| "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bessie Smith | ||||
| B-side | "Take It Right Back" | |||
| Released | 1929 | |||
| Format | 10" 78 rpm record | |||
| Recorded | May 15, 1929 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Columbia (Cat. no. 14451) | |||
| Writer(s) | Jimmy Cox | |||
| Bessie Smith singles chronology | ||||
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"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" is a blues standard, written by Jimmy Cox in 1923. Its lyric, told from the point of view of a one-time millionaire during the Prohibition era, reflects on the fleeting nature of material wealth and the friendships that come and go with it.
The song was first recorded and popularized by Bessie Smith, the preeminent female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. Since then, numerous versions have been recorded. The following is a list of some of the more notable renditions:[1]
| Year | Performer | Style |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | Julia Lee | blues |
| 1927 or 1928 | Bobby Leecan & Robert Cooksey | blues |
| 1928 | Pinetop Smith | talking blues |
| 1929 | Bessie Smith | blues |
| 1936 | Count Basie Orchestra | jazz |
| 1938 | Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five | jazz |
| 1939 | Sidney Bechet | jazz |
| 1942 | Eddie Condon | jazz |
| 1945 | Josh White | blues |
| 1946 | Mutt Carey & Hociel Thomas | jazz |
| 1946 | Lee Collins & Chippie Hill | jazz |
| 1948 | Leadbelly | blues |
| 1958 | Juanita Hall | blues |
| 1958 | LaVern Baker | jazz |
| 1959 | Nina Simone | jazz |
| 1959 | Bill Smith | jazz clarinet |
| 1959 | Scrapper Blackwell | blues |
| 1961 | Rolf Cahn & Eric Von Schmidt | blues |
| 1962 | Dave Guard And The Whiskeyhill Singers | folk |
| 1962 | Odetta | jazz |
| 1962 | Jimmy Witherspoon | jazz |
| 1963 | Colette Magny | blues |
| 1963 | Chad Mitchell Trio | folk |
| 1964 | Alice Stuart | folk |
| 1964 | Janis Joplin & Jorma Kaukonen | blues |
| 1964 | Sam Cooke | soul |
| 1965 | Liza Minnelli | pop |
| 1966 | Otis Redding | soul |
| 1966 | The Spencer Davis Group | rock |
| 1968 | Duane Allman and Gregg Allman | blues |
| 1969 | José Feliciano | Latin |
| 1969 | The Blues Magoos | rock |
| 1970 | Derek and the Dominos | blues |
| 1970 | Trader Horne | folk |
| 1972 | The Allman Brothers Band | rock |
| 1973 | Tim Hardin | folk |
| 1973 | George Melly | jazz |
| 1974 | John Lennon | rock |
| 1975 | Rory Block | blues |
| 1976 | Carrie Smith | blues |
| 1976 | Vic Dickenson | jazz trombone |
| 1978 | Alberta Hunter | blues |
| 1970s | Martin, Bogan & The Armstrongs | folk |
| 1980 | Archie Shepp & Horace Parlan | jazz instrumental |
| 1985 | Dick Hyman | jazz piano |
| 1985 | Chris Barber | jazz |
| 1985 | Newport Jazz Festival All-Stars | jazz |
| 1988 | Rod Stewart | pop |
| 1988 | Danny Barker | jazz |
| 1989 | Ruth Brown | blues |
| 1992 | Eric Clapton | blues |
| 1993 | Billy Joel | rock |
| 1997 | Don McLean | rock |
| 1997 | Popa Chubby | blues |
| 1997 | Andrés Calamaro | Latin |
| 1999 | B.B. King | blues |
| 2001 | Dave Van Ronk | folk |
| 2005 | David Krull | Blues |
| unknown (released 1992) |
Bobby Womack | R&B |
| unknown (released 1993) |
Big Joe Williams | blues |
| unknown | Joe Dassin | blues |
| unknown | Carla Bruni | folk |
In the 1980s, the song was used in the Tony-nominated Broadway musical Blues in the Night.
This song is featured during the load screen for the Pauper's Drop level in the game Bioshock 2, released 9 Feb 10.