James "Stump" Johnson
| James "Stump" Johnson | |
|---|---|
Cover of The Duck's Yas-Yas-Yas
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| Background information | |
| Born |
January 17, 1902 Clarksville, Tennessee, United States |
| Died | December 5, 1969 (aged 67) St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Genres | St. Louis blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Labels | QRS, Bluebird, Paramount |
| James "Stump" Johnson (1929–1964) | |
|---|---|
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| Compilation album by James "Stump" Johnson | |
| Recorded | 1929–1964 |
| Genre | St. Louis blues |
| Label | Document |
James "Stump" Johnson (January 17, 1902 – December 5, 1969) was an American blues pianist and singer from St. Louis.
James "Stump" Johnson was the brother of Jesse Johnson, "a prominent black business man," who around 1909 had moved the family from Clarksville, Tennessee, to St. Louis, where he ran a music store and was a promoter. James, a self-taught piano player, made a career playing the city's brothels. He had an instant hit with the "whorehouse tune" "The Duck's Yas-Yas-Yas", "a popular St. Louis party song". The song's title is from the lyric "Shake your shoulders, shake 'em fast, if you can't shake your shoulders, shake your yas-yas-yas."
He made a number of other recordings (some mildly pornographic) under various pseudonyms. One of the more obscene songs was a version of "Steady Grinding", which he recorded with Dorothea Trowbridge on August 2, 1933; the song has the "defiant, sexually aggressive lyrics" early blueswomen were noted for,grinding being slang for copulating.
"Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order," Document DOCD-5250, CD
Compilation/reissue, Agram Blues AB-2007, LP
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