Playlist: Music was also really dirty in the early 1900’s

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Every so often we hear people getting upset about how dirty music has become in this day and age. Believe it or not there have been songs by famous musicians (like Cab Calloway pictured above) about drugs and sex for almost a century. Scroll down and listen to the playlist The Music Odyssey has compiled of edgy songs from the 1920’s-1950’s:

Seems you can’t listen to music today without hearing some reference or other to sex, drugs and crime. Well, guess what kids, it ain’t nothing new! Join the Odyssey for an hour of vintage jazz, blues and folk brought to you by a motley crew of junkers, jivers, vipers, dope-fiends, hookers, boozers and crap-shooting sinners.

Some of these tracks are extremely old – in fact, the most recent track on here is 59 years old, so you’ll have to excuse the sound quality as the recordings were made from dusty old 78s…Personally, I think it adds to the charm.

Pace yourself, listen responsibly.

1) Bea Foote – Weed (1938)
2) Jo Jo Adams – When I’m In My Tea (1949)
3) Harry ‘The Hipster’ Gibson – Who Put The Benzedrine In Mrs Murphy’s Ovaltine? (1947)
4) Lucille Bogan & Walter Roland – Shave Em Dry (1935)
5) Blind Blake – Champagne Charlie Is My Name (1932)
6) Charlie Poole and The North Carolina Ramblers – Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down (1927)
7) Jimmie Rogers – Gambling Barroom Blues (1932)
8) Memphis Millie – Down In The Alley (1920s)
9) Champion Jack Dupree – Junkers Blues (1940)
10) Nelson Alexander – Drink Up, Light Up (1940s)
11) Joe Liggins – Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice (1954)
12) Charlie Aldrich – Kinsey’s Book (1954)
13) Mabel Scott – Just Give Me A Man (1946)
14)Cab Calloway & His Cotton Club Orchestra – Reefer Man (1932)
15)Cab Calloway & His Cotton Club Orchestra – The Man From Harlem (1932)
16) Claude Hopkins – It’s Too Big Poppa (1945)
17) The Treniers – Poon Tang (1952)
18) Georgia White – Walking The Street (1937)
19) Dick Justice – Cocaine (1928)
20) Lil Green – Knockin Myself Out (1941)
21) Andy Kirk & His 12 Clouds of Joy – All The Jive Is Gone (1936)

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