Standing on the Corner (Blue Yodel No. 9)

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"Standing On The Corner"
Song by Jimmie Rodgers
from the album Blue Yodel No. 9 / Jimmie The Kid
B-side"Jimmie The Kid"
RecordedJuly 16, 1930
GenreBlues/Country
Length2:41
Songwriter(s)Jimmie Rodgers

"Blue Yodel #9" (also called "Standing on the Corner" from the opening line) is a blues/country song by Jimmie Rodgers and is the ninth of his "Blue Yodels". Rodgers recorded the song on July 16, 1930 in Los Angeles with an unbilled Louis Armstrong on trumpet and his wife Lil Hardin Armstrong on piano.[1] Armstrong and Hardin were not listed on this session due to Armstrong's contract with Okeh; this session was for Victor.[2] According to Thomas Brothers, the irregular blues form along with the irregular phrases used by Rodgers frequently threw off Armstrong until he reached his own solo chorus, where he sticks to a regular 12 bar blues form.[2]

The song is set in Memphis at the corner of Beale Street and Main Street, a block from the current location of B.B. King's Blues Club. It tells a tale warning all the "rounders" in Memphis of the arrival a "Tennessee hustler". As he tells a policeman who demands his name:

I said, you'll find my name on the tail of my shirt
I'm a Tennessee hustler and I don't have to work

The song was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 1970, Armstrong performed the song with Johnny Cash on The Johnny Cash Show.[3]

The song has been covered by the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band on Almost Acoustic,[4] Jerry Garcia and David Grisman on Been All Around This World,[5] Merle Haggard on Rainbow Stew Live at Anaheim Stadium,[6] Jimmie Dale Gilmore on Come on Back,[7] and Steve Earle on Shut Up And Die Like An Aviator.[8]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Jimmie Rodgers & Louis Armstrong: Blue Yodel #9". Jazz.com. Archived from the original on 2011-04-15. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Brothers, Thomas (2014). Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 381. ISBN 978-0-393-06582-4.
  3. ^ "Louis Armstrong and Johnny Cash, "Blue Yodel No 9" Video". Nme.com. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  4. ^ "Almost Acoustic - Jerry Garcia, Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  5. ^ "Been All Around This World - Jerry Garcia, David Grisman | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  6. ^ "Rainbow Stew: Live at Anaheim Stadium - Merle Haggard | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  7. ^ "Come on Back - Jimmie Dale Gilmore | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  8. ^ "Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator - Steve Earle, Steve Earle & the Dukes | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 26, 2021.


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