[78-L] Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out - who was thecomposer?

simmonssomer simmonssomer at comcast.net
Tue Mar 22 11:45:54 PDT 2011


According to  "Lissauer's Encyclopedia of Popular Music" words and music by 
Jimmy Cox. 1923.
(I can't find anything else on him either.)
First recorded by by Bobby Baker (Pathe) then Bessie Smith (Col) Pine Top 
Smith (Voc)

Al Simmons

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Huskisson" <timhuskisson at btinternet.com>
To: "'78-L Mail List'" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 7:09 AM
Subject: [78-L] Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out - who was 
thecomposer?


> After reading of the death of Pinetop Perkins, my attention turned to his
> inspiration, Pine-Top Smith. I had not realised that P.T. Smith had 
> recorded
> 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out' for Vocalion some four months
> before Bessie Smith.
>
> But after searching the On-Line Discographical Project, I discovered 
> another
> version by a vocal group - 'Aunt Jemima Novelty Four'.
> If the sources are reliable, it would seem Bessie Smith's recording was 
> made
> on May 15, 1929 and the other two versions, BOTH on Jan 1, 1929.
> But who wrote the song? My British Parlophone issue gives the composer as
> 'Jimmy Cox' (who I can find no information about), and (for Bessie's
> version, the On-Line Discographical Project indicates IDA COX-B.FELDMAN 
> were
> the composers. Were Jimmy and Ida related?
>
> But the 'Aunt Jemima Novelty Four' version was evidently composed by 
> Fugitte
> - Burns. (Who were they?). Rust's 'Jazz Records' shows some 1929-1930
> sessions for Brunswick and Gennett by vocal duettists 'PETE & REPEAT' (?
> ___Fugitte and ? ___Bruns).
>
> To confuse the issue further, REDHOTJAZZ.COM indicates that Pine-Top 
> Smith,
> himself, was the composer!
>
> Can anyone here shed any more light on the history of this song?
> Many thanks,
> Tim Huskisson
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 78-L mailing list
> 78-L at klickitat.78online.com
> http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l 



More information about the 78-L mailing list