Johnny Dodds (April 12, 1892 – August 8, 1940) was an American jazz clarine… Read Full Bio ↴Johnny Dodds (April 12, 1892 – August 8, 1940) was an American jazz clarinetist, and older brother of drummer Baby Dodds.

Born in Waveland, Mississippi, he moved to New Orleans in his youth, and studied clarinet with Lorenzo Tio. He played with the bands of Frankie Duson, Kid Ory, and King Oliver. Dodds went to Chicago, played with Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, with which he first recorded in 1923. After break up of Oliver's band in 1924, Dodds replaced Alcide Nunez as the house clarinetist and bandleader of Kelly's Stables. He recorded with numerous small groups in Chicago, most notably Louis Armstrong's Hot 5 and Hot 7, and Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers.

Dodds was noted for his professionalism and virtuosity as a musician, and his heartfelt heavily blues laden style. He was an important influence on later clarinetists, notably Benny Goodman.

Dodds did not record for most of the 1930s, affected by ill health. He died in Chicago in 1940.

Perdido Street Blues
Johnny Dodds Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'Perdido Street Blues' by these artists:

Adrian Bentzon's Jazzband Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take…
Barber Ball & Bilk Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take…
Chris Barber Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…
Chris Barber & Dr. John Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…
Chris Barber/Dr. John Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…
Duke Ellington & Ben Webster Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…
Dutch Swing College Band Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take…
Earl Hines & Billy Eckstine Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…
Louis Armstrong Perdido I look for my heart It's perdido I lost it way down…

Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra Perdido I look for my heart It's perdido I lost it way down…
Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra Ft. Sidney Bechet Perdido I look for my heart It's perdido I lost it way down…
Maxim Saury and His Orchestra Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…
Mr. Acker Bilk & His Paramount Jazz Band 솔직하게 약간 자기 멋대로 고집 불통 그리고 꼴통, 색이 다른…
Mr. Acker Bilk And His Paramount Jazz Band 솔직하게 약간 자기 멋대로 고집 불통 그리고 꼴통, 색이 다른…
nat gonella & his trumpet Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…
Sidney Bechet Perdido I look for my heart It's perdido I lost it way down…
Stokstad-Jensen Trad.Band Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…
The Chris Barber Jazz And Blues Band Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…
The Dutch Swing College Band Won't you come along with me To the Mississippi We'll take a…

We have lyrics for these tracks by Johnny Dodds:

After You've Gone Now won't you listen honey, while I say, How could…
Clarinet Wobble Carpenters, The Now & Then Johnny Angel Johnny Angel, Johnny…
Lonesome Blues I had a woman Livin' way back o' town Yeah she treated…
Sweet Lorraine Everything is set, skies are blue, Can't believe it yet, bu…
Weary Blues Well, I know that things won't be the same And I…
Weary Way Blues Well, I know that things won't be the same And I…

You Rascal You Now won't you listen honey, while I say, How could…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

TRACKS

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Comments from YouTube:

@nicmart

3y↑7

Dodds was one of the first musicians who blew me away, when I was all of about 5 years old.

@bobboscarato1313

4y↑6

Heck: I've been listening to this for about 70 years!

@PG-lw5bg

Love the 'who needs a drummer'...I believe it was George Wetling who said ,'Drummers should be felt and not heard.

@jean-dominiquenessler8941

5y↑3

Quel bonheur!!!! Clarinettiste moi-même, j'ai repris, il y a bien longtemps maintenant, la partie de Johnny Dodds avec l'orchestre les "HOT PEPPERS" à Marseille (France). Vieux souvenirs pour un vieil homme.... Cordialement

@fredericmercier

4y↑1

Johnny St Cyr is a pure genius of the riff, listen to this riff in the middle of the title, no word for this gem...

@franco58ful

14y↑1

Johnny Dodds è il mio clarinettista jazz preferito. Ha una sonorità unica, morbida,coinvolgente. Grazie per il video

@iwasagasman

12y↑1

Couldn't have put it better myself ! ! ! My sentiments exactly.. From a 72 year old fan of PROPER jazz

@davidhetherington5617

10y↑3

Beautiful and Soulful and Passionate honest blues!!!!

@conkedup

13y↑2

As a young and coming clarinet player, Johnny is truly inspiring

@muffs55mercury61

On Columbia 608-D recorded 7/13/1926. Great jazz master here.

@Jothemonk

11y↑4

this is the music of my childhood - and im talking about 15 years ago :)

@fredericmercier

4y↑1

My childhood too, and I'm talking about 50 years ago ! ah ah ah ...

@carlottafrattini1685

3y↑1

I could listen to this for days!❤️

@bytheway1031

2y↑1

Happy Birthday Johnny Dodds🎂🍾04-12-2022

@elis6299

Get it mr. johnny dodds!!!

@elis6299

Wailing!

@highphlyer

11y↑2

Wonderful! True music from the heart...........

@johnwhitehead3360

2y↑1

CLASSIC THANK YOU

@ChristiernAlbertson

9y↑9

As someone has already pointed out, this is the Hot Five with Mitchell in Louis' place. I first experienced it seventy years ago and it remains one of my favorite recordings.

@emilianoturazzi

6y↑1

I understand you very well - I experienced it "only" 40 years ago and it's still among my favourite (and I've heard tons of music since - from baroque to avant garde...)

@steverussell950

2y↑1

Louis was under contract to another record company and could not do the recording. Lil chose Mitchell to fill in. Notice the name Armstrong is on the label even though Louis did not play.

@cleospaw

14y↑2

Absolute Heaven. I lost my original recording of this number some time ago during a move - what a delight to find it here. Thank you so much.

@oogieobanyon

10y↑4

Stunning, note perfect, everyone. Thanks.

@Hernes6

12y↑2

Finest New Orleans band next to King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, beautifully recorded in sparkling fidelity.

@mrjimmienoone2130

7y↑13

Young jazzers should listen. There's a lot to be learnt here. For example the attention with which these musicians "compose" each single note of their phrases and fit them into a coherent whole. Makes a much better effect than a thousand senseless, carelessly played notes per minute which are only intellectually interesting, but not emotionally.

@wolfiejazz

Wise words, but try as they might they will never come near to matching the emotion of this version

@zebooker

I understand there is a wide gulf between "players" and "musicians." Musicians know they hear better when they are not playing. I can't hear very much when I hold my guitar.

@emilianoturazzi

musicians can just do what you can't. they can hear better while playing... when I play I hear almost all is happening around me. and I respond to everything. and I'm just a low rate performer

@emilianoturazzi

sorry my friend, but this is a common place. someone (I don't remember who, said to Mozart that he used too much notes...). there's plenty in the world of wonderful music made with thousand notes... and notes aren't all. in this piece, just according to notes, Kid Ory's solo is just an exposition of guide notes... the point is how he play them... it's not a matter of how many, nor which notes, but how... timing, sound, attack, direction...
(by the way this is obviously an inspiring masterpiece, with maybe best Dodds' solo on record. )

@Carabasse98707

11y

J'ai transmis cette vidéo à un ami que j'ai connu grâce à ce thème de Dodds. Il m'a répondu "Deux émotions me parcourent : le cri de douleur de Johnny et la pérennité de notre amitié", je lui ai répondu "Cri de douleur", c'est exact. Tu vois, je n'avais jamais su définir son solo de clarinette...". Cet ami habite maintenant en Sicile et moi à Tahiti. Merci Johnny Dodds...

@michaelwortmann3895

Great performance. Thank you. DerKlariNette

@waltergray7722

7y↑2

Thank you for sharing this gem. It is absolutely fabulous.

@oogieobanyon

13y↑1

Thank you for this jewel.

@miffy1950

11y↑1

thank you so much to upload this nice wonderfull music. Love it!

@mrjimmienoone2130

8y↑3

Ich wundere mich immer wieder, wie diese alten Säcke mit ihrer angeblich (!) so schlechten Technik das hingekriegt haben, mit Banjo/Gitarre und Piano einen schöneren, sichereren Rhythmus zu machen als heute die üblichen Rhythmusgruppen. Besonders bei Eddie-Lang-Aufnahmen fällt mir das auf, aber auch hier. Was St.Cyr und Lil Armstrong hier veranstalten, ist einfach klasse.

@thendrjazz

Johnny Dodds has a card in R. Crumb's "Early Jazz Greats" card set and is then included in the "R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz, & Country" book.

@gerrypepper

12y

pure bliss,

@aerofredywr

14y

Just one word: GREAT!

@palleeghort3302

39w↑1

I tried to Copy nr. Dodds solo ... I never hit tur nerve he got . Respect...oooh... Respect... what a clarinet Player.... ooh blues ...

@wolfiejazz

14y↑1

Thanks for your appreciation. It's left to we old guys nowadays to make sure that the pure artistry and musicality of these old recordings is broadcast to the world via youtube, in the face of the face of peurile pap that is dished up as an excuse for music these days.

@robertoferro9325

8y↑5

oh! my god!

@zebooker

Thank you!!

@aarfeld

13y

Ah, one of he early greats of the clarinet.

@jeanlemenicier8438

9y↑2

that's true, a wonderful clainetist

@iwasagasman

12y↑1

I couldn't agree more ! These musicians came from an era when if you couldn't play well, you didn't eat. And they didn't have the technical equipment whereby you can feed in crap one end and get a reasonable recording out of the other. There wer no instant " stars " in those days. These guys came up the hard way. Practice, practice, and practice some more, until you were good enough to be worth listening to..

@miguelleiton3645

Gran año 1926, año de los Hot Five con Dodds, pero aqui muestra su vibrato criticado por algún maestro posterior pero que le agrega todo el sabor de New Orleans........

@MyJbriggs

Thanks for pointing out the little-known Mitchell.

@NewOrleansJS

IMMENSE !!!

@shootgunMarvel

11y

love this, remeber the neverland

@eduespo1

GENIOOOOOO!!!

@ednorman9881

Maestro

@philippegarnier5318

Peut être mon disque préféré de Dodds, et l'orchestre est parfait, très N.O.

@michelbignault7221

11y↑1

quel clarinettiste !!!!

@bobboscarato8313

Great counterpoint.

@Tigerman134

13y

Agree with you completely wolfiejazz.

@heribertvonstomp8686

Thank you so much. Sounds like my favorite clarinet-player of OK-Dreamband. Listen to "Clarinet Rag" (iTunes, amazon).

@eriknystrom5839

10y↑4

Very nice! This is the Armstrong Hot 5, but with GEORGE MICHELL REPLACING ARMSTRONG on the cornet. Still I prefere the Armstrong - Bechet version from 1940!

@emilianoturazzi

6y↑1

I prefer this one - Armstrong Bechet was an attempt to remake this, but with less feeling. it would have been fine to have Louis in the original version, but Dodds wouldn't be able to play so well with Armstrong close to him. I don't know why, but his solos are better out of hot five/hot seven context

@lsdvine

14y

@wolfiejazz scwaysemwee monsieur but, i am son of an old father, i am 20 and this is some of the finest clarinetting i know besides peewee. Do not fear my man, jazz will survive for many many years to come, tho i do understand that the standard will never be the same. peace

@thendrjazz

redhotjazz.com's biography of Mitchell has a picture of him with Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers. Mitchell and Lil Hardin Armstrong are the 2 Wanderers not from New Orleans. Mitchell was from Louisville, KY which had a larger black music scene than most people realize. Lil was from Memphis. Both were in Chicago by the early 1920s and worked regularly there often with New Orleans muscans like Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton.

@andreallumiquinga3850

8y↑1

RAYUELA!

@wolfiejazz

14y

@oldtimejazzfan Hello Peter. Yes, I am pretty sure I have heard this version but many years ago. I do not have a copy. If you can transfer a copy of this through the wonders of youtube I would really like to hear it again.

@somersetuk525

Andy you're so right, I saw Kid Ory when he visited the UK, Johnny and Baby Dodds were
they related. ??

@wolfiejazz

6y↑1

brothers

@vernmarshall4380

8y↑3

My immediate response was 'would have been better with a drummer', but by the end I wasn't so sure. George Mitchell the perfect lead cornet/trumpet, and for me, Dodds is still the greatest of jazz clarinets - he was never trying to outdo anyone, but his creativity and taste are impeccable, nowhere better demonstrated as in the stop-time sections here. I believe the Chris Albertson at 10 months ago is the same CA who was a big name in the Scandinavian jazz scene in the 60s-70s and beyond? Erik Nystrom has drawn attention to the great Armstrong-Bechet version: 2 classic examples of how the tune might have been played in different eras.

@sharkweekcrockpot

12y

Polo Barnes, Barney Bigard, Aurora Nealand and of course Sidney Bechet.

@rogermartin-mason1236

11y

Perfect. I think George Mitchell's style is more suitablex

@EvaDStruc

12y↑1

BUSTER BAILEY!!!!

@thendrjazz

The group should actually be called the New Orleans-Kentucky Wanderers since Mitchell was from Louisville and Lil from Memphis

@jeffcox

7y↑9

This is the real stuff, so incredibly superior to the sloppy "Dixieland Jazz" that tried to imitate it.

@jonathanzielke2280

6y↑2

Dixieland Jazz was 10 years before bro, the ODJB recorded in 1917!

@stephaneroze412

6y↑1

Jonathan Zielke, Yes the "ODJB" registered because they were "White"and they had money for recording this music, but at the same time many Black Jazz bands was better of the "ODJB" and they had no money to record a record. (sorry for my English i am just a Frenchman).

@mrgoodintent

6y↑1

OF COURSE......but sadly with the masses it is blatantly obvious that 'where ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise' if you get my meaning!!!

@dariolavizzari5957

4y↑1

@@stephaneroze412 the odjb didn't record with their own money, and by the way they weren't rich at all. Freddy Keppard was asked to record before the odjb, but he refuses because he was worried about being imitate. Please stop all these romantic bullshits about white and black musicians...

@bobboscarato1313

4y↑2

@@dariolavizzari5957 You're right and I agree with you!

@busessuck1

13y

Dodds, Jimmy O' Bryant, George Lewis, Harry Carney... any other amazing clarinetists to check out?

@emilianoturazzi

Sydney Bechet, Jimmie Noone, Barney Bigard, Albert Nicholas, Edmund Hall, Darnell Howard, George Lewis, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Tony Scott, Buddy De Franco, Jimmy Giuffrè, Perry Bradford, John Carter, Anthony Breaxton, Don Byron ...