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Man Smart (Woman Smarter)
Composer: Norman Span (aka King Radio)

Man Smart (Woman Smarter) was performed about 200 times by the Grateful Dead between 1981 and 1995. It has also been performed a number of times by Ratdog. Bob Weir played the song with Kingfish and Bobby & The Midnites. Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann played the song with Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Norton Buffalo, John Cipollina, Barry Melton and Peter Walsh at a Freedom Foundation benefit show in Corte Madera on December 21, 1982.

The song was written by Trinidadian Norman Span who first recorded it, using his performing name King Radio, in New York in 1936.

Man Smart (Woman Smarter) was a hit for Harry Belafonte in 1956. He first released a recording of the song in 1952.

The song occurs on recordings as: Man Smart, Woman Smarter; Man Smart (Woman Smarter); Man Smart and Not Me.



Grateful Dead

info Weir Here: The Best Of Bob Weir, 2004
info Man Smart, Woman Smarter: Weir Here Promo, 2004
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 32, 2004
info Truckin' Up To Buffalo (CD), 2005
info Truckin' Up To Buffalo (DVD), July 2005
info Grateful Dead Download Vol 9: 4/2 & 3/89, 2006
info Road Trips: Vol 4, No. 4: Spectrum 4.6.82, 2011
info All The Years Combine: The DVD Collection, 2012 (bonus song)
info Spring 1990 (box set), 2012
info Spring 1990 (The Other One), 2014
info 30 Trips Around The Sun Box Set, 2015
info July 12 & 13, 1989, Washington, DC, 2017
info Dave's Picks Vol 39, Philadelphia, 4/26/83, 2021
info In and Out of the Garden: '81, '82, '83, 2022

The Dead

info Dead '09: E. Rutherford, NJ, April 29, 2009
info Dead '09: Quincy, WA, May 16, 2009

Furthur

info Feb 8, 2010, Atlanta, GA
info Feb 26, 2010, Uncasville, CT
info July 8, 2010, Lewiston, NY
info November 8, 2010, Minneapolis, MN
info February 13, 2011, Broomfield, CO
info July 23, 2011, Philadelphia, PA

Dead & Company

info Bristow, VA, 22 Jun, 2017
info New York, NY, 14 Nov, 2017
info Hartford, CT, 13 Jun, 2018
info Dallas, TX, Oct 14, 2021
info Chicago, IL, June 24, 2022
info Bristow, VA, July 8, 2022
info Philadelphia, PA, June 15, 2023

Ratdog

info Baltimore MD: October 20, 2003
info Columbus OH: November 8, 2003
info Lawrence KS: November 18, 2003
info Boise ID, March 12, 2004
info Jim Thorpe PA, March 27, 2004
info Verona NY, April 7, 2005
info Norfolk VA, April 29, 2005
info Greensburg, PA, November 4, 2005
info Alpine, CA, June 26, 2006
info Vancouver BC, February 18, 2007
info Concord NH, March 12, 2007
info Camden NJ, August 17, 2007
info Cleveland, OH, March 26, 2008
info Orlando, FL, November 19, 2008

