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.
How Long Blues
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 "How Long Blues" by Jimmy Witherspoon tells the story of a man who is waiting for his train to come back so that he can reunite with his loved one. The man is feeling lonely, and he is experiencing an aching pain in his heart. He goes to the train station, but there is no train in sight. He looks up at the board and sees that the next train is on Strawberry Road. The man does not have enough money to buy a ticket, so he decides to ride the blinds of the train. He feels so disgusted and blue that he does not know what he will do if he cannot see his loved one soon. He wishes he could see the green grass growing on a hill instead of the dollar bills he is too poor to afford. The man decides to go and look for a job, but he knows he will always come back to his loved one. The lyrics of this song convey a sense of longing, loneliness, and determination.
Overall, "How Long Blues" is a blues song about a man who is desperately yearning to see his loved one again. The song paints a vivid picture of the man's feelings of loneliness and his struggle to overcome his financial difficulties. The music is smooth, and the lyrics are soulful, and it is easy to get lost in the hypnotic beat of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, how long
Asking how much time has passed since the evening train left
Baby how long
Reiterating the question from the previous line
Have that ev'nin train been gone
Asking specifically about the evening train and how long ago it left
Baby, how long, how long, baby how long
Reiterating the question a few more times
Hear it was so
Here he is saying that he heard that the train left, but he can't confirm it himself
Can't see no train
He can't see the train to confirm if it did leave
But deep in my heart I feel and achin' pain
Despite not seeing the train himself, he feels emotionally hurt about the departure
And that's a-how long, how long, babe how long
That feeling of heartache is what he is referring to as 'how long'
Into the station
He's at the station now
Look up at the board
He's looking up at the information board at the station
Next train around
He's looking for the next train schedule
Strawberry Road
Here, he is referring to the destination of the next train
How long, how, woo, baby how long
He's asking how long it will be until the next train arrives
'Make it wail ev'rybody'
This is a call for the band to start playing louder or more passionately
'Yeah, so sweet'
These lines by themselves don't have a meaning; they might be added for emphasis
Down atta station
He is physically located at the station now
With my head hung down
He is walking with his head down in despair
Lookin' at my sugar, when she leave this town
He's feeling sad because his loved one has left town
Baby, how long, how long, baby how long
He repeats the question to himself about how long it will be until they see each other again
I ain't got no money
He doesn't have any money to buy a train ticket
Buy a ticket on a train
He needs to buy a train ticket
But I'll ride de blinds, baby
He will try to sneak onto the next train without paying.
Be back home, again
He plans on returning home
Well, how long, how long, baby how long
He repeats the question about how much time has passed since they last saw each other
See me comin'
He's coming back home or to see his loved one
Gon get some plow work
He's going to find some farm work for labor
I'll cut your liver
This can be interpreted as a threat, but might refer to farm work of preparing an animal's liver for sale
Plug your heartache
He's trying to take a step to heal his emotions slowly
Been so long, woo swoo, baby how long
He's acknowledging that so much time has passed and he's mourning the fact that they've been apart for quite a while
'Sonny, wail about it'
This might be a command to the band to play a jazzy or bluesy tune that is emotionally charged
Feelin' bad, I'm lookin' sad
He's feeling terrible and looks unhappy
Thinkin' bout the bad luck, Sonny
He's thinking about how unlucky he's been lately
I once have had
He's thinking about how he used to be in a better position in life
But how long, how long, honey how long
He's asking how much longer he will have to endure this tough situation
See the green grass, growin' on a hill
He's observing the nature around him and looking at the green grass growing up the hill
Never seen no green grass on a dollar bill
This might mean that he's never seen any money just lying around, but the more poetic interpretation is that 'money cannot buy happiness,' as demonstrated by the naturally growing flora
How long, how long, baby how long
He repeats the question again about how much longer he'll be in his current situation
Lower you, baby
This line may connote a desire to lower someone's expectations or to make them feel inferior
To a hollow tree
Perhaps a metaphorical allusion to someone living a poor and isolated life
Way you treat me
He's feeling bitter or dissatisfied with how he has been treated in his life
Come back to you
He's expressing a desire to return to a past relationship or situation with someone who he misses
Hoo, low, hoo, woo, baby gone
He might use this repeated sound to mask his emotions or for added emphasis
'Make it wail ev'rybody, now'
This might be a request or instruction for everyone in the band to play loudly or passionately
Feel so disgusted, I feel so blue
He's feeling very low emotionally
Sometimes Sonny, I don't know
He is struggling with some uncertainties in life
What in the world I'm gonna do
He doesn't know what decisions to make or what actions to take to improve his current situation
Now, how long, how long, yeah how long
He reiterates the same question
See that little house, sitting on the hill
He sees a house on the hill nearby and is pondering the idea of a home or stability
You don't love me, goin try another who will
He's feeling unloved and is explaining that his partner has gone to find someone who will love them back
How long, how long baby, how long
He's asking again how long until things take a positive turn for him personally.
See my baby, tell her I'll be runnin' home
He's yelling out loud for his loved one and letting them know that they'll be heading home soon
I've been worried, ever since she been gone
He's been very worried ever since his loved one left
How long, how, woo, baby how long
One last repetition of the main question
'Love to see ya'
This is possibly a sign-off, greeting, or catch phrase
'Play for me, now'
He's requesting the band to play for him after his sung story
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEROY AUTHUR CARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rams Ramsay
Got the original mono vinyl of this in fantastic nick. it's a huge fave of mine. usually is someone, just worse off than you, when you're that low...