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Wyozark - Posted - 04/26/2019: 06:29:43
It was on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1970 album Uncle Charlie that I first heard Jesse James, as sung by Uncle Charlie himself. This month marks the 137th anniversary of the death of Missouri’s most infamous outlaw – Jesse James. And therefore I felt it would be an appropriate time to put the Ballad of Jesse James otherwise known as Jesse James in the Clawhammer and Old-Time Styles Tune of the Week spotlight.
A (brief) History of the Song*
Jesse James is a folk ballad that tells the story of the outlaw who, after the American Civil War, commenced a life of crime to include train and bank robberies and murder. He and his older brother Frank formed a gang that ranged throughout the Midwest. In the beginning he included only men he had known from the war. But by the early 1880’s he had to rely on men he had not known so long. Enter the Ford Brothers, Robert and Charley. Enticed by a large reward, Robert made contact with Missouri Governor Crittenden and a deal was made. On April 3, 1882 Jesse was living in St. Joseph under the assumed name of Howard. His wife and children were at home with him. Bob and Charley came by to see him. Either to straighten or dust a picture, an unarmed Jesse stood on a stool or chair with his back to Bob. He probably heard the double click of the revolver as Bob pulled back the hammer. . .
Whether the tune has any roots prior to 1882 I do not know. However it was not long after James was killed that the song began making the rounds throughout the nation. The last verse contains a claim to authorship: “This song was made by Billy Gashade as soon as the news did arrive.” A couple of Missouri printed texts use the name LaShade. No one named LaShade or Gashade has been found to exist. There was a rumor that the song had been composed by a black inmate in the Missouri State Penitentiary, but again no supporting evidence could be found. Also, Jesse James has been reported as a traditional song from several different states other than Missouri. Purportedly the earliest publication of the song is in an “1887 pocket songster in the Library of Congress” with the title Comic and Sentimental Songs. Examples of the song in print exist prior to the turn of the century.
In 1910 Alan Lomax collected the song and included it in his book Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads.
As with many songs with a murky background and no certain author, the verses have varied over the years, and yet I also found some consistency in looking at and listening to different versions. According to H. M. Belden the lyrics are as follows:
Jesse James
Jesse James was a lad that killed many a man.
He robbed the Danville train.
But that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard
Has laid poor Jesse in his grave.
It was Robert Ford, that dirty little coward,
I wonder how he does feel;
For he ate of Jesse’s bread and slept in Jesse’s bed
And laid poor Jesse in the grave.
Chorus: Poor Jesse had a wife to mourn for his life,
His children they were brave;
But that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard
Laid poor Jesse in his grave.
It was his brother Frank who robbed the Gallatin bank
And carried the money from the town.
It was at this very place they had a little chase,
For they shot Captain Sheets to the ground.
They went to the crossing not very far from here,
And there they did the same;
With the agent on his knees he delivered up the keys
To the outlaws Frank and Jesse James.
It was on a Wednesday night, the moon was shining bright,
They robbed the Glenville train.
The people they did say, for many miles away,
It was robbed by Frank and Jesse James.
It was on Saturday night, Jesse was at home,
Talking with his family brave.
Robert Ford came along like a thief in the night
And laid poor Jesse in the grave.
The people hold their breath when they heard of Jesse’s death
And wondered how he ever came to die.
It was one of the gang called little Robert Ford,
He shot Jesse on the sly.
This song was made by Billy Gashade
As soon as the news did arrive.
He said there is no man with the law in his hand
Can take Jesse James when alive.
*Some of my source material is from the book Ballads and Songs: Collected by the Missouri Folk-Lore Society, Edited by H. M. Belden, University of Missouri Press, 1940. 1973 edition.
And for good measure, here is a line not in Belden’s version that generates some controversy:
Jesse James was a lad that killed many a man,
He robbed the Glenville train.
He robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.
He’d a hand and a heart and a brain.
I’ll let you do your own research and reach your own conclusions as to whether Jesse and Frank were 19th century Robin Hoods.
Recorded Versions
The earliest recorded version of Jesse James found so far is by
Bentley Ball "Jesse James" (1919) . Ball also published The Song-a-logue of America"
Vernon Dahlhart, recorded his version in 1925.
The Kingston Trio took a shot at Jesse James in 1961. It's rousing and fun!
Pete Seeger released this version in 1963. This is probably how the song should be done. Just sayin'. . .
The Country Gentlemen released a bluegrass version in 1968.
