St. Louis Blues

A while back I was working on learning St. Louis Blues. I had gotten the sheet music from W. C. Handy’s "Blues: an anthology."  Handy had written the song in 1914, and it is probably his best known song.
St. Louis Blues does not follow what is normally thought of as a “blues.” Handy included a “tango” section. In the early part of the 1900’s tango was hugely popular and Handy included the Latin American rhythm to appeal to the tango craze. However, a lot of the later versions of St. Louis Blues omit the tango rhythm.

W. C. Handy

When I start working on a tune, I like to check out different versions of the song.  It’s easier these days, you can find a lot of different versions on the Internet, ones that are note for note, and ones that twist the song into different forms. It reminds me of a quote from Dave Swarbrick who in the box set Swarb! Is quoted as saying, “you can do anything to music, it doesn’t mind.”  I agree to a point, certain types of music are able to be changed without damaging the underlying components that make the song what it is. Sometimes, it works better than others. I’ve heard versions that are actually better than the original, and I’ve heard versions that don’t even come close to capturing the “essence of the song”.

For St. Louis Blues, here are a couple that I like. The first one is Bessie Smith’s version. I am aware of two versions that Bessie sang. There is one on the Essential Bessie Smith in which she is accompanied by Louis Armstrong on cornet and Fred Longshaw on harmonium (pump organ). The one here is from the 1929 film St. Louis Blues. This is the only known film of Bessie Smith, and in my opinion, Bessie’s versions are the ultimate versions of the song. For just the song, go to part 2.

St Louis Blues Pt. 1 - Bessie Smith

St Louis Blues Pt. 2 - Bessie Smith

The next version by the Mound City Blue Blowers takes a completely different slant on the song. The Blue Blowers were a group based around the comb and paper playing of Red McKenzie. Over the years many famous jazz musicians passed through the Blue Blowers including Eddie Condon, Eddie Lang, Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, Coleman Hawkins and others. This version was recorded in 1929, the same year as Bessie Smith's, and features an early lineup of the Blue Blowers: Red McKenzie, Jack Bland, Josh Billings and Eddie Condon.

Mound City Blue Blowers

Although St. Louis Blues is a "blues," it has been covered by more jazz musicians and even by bluegrass and western swing musicians.  As a blues song, I am not aware of a lot of versions. It was recorded by Sylvester Weaver and Walter Beasley as a slide guitar duo in 1927, Big Bill Broonzy did a version, and here is an abbreviated slide guitar version by Furry Lewis from his rediscovery period in the 1960’s.

Furry Lewis – St. Louis Blues

Dizzy Gillespie & the Muppets

Lastly here is Dizzy Gillespie on the Muppet Show. I remember watching the Muppets when I was a kid, and I always enjoyed the musical guests. Dizzy was a perfect match for the Muppets.