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.
Oh Lady Be Good
Muggsy Spanier Lyrics
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It's terribly sad but true,
All dressed up, no place to go
Each evening I'm awfully blue.
I must win some handsome guy
Can't go on like this,
I could blossom out I know,
Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good
Oh, lady, be good to me
I am so awfully misunderstood
So lady, be good to me
Oh, please have some pity
I'm all-alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
So lady be good to me.
Oh, please have some pity
I'm all alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
So lady be good to me.
Oh lady be good to me.
The lyrics of Muggsy Spanier's song "Oh Lady Be Good" narrate the tale of a dejected man who longs for the affection of a lovely lady. He is all dressed up each evening, yet he has no place to go and feels extremely blue. He yearns to win over someone who understands and appreciates him. He feels woefully misunderstood and seeks the attention, love, and kindness of a woman.
The man, having been unsuccessful in his quest so far, pleads with the lady, whom he addresses as "sweet and lovely," to be good and kind to him. He implores her to have pity on him since he feels alone and vulnerable in the big, hard-hearted city. The man feels like he's a lonesome babe in the wood, helpless and defenseless, and the only way out of his sadness is if the lady is good to him.
The song's lyrics portray the theme of loneliness and despair, combined with the hope of finding love and companionship. The man is seeking a partner who can empathize with him and treat him kindly, and his loneliness is palpable. The song is a plea for empathy and a heartfelt cry for help in finding someone to understand and support him through life's difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to my tale of woe,
Please listen to my pathetic, sorrowful story
It's terribly sad but true,
I regret to say that it is both very depressing and true
All dressed up, no place to go
Despite my best efforts to prepare myself for life, I am without purpose or destination
Each evening I'm awfully blue.
Every night I feel deeply sad, as if I am surrounded by a blue atmosphere
I must win some handsome guy
I am obliged to come out victorious in the pursuit of a handsome partner
Can't go on like this,
I cannot continue to live in this state of loneliness and desperation
I could blossom out I know,
I am aware that I have the potential to thrive and flourish
With somebody just like you. So
A partner with your qualities and characteristics would help me achieve my potential. So may I ask...
Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good
Oh please, charming and beautiful lady, show me kindness
Oh, lady, be good to me
I request that you act in my best interests, dear lady
I am so awfully misunderstood
My true nature and intentions are misinterpreted by those around me
So lady, be good to me
Thus, I reiterate my plea for your benevolent actions
Oh, please have some pity
Oh, I implore you to show mercy
I'm all alone in this big city
I am completely isolated and unsupported in this vast urban area
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
I admit that I am a naive and vulnerable person, exposed to the dangers of the unfamiliar environment
So lady be good to me.
Therefore, I beg you once again to demonstrate compassion towards me.
Oh lady be good to me.
In summary, I earnestly beseech your kindness, lovely lady.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind