The 5 Jones Boys, originally called the Dixie Cotton Pickers from Carbondal… Read Full Bio ↴The 5 Jones Boys, originally called the Dixie Cotton Pickers from Carbondale, Illinois came to Los Angeles in the mid 1930s. Lead tenor Jimmy Springs was joined by William Hartley, Herman Wood, Louis Wood, and Charles Hopkins. They hooked up with Gene Autry and were on his National Barn Dance radio show and some of his tours. In a January 1936 newspaper article, they were characterized as "real rivals (not imitators) of the Mills Brothers." Later that year, they toured with Duke Ellington (as they did in 1937, after a stint at Los Angeles' Cotton Club). There's a photo of the 5 Jones Boys and Ellington in the December 31, 1936 California Eagle. It names the members as Wm. Bartley, Helmer Woods, Louis Woods, Charley Hopkins, and Jimmy Spring.
The 5 Jones Boys were occasionally part of a syndicated radio program called "The Laff Parade", hosted by Ken Niles. One reviewer of a 1934 performance thought that they were actually the Mills Brothers. They made several appearances from 1934 through 1937.
Some Los Angeles appearances: In late June 1936, they opened at the Famous Door, replacing Louis Prima. In December, they were with Duke Ellington, Ivie Anderson, and the 5 Hot Shots at the Paramount Theater. February 1937 found them at Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club (the blurb in the February 26, 1937 California Eagle said that they came from the "coal mines of Illinois"). By May, they'd been added to the cast of "Shuffle Along" at the Lincoln Theater.
They were in several films (those from 1936 were all released within three days of each other) and had a couple of records on Variety. In Ali Baba Comes To Town (an uncredited performance) they're part of a black cast that included the Plantation Boys, Richard Davis, David Patillo, guitarist Oscar Moore, Ormonde Wilson (a member of the Plantation Boys, whom we'll meet later on), and two future Delta Rhythm Boys: Clifford Holland, and Carl Jones. The chorus was directed by Leon René and Earl Dancer.
The 5 Jones Boys were occasionally part of a syndicated radio program called "The Laff Parade", hosted by Ken Niles. One reviewer of a 1934 performance thought that they were actually the Mills Brothers. They made several appearances from 1934 through 1937.
Some Los Angeles appearances: In late June 1936, they opened at the Famous Door, replacing Louis Prima. In December, they were with Duke Ellington, Ivie Anderson, and the 5 Hot Shots at the Paramount Theater. February 1937 found them at Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club (the blurb in the February 26, 1937 California Eagle said that they came from the "coal mines of Illinois"). By May, they'd been added to the cast of "Shuffle Along" at the Lincoln Theater.
They were in several films (those from 1936 were all released within three days of each other) and had a couple of records on Variety. In Ali Baba Comes To Town (an uncredited performance) they're part of a black cast that included the Plantation Boys, Richard Davis, David Patillo, guitarist Oscar Moore, Ormonde Wilson (a member of the Plantation Boys, whom we'll meet later on), and two future Delta Rhythm Boys: Clifford Holland, and Carl Jones. The chorus was directed by Leon René and Earl Dancer.
Ghost Goes To Town
The 5 Jones Boys Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by The 5 Jones Boys:
Mr. Ghost Goes to Town Who's there, who's there? Up there on the stairs Beware, bew…
Mr.Ghost Goes To Town Boy, don′t you go in there Come outa there, boy Don't you…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@aariley2
HaHAA! I'm so having this played at my funeral!!! Along with Ding Dong the Witch is Dead 😂😂😂! Let's put the FUN back in funeral!
@aroyn7
Woah. Just Found Out William Bartley was my great grandfather. I'm a gutarist myself but never knew music was in my familys history. I dig the music too
@PRR5406
How cool is that? Congratulations! This was pure talent in the day.
@marywade2739
I am sitting here with the biggest grin after reading your comment. My dad often sang this to us and we loved it. And here you are! It was a big song in those years.
@znayJ
What a treat, chefs kiss 🤌🏾
@Amfunee
My all-time favorite Halloween record. Its atmosphere (all done a capella), its playful lyrics, and its melody with just the right combination of fun and spooky pretty much sum up what I've loved about Halloween since I was a little boy.
@Collectologist
This is definitely one of my favorite oldies! Have to listen to it every Halloween. Sometimes it'll pop in my head from nowhere and just stick there. I love the "Mr. Ghost" laughing part in the middle.
@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785
I love that guy's laugh...
One of my favorite A Cappella songs of all time.
@allaboutrecords
Amazing group!
had the pleasure of meeting original member JImmy Springs several times.
One of the all time greatest
@Kr8zeLibra
It's also the tune used for the famous organ in the film "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken". This tune is also used in the main titles of the same film.