Normally I love Johnny Cash’s versions of anything. But not this one. From the
1980 album The Legend of Jesse James
I really like Michael Martin Murphey, but kinda wish he had left out the drums on this one.
Probably one of my favorite versions is by Ry Cooder from the 1980 movie The Long Riders.
Our friends in England have seriously good versions, though the one by the Pogues is an unusual take:
Lonnie Donegan If it wasn’t for you meddling kids and The Beatles, HE would have been the British Invasion. . . .
A really good version performed by The Ramblin' RiversidersThe Ramblin' Riversiders, “a Skiffle and Bluegrass Group based in Preston, Lancashire, England.”
The Pogues, described as “a British Celtic punk band.”
The next two video versions are interesting in that they are scenes from two movies that were filmed 58 years apart, yet the premise of the scenes are so similar:
I Shot Jesse James (1949) Robin Short plays the minstrel.
Now watch this scene. Nick Cave is the troubadour.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Bruce Springsteen recorded his version(s) and I think I’ve gone through enough of Jesse James versions to have the basics of the tune firmly planted in my brain. In 1940 Woody Guthrie kept the tune and rewrote the lyrics and in 1944 recorded Jesus Christ. It was later recorded by Cisco Houston and in 1988 U2 released their version.
And here is Woody himself with Jesus Christ.
And Now to Digress. . . .
The following examples are not the song Jesse James. But I am including them because in my research I find that the story of Jesse James the man and the legend has become a starting point as a metaphor or allegory for telling some story. I know for certain that this is not a complete list of Jesse James’ inspired songs.
Bascom Lamar Lunsford recorded Poor Jesse James in 1928. Some lyrics are the same, but it’s a different song.
Here is a Jesse James folk song that is a completely different song, and yet some of the lyrics have obviously been lifted from the original song, and some that are found in Lunsford’s recording. This was recorded in Arkansas in 1958.
In the same year that Woody Guthrie recorded Jesus Christ to the tune of Jesse James, he also recorded Jesse James – but it’s a completely different song.
The hugely talented and late Warren Zevon has Frank and Jesse JamesFrank and Jesse James, co-written by Jackson Browne. The song has the point of view of the brothers as heroic. However Zevon himself said the song was actually about Don and Phil Everly, who, of course, robbed a great many teen-agers with their song “Wake Up Little Susie.”
Troubadour by George Strait (1993)
Cher released Just Like Jesse James in1989.
Playing Jesse James on the Old Time Banjo
There are 37 video recordings of the song Jesse James on BHO, and at least 23 mp3 examples. They are all good! Here, listen to RatLer's(Greg Wright) version!
And guywolf released a great video version earlier this month.
I have found two tabs for Jesse James. The first tab can be found on page 42 of Ken Perlman’s book Clawhammer Style Banjo. The second tab is found in Patrick Costello’s Outlaws and Scalawags Songbook. Sometimes Patrick’s tabs can be found online via a Creative Commons license.
And for this TOTW my friend Janet Burton graciously has submitted a tab based on the Pete Seeger rendition. Thanks Janet!
Jesse James – The Man and the Legend
Earlier this month there was a thread on BHO about Jesse James and it led to an interesting discussion. I’ve been doing a lot of research in preparation for this TOTW and I broke it down to two parts: One about the song, the other about the man behind the song. There are a lot of known facts and history; and at the same time most of what the actual man - Jesse James - did, what he felt, what he thought, what really motivated him is lost to history. In this I agree with another Missourian:
“What a wee little part of a person's life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself. All day long, the mill of his brain is grinding, and his thoughts, not those of other things, are his history. These are his life, and they are not written. Every day would make a whole book of 80,000 words -- 365 books a year. Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of the man -- the biography of the man himself cannot be written.”
~ Mark Twain
Therefore, to keep this post primarily about Jesse James the TOTW, I’ll post my observations and research and opinions about Jesse James the man in another thread down under Off Topic.
JanetB - Posted - 04/28/2019: 15:10:15
This is one of those rare A+ TOTW presentations, Michael. I know the pursuit of a tune which keeps itself going forward as you learn more and more. It will take me all week to listen to all those links and digest everything, including the controversial aspects of the song which you and others mention.
After listening to several Jesse James versions and, though having enjoyed playing from Ken Perlman's tab in open G, I went to the Pete Seeger recording and arranged it in double C tuning instead. His verse is a solo, but I made up the solo on the chorus based on techniques he favored, such as drop-thumbing and full bum-dittys, as opposed to my go-to style of skipped notes. I'll attach the same tab you linked above.
Edited by - JanetB on 04/28/2019 15:11:12
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