Jack of Diamonds (song)
Jack of Diamonds (a.k.a. Jack o' Diamonds and Jack of Diamonds (Is a Hard Card to Play)) is a traditional folk song. It is a Texas gambling song that was popularized by Blind Lemon Jefferson.[1] It was sung by railroad men who had lost money playing Coon can.[2] At least twelve white artists recorded the tune before World War II. The song has been recorded under various titles such as "A Corn Licker Still in Georgia" (Riley Puckett) and "Rye Whiskey" (Tex Ritter).[3]
The song is related to "Drunkard's Hiccoughs",[4] "Johnnie Armstrong", "Todlen Hame", "Bacach", "Robi Donadh Gorrach", "The Wagoner's Lad", "Clinch Mountain", "The Cuckoo", "Rye Whiskey", "Saints Bound for Heaven", "Separation", and "John Adkins' Farewell";[5] this family of tunes originally comes from the British Isles, though is most well known in North America.[6] The lyrics may originate in the American Civil War song "The Rebel Soldier" and the melody from the Scottish song "Robie Donadh Gorrach", known by Nathaniel Gow as "An Old Highland Song".[7]
Covers
Among others, it has been performed by
- Blind Lemon Jefferson (1926)
- Tex Ritter - Very early recording and a song that Ritter is famous for.
- Skip James
- Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (on the album B-Sides & Rarities, released 22 March 2005.)
- P.W. Long (on the album We Didn't See You On Sunday, released 1997.)
- Alexander Hacke & Danielle de Picciotto (on the album Ship Of Fools, 2008.)
- John Lee Hooker (on the album Jack o' Diamonds: 1949 Recordings, released 2004)
- Odetta (on Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues, 1956)
- Lonnie Donegan released it as a single in 1957 (available on Rock Island Line: The Singles Anthology 1955-1967, released 1985 [1])
- Mance Lipscomb (the Texas Songster)
- Ruth Brown released a version as a single in 1959.
- Fairport Convention recorded a version on their debut album written by Bob Dylan and Ben Carruthers, and featured lyrics [2] based on the original.
- The Daily Flash, an obscure Seattle-based folk-rock group from the Sixties, released their version on an SP in June 1966 (available on a compilation box Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968, Rhino Records 1998).
- Tarbox Ramblers uses it to open their first album.
- John Jacob Niles
- Ramblin' Jack Elliott (on multiple LPs)
- Waylon Jennings (with the .357s on the album Waylon Forever)
- Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans (on their album Five Dollar Bill)
- Birdmen Of Alkatraz (on their album From The Bird Cage)
- Dave Matthews
- Mike & The Ravens on their album "From Pillar To Post"
- The Mandrakes on their MileHighMusic album "Ready or Not" [3]
See also
References
- ^ Lomax, Alan (1941). John Avery Lomax, Alan Lomax, Ruth Crawford Seeger. ed. Our singing country: folk songs and ballads. Courier Dover Publications. p. 303. ISBN 0486410897. http://books.google.com/books?id=i_J4Ii9oArsC&pg=PA303.
- ^ Urgo, Joseph R.; Abadie, Ann J. (2007). Faulkner's inheritance. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 64. ISBN 157806953X. http://books.google.com/books?id=FVFi6H5seskC&pg=PA64.
- ^ Laird, Tracey E. (1 December 2003). "Country Music Sources: A Biblio-Discography of Commercially Recorded Traditional Music". Library and information science. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Country+Music%3A+a+Biographical+Dictionary.-a0111306401.
- ^ Beisswenger, Drew; McCann, Gordon (2006). Ozarks Fiddle Music. Mel Bay Publications. p. 94. ISBN 0786677309. http://books.google.com/books?id=kMnty2cyRD4C&pg=PA94.
- ^ Samuel Bayard, Dance to the Fiddle, March to the Fife (University Park & London: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1982), p.567
- ^ Matteson Jr., Richard (2006). Bluegrass Picker's Tune Book. Mel Bay Publications. p. 196. ISBN 0786671602. http://books.google.com/books?id=42bL-Ot-8gUC&pg=PA196.
- ^ "Jack O' Diamonds". Bluegrass Messengers. http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/jack-o-diamonds--version-8.aspx?skin=printerfriendly. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ^ Cohen, Norm (2005). Folk music: a regional exploration. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 55. ISBN 0313328722. http://books.google.com/books?id=DqN_-kyCJFcC&pg=PA55.