The Billboard Hot 100 Number Ones

[The Cincinnati Kid]

I'm somewhat familiar with the song, something I would have enjoyed when I was younger more than now. Many Cincinnatians are familiar with a version of another Platters song, Twighlight time, but probably only know it as Skyline Time.

[Sheriff John Stone]

The great Tony Williams on lead vocals:

[Kapitan]

"Stagger Lee," Lloyd Price
Feb. 9 through March 2, 1959

Lee Shelton was known by many nicknames: Stagger Lee, Stagolee, Stack-o-Lee, etc., the origins of which are similarly diverse, ranging from his tendency to "go stag" (i.e., without a date or companion), or to his work on a riverboat of a similar name, the Stack Lee.

But Lee Shelton was a pimp (and a gambler). The stories all go back to that. He went stag presumably because he would not be tied down; the Stack Lee was a notorious destination for on-board prostitution. Shelton was one of the Macks, a notorious group of pimps who paraded themselves around St. Louis in the late 1800s. 

On Christmas Night 1895, Shelton was drinking with his friend Billy Lyons in a St. Louis bar. Conversation went from friendly to angry as they drank, with Shelton snatching Lyons's hat off his head and smashing it. Lyons took Shelton's hat in return, demanding restitution. Shelton hit Lyons over the head with his gun. When Lyons lunged for Shelton, Shelton shot Lyons in the abdomen. Lyons died, leading to Shelton's conviction on a murder charge. He was imprisoned on a 25-year sentence in 1897, paroled in 1909, and convicted and imprisoned again, this time on assault and robbery charges just two years later. He died of tuberculosis in a prison hospital in 1912.

If critics of modern culture shake their heads at a generation of young people glamorizing a criminal lifestyle through their music and art, it's worth noting that Shelton became a folk celebrity almost immediately for what was perceived as his manly strength. The first reference to a song called "Stack-a-Lee" comes from the Kansas City Leavenworth Herald in 1897, the same year Shelton was convicted of the murder. It was well known in black communities along the Mississippi River by 1910, with music historians Alan Lomax and Howard Odum publishing two versions in 1911.

By the mid 1920s, the song had been recorded a handful of times, including by the likes of Lovie Austin, Ma Rainey with Louis Armstrong, and Frank Hutchison, and had even been a hit as early as 1923. It would eventually be recorded countless times: Woody Guthrie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Sidney Bechet, and after WWII, Fats Domino, Ike and Tina Turner, James Brown, the Righteous Brothers, Dave Van Ronk, Taj Mahal, Bob Dylan ... even Huey Lewis and the News.

Ten years after the old folk song had first been a hit, Lloyd Price was born in a New Orleans suburb to Beatrice Price, the owner of the Fish 'n' Fry Restaurant. Price picked up an interest in food and business from his mother--he later owned several construction companies and food lines--but also received formal musical training on piano and trumpet, sang in his church's choir, and played in a combo during his high school years.

Price began working for a local radio station (WBOK in New Orleans) while in high school, providing jingles for advertisements. At least one of these included his catch phrase "lawdy, Miss Clawdy," as in "Lawdy Miss Clawdy, eat Mother's Homemade Pies and drink Maxwell House coffee!" He developed the accompanying tune into a fully developed song. When "discovered" by Specialty Records' owner Art Rupe, a session was arranged for Price to record the tune, which he did in March 1952 in a New Orleans studio. (A band was assembled to accompany Price. The great Earl Palmer was on drums for that session.) The song spent seven weeks atop the Billboard R&B chart.

His career was put on hold, though, when he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Korea in 1954. By the time he returned, his business prospects and momentum were dried up. Putting his interest in business to work, Price co-founded his own record label, KRC Records, which was picked up for distribution by ABC Records. He began releasing singles at a faster pace in the latter 1950s, including a rock and roll version of the folk standard "Stagger Lee" in 1959. That recording topped the new Billboard Hot 100 chart as well as the Billboard R&B chart, and hit the Top 10 in both the UK and Australia, as well. 

Price had another dozen or so hit singles from 1959-61, and in 1960 began releasing LPs. His other businesses, both music-related and otherwise, also flourished. Price continued to be active, performing into the '00s and appearing in films into the '10s. He died in 2018 of diabetes complications at age 88.


 

[Kapitan]

Here are a few versions of the song spanning the years. You see (and hear), they often are almost entirely different songs, subject matter aside. There seem to be as many variations as there are performers.

Ma Rainey (with Louis Armstrong), 1926.


Mississippi John Hurt, 1928


Woody Guthrie, 1956


The Righteous Brothers, 1966


Bob Dylan 1993


Huey Lewis & the News, 1994

[jk]

Aug 16, 2023 14:00:24 GMT Kapitan said:

"Stagger Lee," Lloyd Price
Feb. 9 through Marc 2, 1959

Another great introduction there to a great song, Cap'n.

Back in the early sixties on Radio Luxembourg, they had this slot at the end of one of Decca's shows called "Old Record Parade", when they played a song from the previous decade, generally the more rocking segment thereof. Once, they played "Stagger Lee" -- that was quite a revelation, not least because it was a song most kids my age hadn't heard of, let alone heard.

Looking at my well-thumbed fourth revised edition of the utterly indispensable Mystery Train by Greil Marcus, an author I had the great honour of briefly copy editing in 2001, I see he devotes over fourteen thrilling pages of notes to the Stagger Lee phenomenon.

