Downhill Music v.07: Stagger Lee

William Lyons, 25, a levee hand, was shot in the abdomen yesterday evening at 10 o'clock in the saloon of Bill Curtis, at Eleventh and Morgan Streets, by Lee Sheldon, a carriage driver. Lyons and Sheldon were friends and were talking together. Both parties, it seems, had been drinking and were feeling in exuberant spirits. …Lee Sheldon is also known as 'Stag' Lee’ -- THE ST. LOUIS GLOBE DEMOCRAT, 1895

Thus begins one of the more enduringly fascinating tales in American popular music. The story of Stagger Lee, as he came to be known, was ripe fodder for the blues musicians of the day. It was recorded for the first time in the late 1920’s and became a top ten R&B hit for New Orleans singer known only as Archibald in 1950. By 1959 another Big Easy native, Lloyd Price, recorded the song and brought it to number one on the pop charts before Dick Clark – offended by the violent content and wielding his enormous “American Bandstand” power – forced Price to rewrite the song such that it featured a happy ending. Needless to say, the “happy ending” version of the song lacked the longevity of the original. To my knowledge all subsequent versions of the song follow (roughly) the original story line.

And there have been a lot of versions. It could certainly be argued that “Stagger Lee” is the most successful blues song ever. In (fairly) recent times it has been recorded by such luminaries as The Clash (who retitled it “Wrong ‘Em Boyo” for their London Calling album) and Nick Cave (on his recent Murder Ballads). Anyway, this blog has posted Wilson Pickett’s (RIP, Mr. Pickett) take on the tune.

If you’re interested in learning more about the song and the story it tells, you can find it here. Or you can check out this (fascinating sounding) book, which apparently posits – among other things – that Stagger Lee may well be the archetype for the “black gangster” in American popular culture.

Special thanks on this post to magnoliasitar, who did most of the actual research

UNRELATED ADDITION:
Is it just me or does this band have a GREAT name?