King David’s Jug Band – “Sweet Potato Blues”
King David’s Jug Band was a popular attraction in Cincinnati, Ohio’s West End in the early 20’th century. Named for guitarist David Crockett, the group also featured Sam “Stovepipe” Jones on, well, just about everything. As a “one-man band” performing in speakeasies during prohibition and on the street, Jones played guitar, harmonica and kazoo (through a stovepipe!) all at once, while sporting a stovepipe hat (of course!). As King David’s Jug Band, they recorded six sides for Okeh Records. “Sweet Potato Blues,” provides a glimpse of this eccentric and very talented act.
After his debut appearance in a comic strip by E. C. Segar, Popeye the Sailor became a beloved star of: radio, TV, theater, movies, popular songs, and even pinball and video games. In short, Popeye was successful in every arena he could possibly appear in. This very early version of the “Popeye the Sailor Man” theme song is enough to inspire even the most squeamish of kids to try some gooey, slimy, canned green spinach for the first time.
Here is Collins & Harlan’s original recording of the novelty classic, “The Aba Daba Honeymoon” composed by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan. Popular in its day, the song later became a hit for Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter, reaching #3 on the US Billboard chart in 1951. Merv Griffin and others also had success with the song, which has often been featured prominently in cartoons, movies and TV shows by The Three Stooges, Laverne and Shirley and others. It all started with this monophonic recording, released on Edison Disc in 1914.