Artist: Henry Whitter
Author: traditional
Label: Okeh
Year: 1925
About an escaped prisoner with a master trick: "Long John made a special pair of shoes. Just as good a shoes as was ever were worn. Had heels in front and heels behind. You couldn't tell whichaway Lost John gwine". There's an older instrumental harmonica version by Oliver Sims for Columbia. In 1920 W.C. Handy worked this theme out in vaudeville blues Long Gone John/Lost John Dean From Bowling Green, telling the story of an escaped bankrobber from the Bowling Green prison. They let him go to test some new bloodhounds, and while you don't trick these monsters with double heeled shoes, this John was gone for good, straight into legend. See also Paul Oliver's Songsters & Saints - p. 68)
Covers:
Stovepipe #1 [as Lonesome John]
Burnett & Rutherford [for Columbia]
Papa Charlie Jackson [as Long Gone Lost John; reissued on Songsters & Saints Vol. 2 (Matchbox); gets credits for the lyrics]
Bascom Lamar Lunsford [as Lost John Dean]
Jim Jackson [as Long Gone]
Lightnin' & group [Lomax recording on the Barrington State Prison Farm in Texas, reissued on Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues]
Allen Brothers [as Long Gone From Bowling Green]
Sanders Terry [instr. with dog barking harmonica; Lomax recording]
Rev. Mose Platt [John & Ruby Lomax recording]
Merle Travis [on his album Folk Songs Of The Hills]
Woody Guthrie [In Performance in Newark, N.J.]
Uncle Dave Macon [as Long John Green]
Frankie Lee Sims [as I'm Long Long Gone for Specialty]
Louis Armstrong [as Long Gone From Bowling Green]
Lonnie Donegan [n°2 UK]
Alan Lomax [as Long John with Alexis Korner on guitar]
Lightnin' Hopkins [as Long Gone Like A Turkey Through The Corn]
Roy Acuff [as Lost John He's Gone]
Dick Rivers [as C'est long long long]
John Lennon [as Long Lost John on his Anthology]
Leo Kottke [instr.]
Rockets [as Long Long Gone]
Jeffrey Lee Pierce [idem]
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)