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.
Stealin'
Memphis Jug Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you tell on me
I'm stealin' back to my
Same old used to be
Now, put your arms around me
Like the circle round the sun
I want ya to love me, mama
If you don't believe I love ya
Look what a fool I've been
If you don't believe I'm sinkin'
Look what a hole I'm in
Stealin', stealin', pretty mama
Don't ya tell on me
I'm stealin' back to my
Same old used to be
I'm stealin', stealin', pretty mama
Don't you tell on me
I'm stealin' back to my
Same old used to be
The woman I'm lovin'
She just my heigh-th and size
She's a married woman
Come to see me sometimes
If you don't believe I love you
Look what a fool I've been
If you don't believe I'm sinkin'
Look what a hole I'm in
I'm stealin', stealin', pretty mama
Don't you tell on me
I'm stealin' back to my
Same old used to be
I'm stealin', stealin', pretty mama
Don't you tell on me
I'm stealin' back to my
Same old used to be
Stealin', stealin', pretty mama
Don't you tell on me
I'm stealin' back to my
Same old used to be.
The Memphis Jug Band's song Stealin' Stealin' is a traditional blues song that describes the singer's needs and desires. The song is a typical example of the blues genre, which often deals with themes of love, loss, and struggle. It portrays how the singer is going back to his previous lover, who he still loves and misses, despite being with a married woman now. The singer begs his previous lover not to tell anyone about his actions and wishes to be reunited with his past.
The lyrics make use of the repetition of "I'm stealin', stealin', pretty mama / Don't you tell on me / I'm stealin' back to my / Same old used to be" in the chorus, emphasizing the importance of the singer's actions. The song is easy to follow and understand, allowing the listener to connect with the singer's story of longing and desire. The vocalist's voice conveys a sense of desperation and longing as he sings, adding to the emotional impact of the song.
Overall, Stealin' Stealin' is a blues classic that perfectly captures the spirit of the genre, with its focus on emotion, storytelling, and harmony. The simple yet effective lyrics of this song make an important contribution to the blues tradition, and its themes of loss, longing, and desire continue to resonate with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
Stealin', stealin', pretty mama
I'm engaging in illegal activities, stealing things and trying to keep it a secret from you.
Don't you tell on me
Don't expose me or reveal my secret activities to anyone.
I'm stealin' back to my Same old used to be
I'm returning to my previous way of life or my former habits, despite my current wrongdoings.
Now, put your arms around me
Embrace me, show me affection and love.
Like the circle round the sun
Intensify your love and devotion to me, just like the sun revolves around the earth consistently and reliably.
I want ya to love me, mama
I crave for your love and care, my dear mother-figure.
Like my easy rider done
Show me the same kind of love and care that my former lover, 'easy rider', did.
If you don't believe I love ya
If you doubt my love and sincerity for you,
Look what a fool I've been
Just notice all of the foolish things I've already done for your sake, it'll prove my love for you.
If you don't believe I'm sinkin'
If you think I'm not on the verge of being ruined,
Look what a hole I'm in
Just consider how deep of a trouble I'm already in, it'll prove that I need your help and love.
The woman I'm lovin'
The woman I am in love with,
She just my heigh-th and size
She is of the same height and size as me.
She's a married woman
She is already wedded to someone else.
Come to see me sometimes
But occasionally, she visits me.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: WILLIAM SHADE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
goodkawz
Been covered by a lot of great artists,
But it’s nice to get down to the roots.
Thanks!
Miguel Osvaldo Flores Dominguez
What a great recording!
Dan Vitale
huh????
Miguel Osvaldo Flores Dominguez
huh????
Danny Rose
Absolutely
Romulo Leitão
Crú, totalmente diferente! Fabuloso
jalfrd23
Bruh...i get unknown feelings when listening to this...it's not normal to not be able to put feelings into words for me
Janice Sunseri
Its the best version of this song.
jenny_jenny_nc
I hope this is a lively, fun experience for you Don't be afraid. In Hinduism, music is a gift to God. Any music. I send you best wishes and hope you are doing well.
Rach Grant
Magnificent