Bill Kreutzmann

info May 2, 2015, New Orleans, Voodoo Dead, 2015

 
Other recordings

no info Single (Frederick Street / Man Smart, Woman Smarter), King Radio with Gerald Clark, April 1936
no info Single (Man Smart, Woman Smarter / My Donkey Want Water), MacBeth the Great w/ Gerald Clark's Original Calypsos, 1945?
no info Single (Man Smart (Woman Smarter) / Jerry (This Timber Got To Roll)), Harry Belafonte, 1952
info Calypso, Harry Belafonte, 1956
no info Single (Chimney Smoke / Man Smart, Woman Smarter), Harry Belafonte, 1956
info Calypsos From The Virgin Islands, The Mighty Zebra, 1956
info Calypsos, The Mighty Zebra with La Motta Brothers, 1956
no info Music to Awaken the Ballroom Beast, The Brute Force Steel Band, 1957
no info EP (Meringo Jenny/Take Her To Jamaica/Pierconela/Man Smart, Woman Smarter), 1958
info Belafonte At Carnegie Hall, Harry Belafonte, 1959
info Limbo Party, Chubby Checker, 1962
info Joan Baez in San Francisco, Joan Baez, 1964
no info Calypso In Brass, Harry Belafonte, 1966
no info Pure Gold, Harry Belafonte, 1975
info Some People Can Do What They Like, Robert Palmer, 1976
no info Passage, The Carpenters, 1977
no info Geraint Watkins & the Dominators, 1978
info Right Or Wrong, Rosanne Cash, 1979
no info Geraint Watkins and The Dominators, 1979
info Secret Agent, Martin Simpson, 1981
info Black Music In Britain, Early Fifties, Vol. 1: Port of Spain Shuffle, Various Artists (Cyril Blake's Calypso Band), 1986
no info All Time Greatest Hits Vol. 2, Harry Belafonte, 1988
no info Banana Boat and Other Famous Folk Songs, Harry Belafonte, 1988
no info 24 X Harry Belefonte, Harry Belafonte, 1989
no info Island in the Sun, Harry Belafonte, 1990
no info Sunshine N' Water, The Jolly Boys, 1990
no info Caribbean's Greatest Hits: Hot Hot Hot, Various Artists, 1991
no info Addictions, Vol. 2, Robert Palmer, 1992
no info Buffy the Vampire Slayer Soundtrack, Various Artists (Dream Warriors), 1992
no info Live in Concert at the Carnegie Hall, Harry Belafonte, 1993
no info Calypso From Jamaica, Harry Belafonte, 1994
no info Rollin' & Coastin' (In Search of America), Ron Kavana, 1994
no info Hah Man, Chuck Brown, 1994
no info Too Much Fun, C.J. Chenier, 1995
no info Caribbean Souvenirs, Vol. 4: Steel Drum Instrumental And Vocal Mixes, Various Artists, 1996
no info Cocktail Mix, Vol. 3, Various Artists (Robert Mitchum), 1996
no info Swingin' Singles, Various Artists (Robert Mitchum), 1996
no info I Am Woman, Various Artists (Roseanne Cash), 1996
no info The Alligator Records 25th Anniversary Collection, Various Artists, 1996
no info For Every Kinda People, Chaka Demus & Pliers, 1997
no info Island Madness, Bolivar, 1997
no info Catch the Buzz, Skip Murphy's Out of the Blue, 1997
no info All-Time Greatest Hits, The Belafonte Folk Singers, 1997
no info The Very Best of Harry Belafonte, Harry Belafonte, 1998
info Fall of Man: Calypsos on the Human Condition 1935-1941, Various Artists (King Radio), 1999
info Calypso at Midnight!: The Live Midnight Special Concert, Various Artists (Macbeth The Great), 1999
info Stranger Than Fiction, Various Artists (Peggy Orenstein), 1999
info Don't Stop the Carnival, Various Artists (Macbeth The Great), 1999
no info 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Robert Palmer, Robert Palmer, 1999
info Greatest Hits, Harry Belafonte, 2000
no info Live at the Fitzgerald Theatre St. Paul MN 4-21-00, The Big Wu, 2000
no info Best of Harry Belafonte, Harry Belafonte, 2000
no info Island in the Sun, Harry Belafonte, 2000
no info True Dare or Promise, Martin & Jessica Simpson, 2000
info Art Of A Legend, Harry Belafonte, 2001
info Right Or Wrong / Seven Year Ache, Rosanne Cash, 2001
no info Very Best of Harry Belafonte, Harry Belafonte, 2001
no info Legendary, Harry Belafonte, 2001
no info Ultimate Collection, Harry Belafonte, 2001
no info Calypso Night, Harry Belafonte, 2001
no info Suspended Alive at the Spider, The Suspenders, 2001
no info The Nina & Frederik Collection: Listen to the Ocean, Nina & Frederik, 2001
no info Rocket 69, Ronnie Lane, 2001
info Island In The Sun, Harry Belafonte, 2002
info Best of Both Worlds: The Robert Palmer Anthology (1974-2001), Robert Palmer, 2002
no info The Masters, Harry Belafonte, 2002
no info Day-O, Harry Belafonte, 2003
no info The Best of Harry Belafonte, Harry Belafonte, 2003
no info The Alan Lomax Collection: Popular Songbook, Various Artists (Macbeth The Great), 2003
no info Ultimate Collection, Robert Palmer, 2003
no info Ain't No One Like, Ronnie Lane, 2003
info On The Road: April 4, 2004, Nottingham, UK, String Cheese Incident, 2004
no info Addictions, Robert Palmer, 2004
no info Best of the Stampeders, The Stampeders, 2004
info Bruce Hornsby Live: October 9, 2004, Charlotte NC, Bruce Hornsby, 2005
info The Essential, Harry Belafonte, 2005
no info Matilda, Matilda: Original Recordings 1949-1954, Harry Belafonte, 2005
no info Gold, Robert Palmer, 2005
no info The Very Best of the Island Years, Robert Palmer, 2005
no info The Original, Harry Belafonte, 2005
no info Hold 'Em Joe, Harry Belafonte, 2005
no info Calypso Hits, Harry Belafonte, 2006
no info Deep as the River, Harry Belafonte, 2006
no info An Evening with Clint Holmes: Live in Las Vegas, Clint Holmes, 2006

As Not Me;
no info All Jamaican Calypsos Series, Vol. 5, Monty Reynolds and His Silver Seas Orchestra, 1957
info Calypso Is Like So, Robert Mitchum, 1957
info That Man, Robert Mitchum, 1967
no info Souvenir of Jamaica, Various Artists, 1998
no info Calypsos from Jamaica, Various Artists, 1998
info From Calypso to Disco: The Roots of Black Britain, Various Artists (Ben Bowers), 1999
no info Sounds of the Caribbean, Various Artists, 1999
no info Caribbean Holiday, Various Artists, 2000
no info Voyager Series: Jamaican Melodies, Various Artists, 2000
info Kings Of Calypso, Various Artists (Ben Bowers), 2001
info The Trojan Box Set: Calypso, Various Artists (Ben Bowers), 2002
info World Music: Caribbean, Various Artists, 2006
info From The Archives 10/12/18, John Kadlecik, 2020
info From The Archives 7/4/20, Splintered Sunlight, 2020
info Live At Brooklyn Bowl, Night 3, Grateful Shred, 2020

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