Between 1927 and 1934 various African-American musicians in the Memphis, Tenn., area grouped around singer, song writer, guitarist, and harmonica player Will Shade (also known as Son Brimmer). The personnel of this jug band varied from day to day, with Shade booking gigs and arranging recording sessions.
Among the recorded members were (at various times) Will Shade (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Charlie Burse (pronounced Bursey) (guitar, mandolin, and vocals), Charlie Nickerson (piano and vocals), Charlie Pierce (violin), Charlie Polk (jug), Tewee Blackman (vocals, guitar), “Hambone” Lewis (jug), Jab Jones (jug, piano, vocals ), Johnny Hodges/Hardge (piano), Ben Ramey (vocals and kazoo), Casey Bill Weldon (guitar and vocals), Memphis Minnie (guitar and vocals), Vol Stevens (vocals, violin, and mandolin), Milton Robie (violin), Otto Gilmore/Gilmer (drums and woodblocks), and Robert Burse (drums). Vocals were also provided by Hattie Hart, Memphis Minnie, Jennie Mae Clayton (Shade’s wife), and Minnie Wallace, with Charlie Burse often contributing beautiful harmony parts to Shade’s lead vocal lines. In the case of Memphis Minnie, the Memphis Blues Band accompanied her on two sides for Victor Records, recorded in 1930 when the band's career was "winding down".
The attributed names of the group led by Shade on various recording labels vary quite a bit, but recent scholarly consensus has led writers to compile all of these works under the over-arching rubric of the Memphis Jug Band. In addition to that name, alternative names found on record labels include the Picaninny Jug Band, Memphis Sanctified Singers, the Carolina Peanut Boys, the Dallas Jug Band, the Memphis Sheiks, the Jolly Jug Band and recordings credited to the individual performers Hattie Hart, Minnie Wallace, Casey Bill Weldon, Charlie Nickerson, Vol Stevens, Charlie Burse, “Poor Jab” Jones, and Will Shade, but actually performed with accompaniment by other Memphis Jug Band members.
Musically their large membership pool allowed the Memphis Jug Band the flexibility to play a mixture of ballads, dance tunes, knock-about novelty numbers, and blues. Some of their songs mention hoodoo magical beliefs, and some members also contributed to gospel recordings, either uncredited or as part of the Memphis Sanctified Singers.
The Memphis Jug Band has been described as having a remarkable sound due in part to the unusual instruments. Although most songs included a rhythm guitar and either a jug, a kazoo or a harmonica as a lead instrument or sometimes a mandolin or violin. The sound of the instruments ofen conveyed a "raspy, buzzing sound" that a Briish music scholar who did not know the band personally stated was close to the musical aesthetic of Africa, and in which, he said, the jug and kazoo represented the voices of animals or ancestral spirits. Shade never told scholars why he liked this sound, and since many of the performers were also part Native American, it is a good question as to which ancestors—if any—the kazoo was supposed to represent.
The Memphis Jug Band played wherever they could find engagements, and busked in local parks. They were popular among white as well as black audiences.
In total, they made more than eighty recordings, first for Victor Records, then—as the Picaninny Jug Band—for the Champion-Gennett label, and finally for OKeh Records. The Victor recordings were made in Memphis and Atlanta, Georgia between 1927 and 1930, the Champion-Gennetts in Richmond, Indiana in August 1932, while the final sessions on Okeh were held in Chicago in November 1934. By that time, their style of music was no longer in demand, and Shade was no longer able to keep the musicians assembled as a group, although many of the individuals carried on working around Memphis until the 1940s.
In 1963 Shade recorded one last time with another Memphian, 79-year-old Gus Cannon, former leader of Cannon’s Jug Stompers, another popular jug band. They recorded the album Walk Right In, on Stax Records, a result of The Rooftop Singers having made Cannon's "Walk Right In" into a number one single. Will Shade on jug and former Memphis Jug Band member Milton Roby on washboard perform a series of thirteen traditional songs, plus Cannon's great hit "Walk Right In," including "Narration," "Kill It," "Salty Dog," "Going Around," "The Mountain," "Ol' Hen", "Gonna Raise A Ruckus Tonight," "Ain't Gonna Rain No More," "Boll-Weevil," "Come On Down To My House," "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor," "Get Up In The Morning Soon," and "Crawdad Hole." The album is almost an audio documentary tour through different corners of Cannon's life and career that, ideally, might've run to several volumes.
