Memphis Jug Band: Come and See Me Sometime

Depending upon how far one traces music back into the historical ether, it seems that the art form was just as frequently a mode of expression as it was a business. Expending effort to craft and disseminate a work, even from the earliest portions of the twentieth century very quickly made folks want to earn a dime. And obviously even before that there was minstrelsy and Vaudeville. Those latter two, though, just didn’t have 78s to hock, so too bad for the coffers.

Either way, there were disparate markets to reach – namely white and black. Only the most savvy song writers and business men were able to reach both. Will Shade was one of those guys.

Coming out of Memphis with any number of accompanying players, Shade took a part in well over a hundred sides during his career. Most notably, now at least, was his ensemble called the Memphis Jug Band. But even that group recorded under a wide array of names - Picaninny Jug Band, Memphis Sanctified Singers, the Carolina Peanut Boys, the Dallas Jug Band, the Memphis Sheiks, the Jolly Jug Band. Since historians have figured out, for the most part, who was a part of most of those ensembles, collections have been assembled to reflect the shifting line ups. Players like Furry Lewis show up occasionally, but Shade’s the persistent voice here.

Regardless of whose where on what recording, the legacy of Will Shade and company is his tune “Stealin’.” That track’s been recorded countless times by groups all over the world in as just as many genre derivations. If one’s able to get past the widely applicable majesty of that single song there’s still a heap of other tracks to wade through.

Of the innumerable collections, State of Tennessee Blues possesses a pretty high level of fidelity even as the Memphis Jug Bands’ best known tune is somehow left off of the track list. Despite that transgression, the compilation, released through the Memphis Archives in 1995, includes a broad sampling of the band’s stylistic shifts. And on a few tracks, the boys are even joined by a female singer.

The wavery, femme voice on “State of Tennessee Blues” means to tell listeners that things aren’t looking good now as a distant mandolin sounds out a melodic line supported by the tiny sounding kazoo. Accompanying the lamentation, though, is a promise of better times. Shade and company apparently figured that hearing such news from the larynx of a woman would be better than one of the assembled players. Perhaps an astute business move or maybe it was all style over substance.

But where that track isn’t all positive, “Peaches in Springtime” has the oft recycled line “Married woman/Come and see me sometime.” It’s no coincidence that Jerry Garcia, while performing with David Grisman, worked out “Stealin’” and also incorporated the aforementioned lyric in his recordings. So while the Memphis Jug Band’s name might not be on the lips of anyone right now, it remains an important part of America’s musical lineage.