Dorset and Colin Earl had previously been members of The Good Earth. Soon after recruiting Paul King and Mike Cole, they made their national debut at the Hollywood Festival at Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire in May 1970, the week their first single, "In the Summertime" was released. They stole the show and the record topped the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks, made number one in almost every other country around the world, and to date has sold around 23 million copies. After John Godfrey replaced Cole, their second single "Baby Jump" also topped the UK chart in March 1971. A third hit, "Lady Rose" (also in 1971), gave the group the image as a band for producing summertime based hits.
In time Dorset found the group's good-time blues and jug band repertoire a little restricting, and in 1972 he released a solo album Cold Blue Excursion, with his songs backed by strings and brass and, in one instance, a jazz band. His intention to broaden the group's appeal by recruiting a drummer led to King and Earl trying to sack him, but the management, regarding Dorset as inseparable in the public eye from Mungo Jerry, fired them both instead. Dorset and Godfrey, the bassist, recruited new members and presented a new sound, heard on the fourth album Boot Power. King and Earl went on to form the King Earl Boogie Band.
Mungo Jerry's hits continued through to 1976 with "Open Up" (Top Twenty in Europe and number one in Brazil); "Alright Alright Alright" (a rewrite of an old French hit for Jacques Dutronc, and again a major hit worldwide reaching the Top 3 in the UK); "Wild Love"; "Long Legged Woman Dressed In Black"; "Hello Nadine" (European hit and Top Five in Canada); and "It's a Secret" (European hit).
In 1975 Earl, who had played piano with Foghat in between, returned to play keyboards, and percussion player Joe Rush, part-time member of the band in earlier days, also came back for a while.
The group's line-up has changed constantly over the years. Among those who have played with them are bassist Bob Daisley, drummers Dave Bidwell, Paul Hancox and Boris Williams, guitarist Dick Middleton and keyboard/accordion player Steve Jones. They have remained particularly popular throughout Europe. Mungo Jerry was the first western band who had live TV gigs, in all countries behind the Iron Curtain. Their famous "Golden Orpheus" gig in Bulgaria, also gave them a lot of new fans.
In 1980 another Dorset song, "Feels Like I'm in Love", originally written for Elvis Presley, and recorded by the band as a B side of a single, became a British number one hit for Kelly Marie. They remained successful with overseas hits like "On A Night Like This", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Sunshine Reggae" (British version by Mungo Jerry & Horizon). But Dorset had to wait until 1995 for a real comeback, when "In the Summertime" was recorded by reggae vocalist Shaggy, who topped the charts worldwide. The last UK chart entry for Mungo Jerry was "Toon Army", a song for Newcastle United F.C. in 1999.
In 1983 "Mungo Jerry" Ray Dorset was part of the blues supergroup Katmandu, which recorded A Case For The Blues, with guitarist Peter Green, formerly of Fleetwood Mac, and keyboard player Vincent Crane, formerly of Atomic Rooster and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
In 2003, with German musicians, Dorset recorded Adults Only album under the name Mungo Jerry Blues Band, widely acclaimed as one of the best of his career. 2005 saw him performing with three Mungo Jerry line-ups: The British Mungo Jerry Band (pop/rock), the German Mungo Jerry Blues Band (blues/rock) and Mungo Jerry & the Goodtime Gamblers (jug/blues/skiffle).
Also in June 2005, Ray Dorset had a gig again as a duo with Mike Cole - the original double bass player from the early Mungo days - as a highlight of the "35 Years Of Mungo Jerry" event in both Newcastle and Stoke.
In March 2006 Mungo Jerry released their new single "Mr Midnight" from Phantom of the Opera on Ice (http://www.plazarecords.co.uk); produced by Roberto Danova - who had mixed in the past the old continental Mungo Jerry hits "Lana" and "It's a Secret" - and is well-known for his work with rock and pop music, in combination with big orchestras.
Mungos Blues
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pneumony in my lung.
I've got that dustpneumony
Pneumony in my lung.
