II. Little Johnny Jones (November 1, 1924 – November 19, 1964) was an American Chicago blues pianist and singer, best known for his work with Tampa Red, Muddy Waters and Elmore James.
Life and career
Jones was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1924. He arrived in Chicago, Illinois in 1945 in the company of Little Walter and "Baby Face" Leroy Foster, and soon replaced pianist Big Maceo Merriweather in Tampa Red's band after Merriweather suffered a stroke which paralysed his right hand. He later backed Muddy Waters on harmonica, and recorded (on piano and vocals) with Waters for the Aristocrat label in 1949. From 1952 to 1956 he played and recorded with Elmore James, and in later years he worked with Howling Wolf, Billy Boy Arnold and Magic Sam, among others.
Like several other Chicago pianists of his era, his style was heavily influenced by Big Maceo Merriweather, from whom he had learned,[6] and for whom he played piano after Merriweather's stroke. Jones's 1949 side "Big Town Playboy" is regarded as a classic of the genre, and was covered by guitarist Eddie Taylor in 1955.
Popular with audiences, Jones was a heavy drinker and had a reputation as a wild character. According to Homesick James, who worked and toured with them in the 1950s, "Elmore and Johnnie used to just have a fight every night".
Jones married his wife Letha in 1952. He died of bronchopneumonia in Cook County Hospital, and was interred at Restvale Cemetery in November 1964.
On May 14, 2011 the fourth annual White Lake Blues Festival took place at the Howmet Playhouse Theater in Whitehall, Michigan. The event was organized by executive producer, Steve Salter, of the nonprofit organization Killer Blues to raise monies to honor Jones unmarked grave with a headstone. The concert was a success, and a headstone was placed in June, 2011.
Discography
Singles
"Big Town Playboy"/"Shelby County Blues", Aristocrat 405
"Sweet Little Woman"/"I May Be Wrong", Flair 1010
"Hoy, Hoy"/"Doin' the Best I Can (Up the Line)", Atlantic 1045
Albums
Live in Chicago with Billy Boy Arnold, Alligator AL-4717 (1979)
Purple Haze
Johnny Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lately things they don't seem the same
Actin' funny, but I don't know why
Excuse me while I kiss the sky
Purple haze, all around
Don't know if I'm comin' up or down
Am I happy or in misery?
Help me
Help me
Oh, no, no
Ooh, ah
Ooh, ah
Ooh, ah
Ooh, ah, yeah!
Purple haze all in my eyes
Don't know if it's day or night
You got me blowin', blowin' my mind
Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?
Ooh
Help me
Ahh, yeah, yeah, purple haze
Oh, no, oh
Oh, help me
Tell me, tell me, purple haze
I can't go on like this
(Purple haze) you're makin' me blow my mind
Purple haze, n-no, no
(Purple haze)
Johnny Jones's song Purple Haze is often interpreted as an ode to drug use, particularly acid trips. The first verse sets the stage for this interpretation, with the singer experiencing strange and unsettling thoughts and emotions. The line "Excuse me while I kiss the sky" is often cited as a reference to the feeling of being lifted out of oneself during a psychedelic experience. The second verse continues this theme, with the singer unsure of his own feelings and whether he is happy or miserable. The chorus serves as a plea for help, with the singer feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of his experience.
However, there are other possible interpretations of the song. Some critics have noted that the "girl" referred to in the second verse could be a symbol for a person who has had a profound impact on the singer's life. In this interpretation, the song is less about drug use and more about a transformative relationship. The chorus, then, becomes a plea for help in navigating the intensity of this relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Purple haze, all in my brain
The singer feels like he's under the influence of drugs, as his thoughts are clouded and distorted.
Lately things they don't seem the same
The singer is experiencing a sense of detachment from reality as a result of the drugs.
Actin' funny, but I don't know why
The singer is aware that his behavior is unusual, yet doesn't understand why.
Excuse me while I kiss the sky
The artist is so high that he feels like he's transcending physical reality.
Purple haze, all around
The artist is surrounded and overwhelmed by the effects of the drugs.
Don't know if I'm comin' up or down
The singer is unsure whether he's experiencing a high or a low, as the drug's effects are taking him to extremes.
Am I happy or in misery?
The singer feels like his emotions are fluctuating wildly, and he can't discern whether he's feeling positive or negative emotions.
What ever it is, that girl put a spell on me
The artist attributes his drug use to the influence of a woman in his life, suggesting that he's using drugs to cope with personal issues.
Help me
The artist is aware that he's in over his head, and is pleading for someone to intervene and help him.
Ooh, ah / Ooh, ah / Ooh, ah / Ooh, ah, yeah!
These are nonsensical sounds that express the artist's feelings of confusion and disorientation.
Purple haze all in my eyes
The singer's vision is distorted and blurred by the effects of the drugs.
Don't know if it's day or night
The artist is so disoriented that he's unable to distinguish between daytime and nighttime.
You got me blowin', blowin' my mind
The singer is overwhelmed by the drug's effects, which are blowing his mind and causing him to lose touch with reality.
Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?
The singer is experiencing such a sense of disorientation that he can't discern whether he's experiencing time linearly or if time has ceased to matter altogether.
Ahh, yeah, yeah, purple haze / Oh, no, oh / Oh, help me / Tell me, tell me, purple haze / I can't go on like this / (Purple haze) you're makin' me blow my mind / Purple haze, n-no, no / (Purple haze)
These are pleas for help and expressions of the singer's extreme discomfort as a result of the drug's effects.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jimi Hendrix
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@colindayo
Massive youth club sound! Hello to all Worcester soulies….
@AntonySowter-gj7mt
Never heard this cover version before, excellent.👍😎
@w1cod
Johnny Jones and the King Casuals were a Nashville, Tennessee, rhythm and blues group active in the 1960s. They were regular performers at the North Nashville club district, Printer's Alley clubs, as well as often serving as the house band for the local television program, Night Train.
The band, which was originally named 'The King Kasuals', was founded in 1962 by Jimi Hendrix and bassist Billy Cox in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States, after the two were discharged from the adjacent Fort Campbell Army post, and eventually relocated to Nashville.
Johnny Jones (born John Albert Jones, August 17, 1936, Eads, Tennessee) moved to Chicago where he practised the blues with Junior Wells and others. He moved back to Nashville in the early 1960s to become a session musician, and eventually assumed leadership of the King Casuals, circa 1964, replacing Hendrix.
@donnasmyth45
Thankyou!
@jimo591
Thanks John what a great insight, I was aware of links to Hendrix but you have made the story complete, many thanks to you sir. Top man. X
@windel12002
Thanks for sharing...
@tobemiller6091
Excellent
@isthynamewart
This is great. I've never heard this or heard of Johnny Jones and the King Casuals before. Still sounds like 'kiss this guy' though. All the best.
@MARTINA-gc3tq
brilliant....first heard it in Great Yarmouth circa 1975...off then a UK release with Baby Boy on the flip.....
@annlonsdale9396
love this toon so much