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Jesse James

Composer: Traditional


Jerry Garcia recordings

info Before The Dead, Jerry Garcia, 2018

Other recordings

no info George Reneau, 1924
no info Single, Whitey and Hogan, 1948
no info Who Built America: American History Through Its Folksongs, Bill Bonyun, 1950
no info Single, Toby Stroud and the Blue Mountain Boys, 1954
no info EP, Sonny Osborne, 1956
info Appalachian Minstrel, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, 1956
info American Ballads, Pete Seeger, 1957
info Wanted For Murder: Songs of Outlaws and Desperados, Paul Clayton, 1957
info Country Songs Old & New, The Country Gentlemen, 1960
info The Sound of a Bluegrass Banjo: Native American Melodies Bluegrass Style, Charles Trent, 1962
info Wonderful World Of Bluegrass Music, Bill Harrell & the Virginians, 1963
no info Thereby Hangs A Tale, Eddy Arnold, 1963
info Way Out West With, Alex Campbell, 1963
info Blue Grass Taylor Made, Earl Taylor & the Stoney Mountain Boys, 1964
info The Folk Box, Various Artists (Jack Elliott), 1964
no info Legends Of The West, The Sons Of The Pioneers, 1965
info The Flat-Picker's Guitar Guide: An Advanced Instruction Record, Jerry Silverman, 1966
info Bluegrass From the Blue Ridge: Country Band Music of Virginia, Various Artists (Wade Ward, Fields Ward and Glen Smith), 1967
no info Songs Of The Old West, Ed McCurdy, 196?
no info Typical American Boys, Chad Mitchell Trio, 196?
no info Sounds Of The South, Various Artists (Mountain Ramblers), 196?
no info Cattle Call, Eddie Arnold, 1971
no info The Bergerfolk, Vol. 1, Sing for Joy, The Bergerfolk, 1971
info Grand Dad of the Country Guitar Pickers, Sam McGee, 1972
info Broadside Ballads, Vol. 6: Broadside Reunion, Various Artists (Sis Cunningham, Mike Millius, Wesley Houston), 1972
info Sings International Bluegrass, Leon Morris, 1972
info Smokin' O.P.'s, Bob Seger, 1972
no info EP, RHB Express , 1973
info Texas Bluegrass, Earl Garner & the Bluegrass Mountaineers, 1973
no info Early Days Of Bluegrass, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Whitey and Houston), 1974
info Early Days Of Bluegrass, Vol. 2, Various Artists (Toby Stroud and The Blue Mountain Boys), 1976
no info Cowboy Songs, Mark Ross, 1976
no info The Bergerfolk, Vol. 4, Pack Up Your Sorrows, The Bergerfolk, 1978
no info Bluegrass Concerto, Osborne Brothers, 1979
no info Grandad Of The Old Guitar Pickers, Sam McGee, 197?
no info Southern Soul, Jimmie Arnold, 1983
info American Banjo: Three Finger and Scruggs Style, Various Artists (Eric Weissberg, Mike Seeger and Ralph Rinzler), 1990
no info Cowboy Songs on Folkways, Various Artists (Woody Guthrie), 1991
info Cowboy Songs III, Michael Martin Murphey, 1993
info Old Time Music, The New Lost City Ramblers & Friends, 1994
info Folk Song America, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Bentley Ball), 1994
info Rhythm of the Mountains, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 1994
info Mountain Music Collection, Vol. 1: Wild and Reckless Men, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 1994
info 1956-1968, The Osborne Brothers, 1995
info Sounds of the South, Various Artists (2 versions), 1995
info Music By Ry Cooder, Ry Cooder, 1995
info The Capitol Years, The Kingston Trio, 1995
info Riverside Folklore Series, Vol. 2: Singing the American Roots, Various Artists (Bascom Lamar Lunsford), 1996
no info Link In The Chain, Pete Seeger, 1996
no info This Land is Your Land, The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1, Woody Guthrie, 1997
info Grand Dad of the Country Guitar Pickers (Exp CD), Sam McGee, 1997
no info Southern Journey, Vol. 5, Bad Man Ballads, Various Artists, 1997
info My Rough and Rowdy Ways Volume 1, Various Artists (Ken Maynard), 1998
no info My Rough and Rowdy Ways, Vol. 2, Various Artists (George Reneau), 1998
info Heart of Bluegrass, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 1998
info The Early Recordings Of Sonny Osborne, 1952-1953, Vol. 1, Sonny Osborne, 1999
no info Songs For Americans, Earl Robinson, 19??
no info Frontier Ballads and Cowboy Songs, Bill Bender and Clayton McMichon, 19??
no info Golden Oldie Classics, Vol. 1, Vernon Dalhart, 19??
no info Native American Ballads, Various Artists (Harry McClintock), 19??
no info Neiman-Marcus First Edition, Various Artists (Mac McClintock), 19??
no info Frontier Ballads And Cowboy Songs, Bill Bender, 19??
no info EP, Bill Berry and Paul Chaney and the Bluegrass Travelers, 19??
no info Single, Carl Tipton and the Mid State Playboys, 19??
no info Old Joe Clark, 19??
info Fire On The Banjo, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 2000
info Am I Born to Die: An Appalachian Songbook, Mason Brown & Chipper Thompson, 2001
info Rhythm of the Mountains: Bluegrass Explores Its Roots, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 2002
info Tough And Wild, Peter Feldmann & the Very Lonesome Boys, 2003
info Bluegrass Early Cuts 1931-1953: Classic Recordings Remastered, Various Artists (Toby Stroud & The Blue Mountain Boys), 2004
info Classic Bluegrass From Smithsonian Folkways, Vol. 2, Various Artists (Eric Weissberg), 2005
info Red Clay Country, Paul Brown, 2006
info Murder, Theft and Devlish Deals, Various Artists (Almeda Riddle), 2009

Notes

Played by Phil Lesh & Friends in 2016.

Played by Jerry Garcia, Marshall Leicester and Robert Hunter at the Carlos Bookstall in San Carlos in July 1961.

One of a 'family' of Jesse James songs.

The lyrics from the San Carlos tape are as follows;

Went down to the station not many days ago
I did something I'll never do again
I got down on my knees and delivered up the keys
To Frank and his brother Jesse James

Chorus
Jesse had a wife, she's a [mourner all her life]
Three children, they were brave
But that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard
[And] laid poor Jesse in his grave

[Chorus]

Oh, Jesse was a man that befriended of the poor
He would never see a man suffer pain
But [with his brother] Frank he robbed the [Glendale Train]
And stopped the Glendale train

[Chorus]

Well the people in the west when they heard of Jesse's death
They wondered how it was he came to die
It was Ford's pistol ball that [???] wall
And he laid poor Jesse down to die

[Chorus]

Now old Jesse's gone to rest with his head upon his chest
And the devil [???]
He was born one day in the country of Clay
And he came from a solitary race

[Chorus]

Now this song it was made by old Billy Gashade
As soon as the news did arrive
Said there was no man with the law in his hand
That could take Jesse James when alive

[Chorus]