Muggsy led several traditional, "hot" jazz bands, most notably Muggsy Spanier and His Ragtime Band (which did not, in fact, play ragtime but, rather, "hot jazz" that would now be called Dixieland). This band set the style for all later attempts to play traditional jazz with a swing rhythm section. Its key members, apart from Muggsy, were: George Brunies - later Brunis - (trombone and vocals), Rodney Cless (clarinet), George Zack or Joe Bushkin (piano), Ray McKinstry, Nick Ciazza or Bernie Billings (tenor sax), and Bob Casey (bass). A number of competent but unmemorable drummers worked in the band.
The Ragtime Band's theme tune was "Relaxin' at the Touro", named for Touro Infirmary, the New Orleans hospital where Muggsy had been treated for a perforated ulcer early in 1938. He had been at the point of death when he was saved by one Dr. Alton Ochsner who drained the fluid and eased Muggsy's weakened breathing.
"Relaxin' At The Touro" is a fairly straightforward 12-bar blues, with a neat piano introduction and coda by Joe Bushkin. The pianist recalled, many years later: "When I finally joined Muggsy in Chicago (having left Bunny Berigan's failing big band) we met to talk it over at the Three Deuces, where Art Tatum was appearing. Muggsy was now playing opposite Fats Waller at the Sherman hotel and we worked out a kind of stage show for the two bands. Muggsy was a man of great integrity. We played a blues in C and I made up a little intro. After that I was listed as the co-composer of "Relaxin' at the Touro" (quoted by Richard B. Hadlock in the notes to the Bluebird CD 'Muggsy Spanier 1939 - The "Ragtime Band" Sessions', 07863 66550).
The (then) young pianist Joe Bushkin was in the Ragtime Band in 1939 and later said of Muggsy: "When he nailed something right, he stayed with it; he wouldn't fix it if it wasn't broke".
In his time, Muggsy made numerous Dixieland recordings that still serve as favorites today. Apart from the famous Ragtime Band, his other most important ventures were the quartet he co-led with Sidney Bechet (the 'Big Four') in 1940 and the traditional band he co-led with pianist Earl Hines at the Club Hangover in San Francisco in the 1950s. During the early 1920s he played with The Bucktown Five in Chicago.
Although Muggsy's real name was Francis Joseph Julian Spanier, he acquired the nickname "Muggsy" either because of his youthful enthusiasm for a baseball hero ("Muggsy" McGraw), or because of his obsession with King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. He was known to have shadowed and "mugged" both of them, copying their styles and incorporating them into his own music. He was allowed, on at least one occasion, to sit in with King Oliver's band (with Louis Armstrong on second cornet) at the Lincoln Gardens, Chicago, in the early 1920s.
He ended his days in the 1960s, leading a traditional jazz band that included old friends like Joe Sullivan (piano), Pops Foster (bass) and Darnell Howard (clarinet). He was not a great technician or virtuoso, but he could lead a traditional ensemble with fire and guts.
Careless Love
Muggsy Spanier Lyrics
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You've fly through my head like wine
You've wrecked the life of a many poor girl
And you nearly spoiled this life of mine
Love, oh love, oh careless love
In your clutches of desire
You've made me break a many true vow
Love, oh love, oh careless love
All my happiness bereft
You've filled my heart with weary old blues
Now I'm walkin', talkin' to myself
Love, oh love, oh careless love
Trusted you now, it's too late
You've made me throw my old friend down
That's why I sing this song of hate
Love, oh love, oh careless love
Night and day, I weep and moan
You brought the wrong man into this life of mine
For my sins, till judgment I'll atone
The song "Careless Love" by Muggsy Spanier is a sorrowful ballad that speaks about how love can be both euphoric and disastrous at the same time. The lyrics of the song revolve around how love has caused the singer much heartache as well as how it has led him to break promises and lose the trust of those he cherishes. The opening lines of the song show how love has made a deep impact on the singer's life, like wine, it has intoxicated him and forced him to make choices that he later regrets. Love has ended the lives of many poor girls, and the singer laments that it's slowly ruining his life too.
The chorus of the song depicts how the singer is consumed by love's desire and how it has led him to break many promises. He's unable to resist love's pull and as a result, has lost the happiness he once cherished. Love has filled his heart with the old blues and left him all alone with his thoughts. His love has caused him to damage his relationship and left him walking and talking to himself. The final verse is filled with despair and hate towards love. The singer feels he has trusted love too late, and now it has caused him to destroy his friendships, and it's why he sings a song of hatred towards his careless love. The song ends with the singer weeping and moaning endlessly about the damages that love has caused him.
Line by Line Meaning
Love, oh love, oh careless love
The emotions of love have been reckless and careless.
You've fly through my head like wine
Love has blinded and intoxicated the singer's judgment and reason.
You've wrecked the life of a many poor girl
Love has ruined many relationships, including the singer's observations of other people's lives.
And you nearly spoiled this life of mine
Love has almost ruined the artist's life too.
In your clutches of desire
Love has taken control of the artist's heart and mind.
You've made me break a many true vow
Love has led the singer to betray their promises and commitments.
Then you set my very soul on fire
The intensity of love has caused an intense emotional response from the singer.
All my happiness bereft
Love has taken away all of the artist's joy and pleasure.
You've filled my heart with weary old blues
The sadness and melancholy from love has embedded deeply in the artist's soul.
Now I'm walkin', talkin' to myself
The artist is experiencing deep emotional distress because of their love problems.
Trusted you now, it's too late
The singer put their trust in love and now regrets it.
You've made me throw my old friend down
Love has caused the artist to lose a close friend.
That's why I sing this song of hate
The singer is expressing their resentment and animosity towards everything associated with love.
Night and day, I weep and moan
The singer is in a constant state of sadness and lamentation because of their love issues.
You brought the wrong man into this life of mine
Love has brought the singer the wrong partner.
For my sins, till judgment I'll atone
The artist feels responsible for their wrong choices and is expecting punishment.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, HANDY BROTHERS MUSIC CO.,INC.
Written by: TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind