogie
Herb Jeffries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met a cowboy ridin' the range one day
And as he jogged along I heard him singing
A most peculiar cowboy song
It was a ditty, he learned in the city
Comma ti yi yi yeah
Comma ti yippity yi yeah
Get along, better be on your way
Get along, get hip little doggies
And he trucked them on down the old fairway
Singin' his cow cow boogie in the strangest way
Comma ti yi yi yeah
Comma ti yippity yi yeah
Singin' his cowboy song
He's just too much
He's got a knocked out western accent with a Harlem touch
He was raised on local weed
He's what you call a swing half breed
Singin' his cow cow boogie in the strangest way
Comma ti yi yi yeah
Comma ti yippity yi yeah
Get along little doggie, better be on your way, your way,
Get along little doggie
And he trucked them on down the old fairway
Singin' his cow cow boogie in the strangest way
Comma ti yi yi yeah
Comma ti yippity yi yeah.
Yip yip singing his cowboy song
Yip yip as he was joggling along
Yip yip he sings with a harlem touch
Yip yip that guy is just too much
Singing his cow cow boogie in the strangest way
Comma ti yi yi yi yi yi yeah.
The song Cow Cow Boogie by Herb Jeffries captures the encounter between the singer and a cowboy he meets while riding on the plains near Santa Fe. The cowboy is singing a strange cowboy song with a western accent that has a touch of Harlem swing in it. The song is a ditty that the cowboy learned in the city, and as he sings, he urges his doggies to get along and be on their way down the old fairway. The cowboy's singing style is described as peculiar, and he seems to be a mix of western and urban cultures.
The lyrics of Cow Cow Boogie portray the cultural fusion happening between the rural and urban cultures in the western United States in the mid-20th century. The cowboy represents the traditional western culture, and his doggies represent the rugged and independent nature of the American West. On the other hand, the peculiar cowboy song he sings represents the influence of African American culture and the unique mix of styles that originated from the interaction between black and white communities in America's cities. The song highlights the importance of music as a tool for cultural exchange and as a means of breaking down cultural barriers.
Line by Line Meaning
Out on the plains down near Santa fe
Once down in Santa Fe, whilst venturing out into the vast plains, a cowboy was met by Herb Jeffries
I met a cowboy ridin' the range one day
One day whilst exploring the overbearing fields, I came across a true cowboy, riding around atop his horse
And as he jogged along I heard him singing
Observing the cowboy as he rode past, I heard his distinctive voice echoing in the distance
A most peculiar cowboy song
The tune the cowboy was melodiously singing struck me as idiosyncratic and unusual for its obvious differences from traditional cowboy songs
It was a ditty, he learned in the city
As it turned out, the song was originally composed and learned whilst in the city, far from the cowboy's origins.
Comma ti yi yi yeah
A unique and catchy expression overflowing with a sense of deep amusement and pleasure
Comma ti yippity yi yeah
An exhortation to show excitement and joy, expressed in a manner of songful chant
Get along, get hip little doggies
Come on, quickly, you must make haste or be left behind
Get along, better be on your way
Pack your bags and leave now because it's high time to move along and find your own way in the world
And he trucked them on down the old fairway
The cowboy drove the doggies down a previously known path towards a legendary fairway
Singin' his cow cow boogie in the strangest way
The cowboy harmonized his unique and peculiar style of singing with the cow cow boogie song in a peculiar and unfamiliar way
He's got a knocked out western accent with a Harlem touch
The cowboy possessed an outstanding Western accent that blended seamlessly with a creative and modern Harlem style of singing
He was raised on local weed
The cowboy was brought up on a diet of local styles, culture, and traditions
He's what you call a swing half breed
The cowboy's remarkable and unique fusion of different styles earned him the nickname 'Swing Half-Breed'
Yip yip singing his cowboy song
The cowboy sang his distinctive tune with an incredibly rhythmic and vibrant style
Yip yip as he was joggling along
As the cowboy rode, vibrations rang from his horse's trot; accompanying them was his unique chant
Yip yip he sings with a Harlem touch
The swing half-breed's unique and unusual style of singing a cowboy song earned him admiration from his listener
Yip yip that guy is just too much
Everyone listening to the cowboy was in awe of his creativity, unmatched style, and lively way of singing
Comma ti yi yi yi yi yi yeah.
An epitome of intense pleasure and excitement, resonating in songful chant.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Don Raye, Benny Carter, Gene De Paul
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@treverfulton5413
He is mine great great great grandpa
@davidgerald133
Awesome
@oldmansportsog2514
He actually was mixed race with only a Little Black in him. He was mostly Irish and Sicilian. He used to used make up to darken his skin. This a known fact. He himself later on in life said he identify more as white then Black . honestly why can't he just be considered a mix race person? Why do people have to choose black or white? Also how come Blacks people will embrace their native Americans or Hispanic roots but then hate their white roots.its Dumb. He was mixed person and should of been able to be proud of being mixed and appreciating all his different backgrounds
@androlibre9661
yeah.....that's a very 21st century view of it...but by the 21st Century he was in 90s and died age 100...it was what it was