DUNCAN AND BRADY

Created on 20/11/2008
Latest update on 29/11/2023

Artist: Wilmer Watts & his Lonely Eagles
Author: traditional
Label: Paramount
Year: 1929

As Been On The Job Too Long. About a barroom shooting in St. Louis in 1890. Policeman James Brady was shot by bartender Harry Duncan who claimed bar owner Charles Starkes had the gun. Starkes who denied at first, admitted the shooting on his dying bed. Murder ballads sure gain street-cred when set in St. Louis (see Frankie And Johnny).

Covers:

1937:

Blind Jesse Harris [as Brady; John A. Lomax recording]

1942:

Will Starks

1947:

Lead Belly [for Folkways]

1956:

Paul Clayton

1959:

Dave Van Ronk [learned it from Paul Clayton]

1963:

Tom Rush

1963:

Judy Henske

1964:

Koerner, Ray & Glover

1964:

Hoyt Axton

1965:

Martin Carthy

1972:

New Riders Of The Purple Sage

1977:

Tompall Glaser

1992:

Bob Dylan [during sessions with David Bromberg; saved up for Bootleg Series Vol 8 (deluxe edition)]

1993:

Greg Brown & Bill Morrissey

1999:

Chris Smither [as Been On The Job Too Long]

2007:

Martin Simpson

2013:

Frank Fairfield

Contact


If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:

Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)

info@originals.be

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