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Man… This is a haunting song.
I think I first heard the Lou Rawls version of “St. James Infirmary.” I think it was on a mix tape with no song titles, and for years I had no idea what it was. Just that it was haunting.
Lou Rawls - St. James Infirmary
Eventually I heard the Louis Armstrong version, with Cab Calloway. Which I think is sort of the Ur-verison of this old tune. The one where the horns sweep in with a deep funeral timbre and lift you off your feet. I must’ve listened to it a hundred times, whenever I was lousy with the miseries. But because it met that mood, it lifted me out of it. It warmed my blood.
Louis Armstrong - St. James Infirmary (w_ Cab Calloway)
The last night, I started noticing how many version of this song there were. And I went a little crazy collecting them - had a good 33 different version by the time I went to bad. From Oing Boingo to Joe Cocker to The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Nearly every single one was beautiful, in the same way - took me right back to that same soul place.
It’s a song about death. It’s about a man seeing the woman he loves stretched out dead on the hospital slab. But those horns rising and rising…. It’s a song about release. A song about acceptance. A song about drinking life in deeply, in all its pain and unfairness.
Here’s a few versions to get you started. Eventually, I may get them all up here:
Joe Cocker - St. James Infirmary (Live)
James Booker - St. James Infirmary Blues
Zephyr - St. James Infirmary (Tommy Bolin/guitar)
By the way, check out the picture of this guy, James Booker.
What a cool lookin’ dude. What an enigmatic smile.
Can anyone tell me more about this guy? I’ve never heard of him.
I too love St. James Infirmary, I like the horns in the song. the 1st. time I heard was by Bobby “Blue” Bland, from his album “Two Steps From The Blues”. I listened to all you had on the site except the one with the animals that would come up, of those Louie and Joe C. were the only ones that used the horns. Thanks Enjoyed your site.
Comment by carole — April 6, 2006 @ 11:25 am
James Booker was one of the great New Orleans piano players. He was mentioned in the same breath as Professor Longhair, Huey Smith, Fats Domino. Some people said he was the best of them all. His lifestyle kept him from achieving great success. But he needs to be remembered!
Doc
Comment by Doc Merwin — August 19, 2006 @ 5:10 pm
I’m sure that if you have 33 versions of the song, you’ve heard The White Stripes’ version. If not, I think that you must! It is on their first studio album, The White Stripes (1999)
Comment by Wally — November 5, 2006 @ 1:14 pm
Wish I could here Janis Joplin’s version. Cocker’s is my favourite so far.
Comment by geoff — December 3, 2006 @ 11:57 am