The Mississippi Sheiks were a popular and influential American guitar and f… Read Full Bio ↴The Mississippi Sheiks were a popular and influential American guitar and fiddle group of the 1930s. They were notable mostly for playing country blues, but were adept at many styles of popular music of the time.
The Mississippi Sheiks consisted mainly of the Chatmon family, who came from Bolton, Mississippi and were well known throughout the Mississippi Delta. The father of the family had been a "musicianer" (someone with good technical ability on his or her instrument adept at sight-reading written music) during slavery times, and his children carried on the musical spirit. Their most famous (although by no means permanent) member was Armenter Chatmon - better known as Bo Carter - who managed a successful solo career as well as playing with the Sheiks, which may have contributed to their success.
When the band first recorded in 1930, the line-up consisted of Carter with Lonnie and Sam Chatmon, and Walter Vinson. Charlie McCoy (not to be confused with Charlie McCoy, a later American musician) played later, when Bo Carter and Sam Chatmon ceased playing full time. It was Lonnie Chatmon and Vinson who formed the real center of the group.
Bo Carter's solo work is notable for being sexually suggestive in songs and this is carried on to an extent with the group. They primarily earned their income like Robert Johnson and Skip James. They toured throughout the Southern United States, but also reached as far north as Chicago and New York.
Their first and biggest success was "Sitting on Top of the World" (1930), later to be recorded by Bob Wills (numerous times), Howlin' Wolf, Nat King Cole, Bill Monroe, Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Cream, Grateful Dead, Jeff Healey, John Lee Hooker, Bill Frisell and Jack White, and re-done by Robert Johnson, as "Come On in My Kitchen". The song was also the theme to the film A Face in the Crowd (1957) produced by Elia Kazan and starring Andy Griffith. Throughout their five active years, the Mississippi Sheiks recorded over seventy songs for the Okeh, Paramount and Bluebird labels.
Their last recording session as the Mississippi Sheiks was in 1936. Bo made a few more sessions on his own, but by 1938 he too was dropped. When the band dissolved, the Chatmon brothers gave up music and returned to farming.
The Sheiks and related groups under other names, such as Mississippi Mud Steppers and Blacksnakes, recorded about a hundred sides in the first half of the 1930s, among them original compositions (probably by Vinson) like "The World is Going Wrong" and "I've Got Blood in My Eyes For You" (1931) - both recorded by Bob Dylan - or the topical "Sales Tax" (1934).
Sam Chatmon made more recordings in the 1960s and Walter Vinson contributed three selections (using the Mississippi Sheiks band name) to Riverside's 1961 series, Chicago: The Living Legends.
In 2004, they were inducted in the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. Their 1930 blues single "Sitting on Top of the World" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
In 1978 Rory Gallagher recorded a tribute song "The Mississippi Sheiks" for his Photo Finish album.
In 2009, Black Hen Music released Things About Comin' My Way, a tribute album to the Mississippi Sheiks. The album's seventeen artists include Bruce Cockburn, Bill Frisell, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Geoff Muldaur, Kelly Joe Phelps and John Hammond.
In 2013 Jack White's Third Man Records teamed up with Document Records to reissue The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order of Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and The Mississippi Sheiks.
The Mississippi Sheiks consisted mainly of the Chatmon family, who came from Bolton, Mississippi and were well known throughout the Mississippi Delta. The father of the family had been a "musicianer" (someone with good technical ability on his or her instrument adept at sight-reading written music) during slavery times, and his children carried on the musical spirit. Their most famous (although by no means permanent) member was Armenter Chatmon - better known as Bo Carter - who managed a successful solo career as well as playing with the Sheiks, which may have contributed to their success.
When the band first recorded in 1930, the line-up consisted of Carter with Lonnie and Sam Chatmon, and Walter Vinson. Charlie McCoy (not to be confused with Charlie McCoy, a later American musician) played later, when Bo Carter and Sam Chatmon ceased playing full time. It was Lonnie Chatmon and Vinson who formed the real center of the group.
Bo Carter's solo work is notable for being sexually suggestive in songs and this is carried on to an extent with the group. They primarily earned their income like Robert Johnson and Skip James. They toured throughout the Southern United States, but also reached as far north as Chicago and New York.
Their first and biggest success was "Sitting on Top of the World" (1930), later to be recorded by Bob Wills (numerous times), Howlin' Wolf, Nat King Cole, Bill Monroe, Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Cream, Grateful Dead, Jeff Healey, John Lee Hooker, Bill Frisell and Jack White, and re-done by Robert Johnson, as "Come On in My Kitchen". The song was also the theme to the film A Face in the Crowd (1957) produced by Elia Kazan and starring Andy Griffith. Throughout their five active years, the Mississippi Sheiks recorded over seventy songs for the Okeh, Paramount and Bluebird labels.
Their last recording session as the Mississippi Sheiks was in 1936. Bo made a few more sessions on his own, but by 1938 he too was dropped. When the band dissolved, the Chatmon brothers gave up music and returned to farming.
The Sheiks and related groups under other names, such as Mississippi Mud Steppers and Blacksnakes, recorded about a hundred sides in the first half of the 1930s, among them original compositions (probably by Vinson) like "The World is Going Wrong" and "I've Got Blood in My Eyes For You" (1931) - both recorded by Bob Dylan - or the topical "Sales Tax" (1934).
Sam Chatmon made more recordings in the 1960s and Walter Vinson contributed three selections (using the Mississippi Sheiks band name) to Riverside's 1961 series, Chicago: The Living Legends.