Cocaine Habit Blues
Memphis Jug Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the worst old habit that I ever had
Hey, hey, Honey take a whiff on me
I went to Mr Beaman's in a lope
Saw a sign on the window said no more dope
Hey, hey, Honey take a whiff on me
If you don't believe cocaine is good
Ask Alma Rose at Minglewood
Hey, hey, Honey take a whiff on me
I love my whiskey, and I love my gin
But the way I love my coke is a doggone sin
Hey, hey, Honey take a whiff on me
Since cocaine went out of style
You can catch them shooting needles all the while
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
It takes a little coke to give me ease
Strut my stuff long as you please
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
(Let's all take a whiff on Hattie now)
Hey, hey
The Memphis Jug Band's song "Cocaine Habit Blues" is a cautionary tale about the dangers and allure of cocaine addiction. The song's narrator admits to having a "mighty bad" habit and claims that cocaine is the "worst old habit" that they've ever had. Despite this, the singer still encourages others to "take a whiff" of the drug. The lyrics suggest that the addiction is so strong, it trumps other vices like alcohol.
The song acknowledges the illegal status of cocaine by referencing a sign in a window that reads "no more dope." The singer also references another person, Alma Rose, who may have died due to their cocaine addiction. The song warns of the dangers of giving in to the temptations of drugs and the consequences that come with addiction.
Overall, "Cocaine Habit Blues" is a powerful and sobering reminder of the destruction that drug addiction can cause. The lyrics paint a grim picture of the consequences of giving into addiction and offer a warning to those who may be considering taking drugs.
Line by Line Meaning
Cocaine habit mighty bad
Being addicted to cocaine is an awful experience
It's the worst old habit that I ever had
The singer has never had a habit as terrible as cocaine addiction
Hey, hey, Honey take a whiff on me
The singer is encouraging their friend to try cocaine
I went to Mr Beaman's in a lope
The artist rushed to Mr. Beaman's house
Saw a sign on the window said no more dope
The artist saw a sign on Mr. Beaman's window that they will no longer sell drugs
If you don't believe cocaine is good
The singer challenges anyone who doubts the positive effects of cocaine
Ask Alma Rose at Minglewood
The singer suggests asking Alma Rose, who they know uses cocaine
I love my whiskey, and I love my gin
The artist enjoys drinking whiskey and gin
But the way I love my coke is a doggone sin
The artist's love for cocaine is problematic and sinful
Since cocaine went out of style
Cocaine is no longer as popular as it once was
You can catch them shooting needles all the while
People have substituted cocaine with using needles for drugs
It takes a little coke to give me ease
Cocaine makes the artist feel relaxed
Strut my stuff long as you please
The singer can party for as long as they want while on cocaine
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
The singer is still encouraging their friend to try cocaine
(Let's all take a whiff on Hattie now)
The singer is involving others in their cocaine use, specifically referencing Hattie
Hey, hey
An exclamation the artist uses throughout the song
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JENNIE MAE CLAYTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrAndyCretin
LYRICS:
Cocaine habit mighty bad
It's the worst old habit that I ever had
Hey, hey, Honey take a whiff on me
I went to Mr Beaman's in a lope
Saw a sign on the window said no more dope
Hey, hey, Honey take a whiff on me
If you don't believe cocaine is good
Ask Alma Rose at Minglewood
Hey, hey, Honey take a whiff on me
I love my whiskey, and I love my gin
But the way I love my coke is a doggone sin
Hey, hey, Honey take a whiff on me
Since cocaine went out of style
You can catch them shooting needles all the while
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
It takes a little coke to give me ease
Strut my stuff long as you please
Hey, hey, honey take a whiff on me
Hey, hey
@robertpaxton3380
Sung by Hattie Hart. Love her powerful voice, and love the band.
@kaljic1
"I love my whiskey and I love my gin. But the way I love coke is a dog-gone sin." Classic!
@mechcavandy986
I heard that! 🙀
@Wunjo-Wunjo
One of my favourites.
@kaljic1
Never get tired listening to the Memphis Jug Band!!!
@stefanschleps8758
At three A.M.when all the party poopers have gone home. It's time for the real homies to dip a stiff Sherman and split rails like Abe Lincoln. All you meat heads in Laurel, you know who you are. (Its still 1975.)
@notJerrytho
WE MAKING OUT THE MURKOFF FACILITY WITH THIS ONE 🗣🗣🗣🔉🔉🔉
@miltonkanfer4229
"Woist 'ol habit I ever had!" Man, you got that right.
@Pentagonshark666
What a great band it were.
@toansavoo
Yes, correct... Jack likes the blues and knows his classics!