Shake 'Em on Down
Encyclopedia
"Shake 'Em on Down" is a country-style blues song recorded by Bukka White
in 1937. It is his best-known song and "became part of the repertoire of Chicago blues".
in the early 1930s, Bukka White came to the attention of Vocalion Records
' producer Lester Melrose
. Melrose arranged for White to record a single in Chicago in 1937, but White was arrested and convicted for a shooting incident and received a two-year sentence at the infamous Parchman Prison Farm
in Mississippi. However, White did manage to record two songs – "Shake 'Em On Down" and "Pinebluff, Arkansas" – before serving his time, either by jumping bail or through an arrangement by Melrose.
The song became a hit and "earned White the status of a celebrity within Parchman", including an audience with the governor. "When White performed for the governor of Mississippi, on the latter's visit to Parchman, he was surprised that the politician already knew about him". Largely on the strength of "Shake 'Em on Down", when White was released from prison, he was able to resume his recording career with Melrose and Vocalion, despite the shift in public taste that had taken place in the previous two and a half years.
recorded a version in 1938 and became "an even bigger hit" (Vocalion 4149). Other versions followed by Tommy McClennan
(1939 Bluebird 8347), Big Joe Williams
(1941 Bluebird 8969), and Robert Petway
(1941 Bluebird 8838).
Mississippi Fred McDowell
recorded several versions using electric slide guitar, including one for the 1972 album Live in New York
. British rock band Savoy Brown
recorded the song for their 1967 debut album Shake Down
. Led Zeppelin
's "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper
" (1970) uses some similar lyrics:
Similar lyrics also appear in their "Custard Pie
" (1975). The Black Crowes
recorded a live version of "Shake 'Em on Down" which was included on the Japanese release of The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
(1992). R.L. Burnside recorded several versions, including one with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
for A Ass Pocket of Whiskey
(1996).
Bukka White
Booker T. Washington White , better known as Bukka White, was an American Delta blues guitarist and singer. "Bukka" was not a nickname, but a phonetic misspelling of White's given name Booker, by his second record label .-Biography:Born between Aberdeen and Houston, Mississippi, White was the...
in 1937. It is his best-known song and "became part of the repertoire of Chicago blues".
Background
After several attempts at recording for Victor Records and Okeh RecordsOkeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
in the early 1930s, Bukka White came to the attention of Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
' producer Lester Melrose
Lester Melrose
Lester Melrose was one of the first American producers of blues records.-Career:He was born Lester Franklin Melrose in Sumner, Illinois, United States, the second of six children of Frank and Mollie Melrose who owned a small farm...
. Melrose arranged for White to record a single in Chicago in 1937, but White was arrested and convicted for a shooting incident and received a two-year sentence at the infamous Parchman Prison Farm
Mississippi State Penitentiary
Mississippi State Penitentiary , also known as Parchman Farm, is the oldest prison and the only maximum security prison for men in the state of Mississippi, USA....
in Mississippi. However, White did manage to record two songs – "Shake 'Em On Down" and "Pinebluff, Arkansas" – before serving his time, either by jumping bail or through an arrangement by Melrose.
Original song
"Shake 'Em on Down", "with its shuffling rhythms and risqué lyric", was recorded by White on vocal and guitar with an unidentified second guitarist. The song is a moderate-tempo twelve-bar blues notated in 4/4 time in the key of E.- Get your nightcap mama, and your gown
- Baby 'fore day we gonna shake 'em on down
- Hey done stopped hollerin', oh, must I shake 'em on down
- I done stopped hollerin' now, must I shake 'em on down
The song became a hit and "earned White the status of a celebrity within Parchman", including an audience with the governor. "When White performed for the governor of Mississippi, on the latter's visit to Parchman, he was surprised that the politician already knew about him". Largely on the strength of "Shake 'Em on Down", when White was released from prison, he was able to resume his recording career with Melrose and Vocalion, despite the shift in public taste that had taken place in the previous two and a half years.
Other versions
After Bukka White's success, "Shake 'Em on Down" was recorded by several bluesmen. Some used White's title or a variation, such as "Ride 'Em on Down", "Break 'Em on Down", or "Truck 'Em on Down". Big Bill BroonzyBig Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy was a prolific American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s when he played country blues to mostly black audiences. Through the ‘30s and ‘40s he successfully navigated a transition in style to a more urban blues sound popular with white audiences...
recorded a version in 1938 and became "an even bigger hit" (Vocalion 4149). Other versions followed by Tommy McClennan
Tommy McClennan
Tommy McClennan was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist.-Life and career:McClennan was born on a farm near Yazoo City, Mississippi, United States, and grew up in the town...
(1939 Bluebird 8347), Big Joe Williams
Big Joe Williams
Joseph Lee Williams , billed throughout his career as Big Joe Williams, was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar...
(1941 Bluebird 8969), and Robert Petway
Robert Petway
Robert Petway was an African-American blues singer and guitarist.Very little is known about Robert Petway. His birth place is speculated to have been at or near J.F. Sligh Farm near Yazoo City, Mississippi, birth place of his close friend and fellow bluesman Tommy McClennan. His birth date is...
(1941 Bluebird 8838).
Mississippi Fred McDowell
Mississippi Fred McDowell
Fred McDowell known by his stage name; Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American Hill country blues singer and guitar player.-Career:...
recorded several versions using electric slide guitar, including one for the 1972 album Live in New York
Live in New York (Fred McDowell album)
Live in New York is the final album recording by the American country blues musician Mississippi Fred McDowell. American independent Oblivion Records released the first edition in the Spring of 1972, months before McDowell's death in July 1972...
. British rock band Savoy Brown
Savoy Brown
Savoy Brown, originally known as the Savoy Brown Blues Band, are a British blues rock band, formed in 1965, in Battersea, South West London...
recorded the song for their 1967 debut album Shake Down
Shake Down (album)
Shake Down is the debut studio album by the British rock band Savoy Brown. It was released in 1967 and is mainly an album of covers, featuring three songs penned by blues singer Willie Dixon. In addition to Dixon, the band covers John Lee Hooker and B.B...
. Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper
Hats off to (Roy) Harper
"Hats Off to Harper" is a song played by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is the last track on the album Led Zeppelin III, released in 1970. The track features Jimmy Page playing slide guitar, and Robert Plant's vocals, processed through a tremolo...
" (1970) uses some similar lyrics:
- Listen mama, put on your mornin' gown
- Put in your nightshirt mama, we're gonna shake 'em down
- Must I holler ... must I shake 'em on down
Similar lyrics also appear in their "Custard Pie
Custard Pie
"Custard Pie" is the opening track on the English rock band Led Zeppelin's sixth album, Physical Graffiti, released in 1975. The lyrics to the riff-heavy song pay homage to the blues songs of the Robert Johnson era; specifically "Drop Down Mama" by Sleepy John Estes, "Shake 'Em on Down" by Bukka...
" (1975). The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
recorded a live version of "Shake 'Em on Down" which was included on the Japanese release of The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion is the second album by the American blues-rock group The Black Crowes, released on May 12, 1992. It was the first record by the band to feature Marc Ford on lead guitar, replacing Jeff Cease, who was fired the year before.It features four hit singles;...
(1992). R.L. Burnside recorded several versions, including one with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...
for A Ass Pocket of Whiskey
A Ass Pocket of Whiskey
A Ass Pocket of Whiskey is a collaborative album by the American Mississippi Hill Country Bluesman R. L. Burnside and the American punk blues band Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, released on Matador Records on 18 June 1996...
(1996).