In 2004, they were inducted in the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. Their 1930 blues single "Sitting on Top of the World" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
In 1978 Rory Gallagher recorded a tribute song "The Mississippi Sheiks" for his Photo Finish album.
In 2009, Black Hen Music released Things About Comin' My Way, a tribute album to the Mississippi Sheiks. The album's seventeen artists include Bruce Cockburn, Bill Frisell, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Geoff Muldaur, Kelly Joe Phelps and John Hammond.
In 2013 Jack White's Third Man Records teamed up with Document Records to reissue The Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order of Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and The Mississippi Sheiks.
Jake Leg Blues
Mississippi Sheiks Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Mississippi Sheiks:
Baby Please Make a Change I begged you, baby, both day and night Please don′t scold…
Bed Spring Poker Bed spring poker is an awful thing Most ever′body loves to…
Bootlegger's Blues Bag of whiskey on my back And the sheriff is on…
Church Bell Blues Every time I hear that lonesome church bell ring Every time…
He Calls That Religion He Calls That Religion Trk 20 3:30 The Mississippi Sheiks Sa…
Hitting The Numbers Laid down last night, something on my mind Thought about tha…
Honey Babe Let The Deal Go Down Honey babe, please let the deal go down Honey babe, please…
I Am the Devil Yes I'm the devil, oh and I don't care none Yes…
I've Got Blood In My Eyes For You I've Got Blood In My Eyes For You Trk 18…
Kind Treatment Ooh, I wonder where is kind treatment now? Ooh, I wonder…
Livin' In A Strain Now, the people's cryin, 'Mercy' But the whole world is now…
Lonely One In This Town I'm a lonely one in this town Everybody's tried to throw…
New Shake That Thing So cold up North till the birds can't sing The people…
Please Baby Please Baby Trk 17 3: 17 The Mississippi Sheiks Sam Chatmon …
Please Don't Wake It Up Now the girl's got something, I don't know what it…
Sales Tax Spoken Diaglogue: 'Hey Walter, we need some cigarettes let…
She Ain't No Good I had a girl she was just that kind I thought…
She Ain´t No Good I had a girl she was just that kind I thought…
She's A Bad Girl Your mama was a teddy, your sister was a bear But…
She's Crazy About Her Lovin' No use askin' fo' girl, her name Because she's lookin' for…
Shooting High Dice Shooting High Dice Trk 11 3:32 Mississippi Sheiks 1930's Rec…
Sittin Was all the summer, and all the fall, Just trying to…
Sitting On Top Of The World No. 2 I begged you baby, with tears in my eyes But still…
Somebody's Got To Help You Look down, look down Before you're gone Because when you l…
Still I'm Traveling On I'm a stranger here, nobody knows my name Everything th…
Stop and Listen Blues Ev'r day have been there Long old lonesome day Now don't y…
Stop and Listen Blues #2 Ev'r day have been there Long old lonesome day Now don't ya…
Stop and Listen Blues No.2 Well I left town this morning, I was on my…
Sweet Maggie Sweet Maggie, sweet Maggie Where you been so long? Tell me…
Tell Me To Do Right You're tellin' me to do right, baby And you won't do…
The Jazz Fiddler spoken: No fooling, now. Listen here people gonna play a li…
The New Sittin' on Top of the World Was all the summer, and all the fall, Just trying to…
The World Is Going Wrong Strange things have happened That never before My baby tol…
Things About Comin' My Way Lost all my money, didn't have a dime Giving up this…
Times Done Got Hard Times seem so hard look like my road have turned…
Too Long My baby she left me She never said a word It was…
Unhappy Blues I can't be content here, oh nowhere I be I can't…
Your Good Man Caught The Train And Gone If you don't want me, won't you please tell me…
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LeftLib
------------------This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net, http://www.protestsonglyrics.net/Medical_Songs/Jake-Leg-Blues.phtml
You thought the lively man would die,
When you made the country dry,
When you made it so, that he could not get,
Not another drop of rye,
But I know that you will feel bad,
When you see what he have had,
When you see him coming with a lot of dough,
If you listen I will tell you so.
Oh well, it's here he comes, I mean to tell you here he comes,
He's got those jake limber leg blues(3) (4)
Here he comes, I mean to tell you, here he comes
He's got those jake limber leg blues
When you see him coming, I am going to tell you,
If you sell him jake, you'd better give him a crutch too,
Oh well, it's here he comes, I mean to tell you, here he comes
He's got those jake limber leg blues, oh step on it.
Oh well, it's here he comes, I mean to tell you here he comes,
He's got those jake limber leg blues,
Here he comes, I mean to tell you, here he comes,
He's got those jake limber leg blues.
He could be named Charley, and he could be named Ned,
But if he drank this jake(4), it will give him the limber leg,
Oh well, it's here he comes, I mean to tell you here he comes,
He's got those jake limber leg blues.
Kimberly Collins Appel
I just love when they sing "Oooh, step on it!" :-D This is fantastic!
Elana Beth Fariss
@Kimberly Collins Step on it baby! :-D Here he comes :)
K. Friedricks
a treasure - thanks for sharing this
Tyler Durden
Historical gem.
Popeye Regina
ssshhhh, first rule of jake club..
Matthew Prince
This song makes my leg shake
crustyceant
what a great song
Bigfatboko.
I have just discovered what Jake Leg is.
The Mad Carver
Jake was a fermented homemade liquor made of ginger root, I believe.
Bob Scott
wow this is music