And I'm gonna sing this dustpneumonia song.
I wnet to the doctor
And the doctor said
Yes
I went to the doctor and the doctor said
My son.
You got that dustpneumony and you ain't got long
Not long.
Now there ought to be some yodelling in this song.
There ought to be some yodelling in this song
But I can't yodel for the rattling in my lung.
My good girl sings the dustpneumonia blues
My good girl sings the dustpneumonia blues
She loves me 'cause she's got the dustpneumonia too.
If it wasn't for choppin' my ax would turn to rust
If it wasn#t for choppin' my ax would turn to rust
I can't find a woman in this black old texas dust.
Down in Oklahoma the wind blows mighty strong.
Down in Oklahoma the wind blows mighty strong.
If you want to get in
Mama
Just sing a california song.
Down in Texas my gal fainted in the rain
Down in Texas my gal fainted in the rain
I throwed a bucket o'dirt in her face just to bring her back again.
Mungo Jerry's song "Dust Pneumonia Blues" is a tribute to the difficulties of living and working during the Dust Bowl era in America. The lyrics describe the singer's struggles with pneumosis, a lung condition that was commonly known as dust pneumonia during the period. In the first verse, he sings about how the disease has affected his lungs and his ability to sing, but he still sings the song anyway. The second verse details the visit to the doctor, who confirms his illness and offers him little hope. The third verse acknowledges that the song should include yodeling but he is unable to because of the rattling in his lungs. The fourth verse includes a shoutout to his good girl who also suffers from the same condition, and who sings the song with him.
The following verses are filled with vivid images of the harsh living conditions during the Dust Bowl era. The singer describes the importance of chopping wood to survive, and how the once beautiful women of Texas have been worn down by the relentless dust. It culminates in a story of a woman fainting in the rain, and the only way to revive her is to throw dirt in her face. The song ends with the singer proclaiming that he's going to get out of Texas and head to California.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got that dustpneumony
I have contracted the illness known as dustpneumonia
Pneumony in my lung.
This illness has affected my lungs
And I'm gonna sing this dustpneumonia song.
Despite my illness, I will still sing about it
I went to the doctor
I sought medical help
And the doctor said
The physician spoke to me
My son.
The doctor addressed me with this term of endearment
Yes
I confirmed the doctor's attention
You got that dustpneumony and you ain't got long
The doctor diagnosed my illness and gave me a grim prognosis
Not long.
I do not have much time left
There ought to be some yodelling in this song
The artist acknowledges that yodelling is a fitting addition to the song
But I can't yodel for the rattling in my lung.
The singer's illness is hindering his ability to yodel
My good girl sings the dustpneumonia blues
The artist's partner also has dustpneumonia and sings about it
She loves me 'cause she's got the dustpneumonia too.
The singer's partner empathizes with him because they both have the same illness
If it wasn't for choppin' my ax would turn to rust
The singer recognizes that his livelihood depends on exerting physical labor
I can't find a woman in this black old texas dust.
The singer laments his inability to find romantic partners in his current location and circumstances
Down in Oklahoma the wind blows mighty strong.
Oklahoma experiences high winds
If you want to get in Mama Just sing a california song.
The artist suggests that singing about California may attract attention or approval in Oklahoma
Down in Texas my gal fainted in the rain
The singer's partner fainted due to rain in Texas
I throwed a bucket o'dirt in her face just to bring her back again.
The singer used unconventional methods to revive his partner
Contributed by Charlotte F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@carepackage2214
I'm illegally watching this in the winter
@Christian-wu8lq
Same
@steezgawdextraswa6906
Same i hate Winter 😭
@ivaivaiva0
me too. The best song for winter time! :)
@ivyg6178
Me too :(
@RealMiia
same here
@FamiliaPOPA13
Who is listening in 2024? ❤
@allenwatkins4972
I am.
@FamiliaPOPA13
@@allenwatkins4972 👍
@MrCome4numb
me. dee dee dee dee dee