James John (Jimmy) Witherspoon, also known by the nickname “Spoon”, was a versatile "blues shouter" who achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in the genres of blues, jazz, and rhythm and blues. His 1947 recording “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” was a hit in 1949 and became his signature song.
His date of birth is usually given as August 8, 1923, but some sources give the birth year as 1920, and more than one source gives the birth date as August 18, 1921, attributing the information to his son. Since he may have run away from home to Los Angeles, California, as early as 1935, the earlier dates seem more plausible. In a 1996 interview, he gave his age as seventy-four, which also corresponds with the 1921 date.
Jimmy Witherspoon was born in Gurdon (Clark County) Arkansas to Leonard Witherspoon, a Missouri Pacific Railroad brakeman, and Eva Tatum Witherspoon, a church pianist. The family was devoutly religious. His parents were members of the choir at their Baptist church.
He didn't pursue music professionally until after his stint in the Merchant Marines in World War II. On his return to the Unites States in 1944, he replaced Walter Brown in Jay McShann's band, and performed with Big Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker.
Witherpoon's first hit record was "Ain't Nobody's Business", which he followed in 1949 with a reworking of the Leroy Carr song "In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down". His hit "Ain't Nobody's Business" was one of the biggest records of the era, and stayed on the Billboard charts for 34 weeks. Spoon made at least 200 recordings, and was one of the few true giants of the post-war blues boom.
Witherspoon recorded for a variety of labels through the 1950s, including cornerstone sides with Swingtime, Federal, Chess, RCA, and even a Dixieland session with The Wilbur de Paris New Orleans Jazz Band for Atlantic in 1956. His long career included performances on jazz stages around the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Newport Jazz Festival, touring Japan with Count Basie, and European tours with Buck Clayton's All Stars. Witherspoon managed to span the worlds of blues, R&B, and jazz with his deep baritone voice and unique style.
Witherspoon died September 18, 1997 in Los Angeles, California.
Spoon first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during World War II. Witherspoon made his first records with Jay McShann's band in 1945. In 1949, recording under his own name with the McShann band, he had his first hit, "Ain't Nobody's Business,"[2] a song which came to be regarded as his signature tune. In 1950 he had hits with two more songs closely identified with him: "No Rollin' Blues", "Big Fine Girl", as well as "Failing By Degrees" and "New Orleans Woman" recorded with the Gene Gilbeaux Orchestra which included Herman Washington and Don Hill on the Modern Records label. These were recorded from a live performance on May 10, 1949 at a "Just Jazz" concert Pasadena, CA sponsored by Gene Norman. Another classic Witherspoon composition is "Times Gettin' Tougher Than Tough".
Witherspoon's style of blues - that of the "blues shouter" - became unfashionable in the mid-1950s, but he returned to popularity with his 1959 album, Jimmy Witherspoon at the Monterey Jazz Festival, which featured Roy Eldridge, Woody Herman, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines and Mel Lewis, among others. He later recorded with Gerry Mulligan, Leroy Vinnegar, Richard "Groove" Holmes and T-Bone Walker.
Tours and successes
In 1961 he toured Europe with Buck Clayton and returned to the UK on many occasions, featuring on a mid-sixties live UK recording Spoon Sings and Swings (1966) with tenor sax player Dick Morrissey's quartet. In 1970, he appeared on Brother Jack McDuff's London Blue Note recording To Seek a New Home together with British jazz musicians, including Dick Morrissey, again, and Terry Smith. In the 1970s he also recorded the album Guilty! (later released on CD as Black & White Blues) with Eric Burdon and featuring Ike White & the San Quentin Prison Band. He then toured with a band of his own featuring Robben Ford and Russ Ferrante. A recording from this period, Spoonful, featured 'Spoon accompanied by Robben Ford, Joe Sample, Cornell Dupree, Thad Jones and Bernard Purdie. He continued performing and recording into the 1990s.
Other performers with whom Witherspoon recorded include Jimmy Rowles, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Vernon Alley, Mel Lewis, Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wiggins, John Clayton, Paul Humphrey, Pepper Adams, Kenny Burrell, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jimmy Smith, Long John Baldry, Junior Mance, Ellington bassist Jimmy Woode, Kenny Clarke, Gerry Mulligan, Jim Mullen, Count Basie, Van Morrison, Dutch Swing College Band, Gene Gilbeaux and others.
Acting
In the 1995 film Georgia, Witherspoon portrayed a traveling, gun-collecting blues singer, Trucker, who has a relationship with the troubled character Sadie, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Baby How Long
Jimmy Witherspoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby how long
Have that ev'nin train been gone
Baby, how long, how long, baby how long
Hear it was so
Can't see no train
But deep in my heart I feel and achin' pain
Into the station
Look up at the board
Next train around
Strawberry Road
How long, how, woo, baby how long
'Make it wail ev'rybody'
'Yeah, so sweet'
Down atta station
With my head hung down
Lookin' at my sugar, when she leave this town
Baby, how long, how long, baby how long
I ain't got no money
Buy a ticket on a train
But I'll ride de blinds, baby
Be back home, again
Well, how long, how long, baby how long
See me comin'
Gon get some plow work
I'll cut your liver
Plug your heartache
Been so long, woo swoo, baby how long
'Sonny, wail about it'
Feelin' bad, I'm lookin' sad
Thinkin' bout the bad luck, Sonny
I once have had
But how long, how long, honey how long
See the green grass, growin' on a hill
Never seen no green grass on a dollar bill
How long, how long, baby how long
Lower you, baby
To a hollow tree
Way you treat me
Come back to you
Hoo, low, hoo, woo, baby gone
'Make it wail ev'rybody, now'
Feel so disgusted, I feel so blue
Sometimes Sonny, I don't know
What in the world I'm gonna do
Now, how long, how long, yeah how long
See that little house, sitting on the hill
You don't love me, goin try another who will
How long, how long baby, how long
See my baby, tell her I'll be runnin' home
I've been worried, ever since she been gone
How long, how, woo, baby how long
'Love to see ya'
'Play for me, now'
The song "Baby How Long" by Jimmy Witherspoon is about a man whose lover has left him and he is feeling the weight of her absence. He questions how long she has been gone and expresses his heartache in different ways. He wants to know how long it has been since the evening train left and how long until the next train arrives. He is saddened by the fact that he can't see any trains, but he knows that his heartache is real and strong. The man is willing to do whatever it takes to see his lover again, even if it means riding the blinds on a train without a ticket. Despite his sadness, he threatens his former partner to cut their liver out and plug their heartache. The song also touches on themes of money, bad luck, and feeling disgusted and blue.
Overall, "Baby How Long" is a melancholy blues song that conveys the pain of lost love and longing. The repetitive use of the phrase "how long" emphasizes the man's desire to know how much time has passed since his lover left and when he will see her again. The lyrics also reference objects and settings, such as trains, dollar bills, green grass, and a little house on a hill, which add to the sense of place and time. The use of Sonny Terry's harmonica and Witherspoon's soulful voice amplify the raw emotion and sadness of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, how long
Asking how long the evening train has been gone
Baby how long
Repeatedly asking how long
Have that ev'nin train been gone
Inquiring about the absence of the evening train
Hear it was so
Cannot see the train but feels a painful ache in the heart
Can't see no train
Cannot see the train on the platform
But deep in my heart I feel and achin' pain
Feeling a painful sensation in the heart
And that's a-how long, how long, babe how long
The duration of the pain is being emphasized
Into the station
Arriving at the station
Look up at the board
Checking the train schedule board
Next train around
Checking the schedule for the next train
Strawberry Road
The name of the next train
How long, how, woo, baby how long
Asking again how long the train has been gone
'Make it wail ev'rybody'
Encouraging the musicians to play louder
'Yeah, so sweet'
Expressing approval of the music
Down atta station
At the train station
With my head hung down
Feeling ashamed and hopeless
Lookin' at my sugar, when she leave this town
Thinking about the loved one who left
I ain't got no money
Being broke
Buy a ticket on a train
Unable to afford a train ticket
But I'll ride de blinds, baby
Planning to sneak on the train
Be back home, again
Going back to where they came from
Well, how long, how long, baby how long
Asking how long the absence will last
See me comin'
Being seen arriving
Gon get some plow work
Looking for a job doing manual labor
I'll cut your liver
Warning about possible violence
Plug your heartache
Offering a solution to the pain
Been so long, woo swoo, baby how long
It has been a long time
'Sonny, wail about it'
Encouraging the musician to play a sad song
Feelin' bad, I'm lookin' sad
Feeling and looking unhappy
Thinkin' bout the bad luck, Sonny
Reflecting on the misfortunes in life
I once have had
Referring to happier times in the past
But how long, how long, honey how long
Asking how long they will continue to suffer
See the green grass, growin' on a hill
Observing nature's beauty
Never seen no green grass on a dollar bill
Not finding happiness in material possessions
Lower you, baby
Talking to the loved one
To a hollow tree
Suggesting a place to go together
Way you treat me
Being mistreated by the loved one
Come back to you
Willing to forgive and forget
Hoo, low, hoo, woo, baby gone
Expressing conflicting emotions
'Make it wail ev'rybody, now'
Asking the musicians to play louder and more emotionally
Feel so disgusted, I feel so blue
Feeling upset and unhappy
Sometimes Sonny, I don't know
Feeling uncertain
What in the world I'm gonna do
Not knowing what to do next
Now, how long, how long, yeah how long
Asking again how long the pain will last
See that little house, sitting on the hill
Observing a nice house
You don't love me, goin try another who will
Feeling unloved and rejected
See my baby, tell her I'll be runnin' home
Sending a message to the loved one
I've been worried, ever since she been gone
Being concerned and anxious
How long, how, woo, baby how long
Asking how long it will take to see the loved one again
'Love to see ya'
Expressing anticipation to see the loved one again
'Play for me, now'
Asking the musicians to play another song
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEROY AUTHUR CARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@walkorbike52
Great song...but the three minutes of dead air is puzzling...why?