All this aside, my favourite Lloyd Price cut is "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", probably in this version with the great Fats Domino tickling the ivories:

[Sheriff John Stone]

Like "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", I did not know that "Stagger Lee" went that far back. Actually, I didn't even know Lloyd Price's recording was a cover! It's another classic, of course, a rock & roll classic. It really picks up momentum and you can't help but get into it. I'll bet it was a crowd-pleaser - maybe the kids sang "Go, Stagger Lee!" - in concert.

Back to the covers. They all sound different, don't they? I've listened to and enjoyed Bob Dylan's version through the years and, knowing Lloyd Price's version very well, wondered if Dylan's take was even the same song.  

[B.E.]

"Stagger Lee" is a great 50s record. I believe it was discovering Dylan's version a couple years ago that led me to checking out a bunch of earlier versions and tracing its history. (Or was I prompted by a discussion on this board?)

Either way, jk , my favorite Lloyd Price song is most assuredly, "Just Because":

[jk]

Aug 17, 2023 0:58:12 GMT B.E. said:

Either way, jk , my favorite Lloyd Price song is most assuredly, "Just Because":

Nice. Thanks for that! I see it was Price's first hit after his mid-fifties tour of duty in Korea.

Any idea who the drummer is, B.E.? I love those fills -- and the wonderfully straight instrumental break, to say nothing of that chugging piano.

[carllove]

I am woefully ignorant of much of the music and performers of this era. My parent’s had Elvis, Dave Brubeck and Johnny Mathis albums, which I took with me to college so that is about the extent of my late 50’s music familiarity. I had never heard of Lloyd Price, or the song “Stagger Lee”. Price had such a lovely voice. Looks like I have been missing out on some great music. When I was younger, I really didn’t have much interest in music that was released prior to 1962 or so (other than the previously mentioned artists). Thanks Kapitan, for opening my eyes. Can’t wait to see how the musical styles progress and to learn about artists like Lloyd Price, who I’ve never even heard of.

[Kapitan]

Aug 17, 2023 10:51:40 GMT carllove said:

I am woefully ignorant of much of the music and performers of this era. ... Thanks Kapitan, for opening my eyes. Can’t wait to see how the musical styles progress...

Honestly I'm in the same boat as you. My parents did have a reasonable number of records from the late 50s or early 60s, but it was far from exhaustive. And I never really dug in beyond that with a few specific exceptions (mostly jazz). So while I really, really know some specific things, there is a TON I've never heard, or sometimes even never heard of.

I'm learning as much as anyone else with this thread, and probably more than several of you.

The nice thing about doing this kind of thread with singles rather than albums is it's so little a time commitment. Research aside, the music takes two or three minutes and you're done. So love it, hate it, or somewhere in between, it's easy enough to absorb it.

[lonelysummer]

Tommy Roe had a hit with this song in 1971. This was the first version I remember hearing.
Lloyd Price was one of the greats. BTW, is that Fats Domino playing piano on "Lawdy Miss Clawdy"? Little Richard often talked about seeing Lloyd Price come to town in a shiny new Cadillac, and wanting a car just like it.
There's a local band here in the NW, Jr. Cadillac, that sometimes does Lloyd's song "Have You Ever Had the Blues".

[Kapitan]

Aug 17, 2023 19:11:16 GMT lonelysummer said:

Lloyd Price was one of the greats. BTW, is that Fats Domino playing piano on "Lawdy Miss Clawdy"? Little Richard often talked about seeing Lloyd Price come to town in a shiny new Cadillac, and wanting a car just like it.

Yes, Fats was not initially a part of the session, but apparently when he rolled in after several failed attempts at the tune, they nailed it after a single run-through (so tape rolling on the second take).

I'd love to know more about the relationship between Price and Little Richard. Price apparently was instrumental in getting Little Richard on Specialty Records, and thus getting him recording as the featured artist (and doing so in the same New Orleans studio where Price--and Fats Domino--recorded some hits), not to mention getting him hooked up with some musicians in common such as the great Earl Palmer.

The wiki entry on Price says that upon his return from Korea, he "had been replaced by Little Richard," and that's when Price founded his own record label and went on to record "Stagger Lee." I wondered whether that implied animosity between the two musicians? Or just was meant to say that Price was frustrated that his momentum had faded while he was away? 

[Sheriff John Stone]

Tremendous!

[kds]

I probably haven't heard Stagger Lee, or given it much thought, since the days of WQSR Good Time Oldies, which went belly up two decades ago.

I definitely have a much greater appreciation for these songs than when it was forced on me in my Dad's car.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Aug 18, 2023 12:25:13 GMT kds said:

I probably haven't heard Stagger Lee, or given it much thought, since the days of WQSR Good Time Oldies, which went belly up two decades ago.

I definitely have a much greater appreciation for these songs than when it was forced on me in my Dad's car.

I won't beat the dead horse again, but that's also how I heard a lot of these oldies - on great "oldies" radio stations that are now a thing of the past unless you seek them out online.

I also wanted to mention the old AM radio stations from the 1960s and 1970s. Yes, they had their playlist of current music that had to be played, but they also sprinkled in oldies from as far back as 10-15 years...and it worked! I distinctly remember the first time "Sloop John B" blew me away. I was stopped at a red light in Reading, PA on my way to a college class in 1976. I was listening to WFIL-AM in Philadelphia on the car radio and all of a sudden the flute-driven intro came on followed by Brian's vocal and it was like...WTF! At that time "Sloop" was already ten years old but it didn't matter. It sounded so damn good among all the other new music.