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:
Blind Jesse Harris [as Brady; John A. Lomax recording]
Lead Belly [for Folkways]
Dave Van Ronk [learned it from Paul Clayton]
Bob Dylan [during sessions with David Bromberg; saved up for Bootleg Series Vol 8 (deluxe edition)]
Chris Smither [as Been On The Job Too Long]
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)