Jesse James
Composer: Traditional
Jerry Garcia recordings
Before The Dead, Jerry Garcia, 2018
Other recordings
George Reneau, 1924
Single, Whitey and Hogan, 1948
Who Built America: American History Through Its Folksongs, Bill Bonyun, 1950
Single, Toby Stroud and the Blue Mountain Boys, 1954
EP, Sonny Osborne, 1956
Appalachian Minstrel, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, 1956
American Ballads, Pete Seeger, 1957
Wanted For Murder: Songs of Outlaws and Desperados, Paul Clayton, 1957
Country Songs Old & New, The Country Gentlemen, 1960
The Sound of a Bluegrass Banjo: Native American Melodies Bluegrass Style, Charles Trent, 1962
Wonderful World Of Bluegrass Music, Bill Harrell & the Virginians, 1963
Thereby Hangs A Tale, Eddy Arnold, 1963
Way Out West With, Alex Campbell, 1963
Blue Grass Taylor Made, Earl Taylor & the Stoney Mountain Boys, 1964
The Folk Box, Various Artists (Jack Elliott), 1964
Legends Of The West, The Sons Of The Pioneers, 1965
The Flat-Picker's Guitar Guide: An Advanced Instruction Record, Jerry Silverman, 1966
Bluegrass From the Blue Ridge: Country Band Music of Virginia, Various Artists (Wade Ward, Fields Ward and Glen Smith), 1967
Songs Of The Old West, Ed McCurdy, 196?
Typical American Boys, Chad Mitchell Trio, 196?
Sounds Of The South, Various Artists (Mountain Ramblers), 196?
Cattle Call, Eddie Arnold, 1971
The Bergerfolk, Vol. 1, Sing for Joy, The Bergerfolk, 1971
Grand Dad of the Country Guitar Pickers, Sam McGee, 1972
Broadside Ballads, Vol. 6: Broadside Reunion, Various Artists (Sis Cunningham, Mike Millius, Wesley Houston), 1972
Sings International Bluegrass, Leon Morris, 1972
Smokin' O.P.'s, Bob Seger, 1972
EP, RHB Express , 1973
Texas Bluegrass, Earl Garner & the Bluegrass Mountaineers, 1973
Early Days Of Bluegrass, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Whitey and Houston), 1974
Early Days Of Bluegrass, Vol. 2, Various Artists (Toby Stroud and The Blue Mountain Boys), 1976
Cowboy Songs, Mark Ross, 1976
The Bergerfolk, Vol. 4, Pack Up Your Sorrows, The Bergerfolk, 1978
Bluegrass Concerto, Osborne Brothers, 1979
Grandad Of The Old Guitar Pickers, Sam McGee, 197?
Southern Soul, Jimmie Arnold, 1983
American Banjo: Three Finger and Scruggs Style, Various Artists (Eric Weissberg, Mike Seeger and Ralph Rinzler), 1990
Cowboy Songs on Folkways, Various Artists (Woody Guthrie), 1991
Cowboy Songs III, Michael Martin Murphey, 1993
Old Time Music, The New Lost City Ramblers & Friends, 1994
Folk Song America, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Bentley Ball), 1994
Rhythm of the Mountains, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 1994
Mountain Music Collection, Vol. 1: Wild and Reckless Men, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 1994
1956-1968, The Osborne Brothers, 1995
Sounds of the South, Various Artists (2 versions), 1995
Music By Ry Cooder, Ry Cooder, 1995
The Capitol Years, The Kingston Trio, 1995
Riverside Folklore Series, Vol. 2: Singing the American Roots, Various Artists (Bascom Lamar Lunsford), 1996
Link In The Chain, Pete Seeger, 1996
This Land is Your Land, The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1, Woody Guthrie, 1997
Grand Dad of the Country Guitar Pickers (Exp CD), Sam McGee, 1997
Southern Journey, Vol. 5, Bad Man Ballads, Various Artists, 1997
My Rough and Rowdy Ways Volume 1, Various Artists (Ken Maynard), 1998
My Rough and Rowdy Ways, Vol. 2, Various Artists (George Reneau), 1998
Heart of Bluegrass, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 1998
The Early Recordings Of Sonny Osborne, 1952-1953, Vol. 1, Sonny Osborne, 1999
Songs For Americans, Earl Robinson, 19??
Frontier Ballads and Cowboy Songs, Bill Bender and Clayton McMichon, 19??
Golden Oldie Classics, Vol. 1, Vernon Dalhart, 19??
Native American Ballads, Various Artists (Harry McClintock), 19??
Neiman-Marcus First Edition, Various Artists (Mac McClintock), 19??
Frontier Ballads And Cowboy Songs, Bill Bender, 19??
EP, Bill Berry and Paul Chaney and the Bluegrass Travelers, 19??
Single, Carl Tipton and the Mid State Playboys, 19??
Old Joe Clark, 19??
Fire On The Banjo, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 2000
Am I Born to Die: An Appalachian Songbook, Mason Brown & Chipper Thompson, 2001
Rhythm of the Mountains: Bluegrass Explores Its Roots, Various Artists (Osborne Brothers), 2002
Tough And Wild, Peter Feldmann & the Very Lonesome Boys, 2003
Bluegrass Early Cuts 1931-1953: Classic Recordings Remastered, Various Artists (Toby Stroud & The Blue Mountain Boys), 2004
Classic Bluegrass From Smithsonian Folkways, Vol. 2, Various Artists (Eric Weissberg), 2005
Red Clay Country, Paul Brown, 2006
Murder, Theft and Devlish Deals, Various Artists (Almeda Riddle), 2009
Notes
Played by Phil Lesh & Friends in 2016.
Played by Jerry Garcia, Marshall Leicester and Robert Hunter at the Carlos Bookstall in San Carlos in July 1961.
One of a 'family' of Jesse James songs.
The lyrics from the San Carlos tape are as follows;
Went down to the station not many days ago
I did something I'll never do again
I got down on my knees and delivered up the keys
To Frank and his brother Jesse JamesChorus
Jesse had a wife, she's a [mourner all her life]
Three children, they were brave
But that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard
[And] laid poor Jesse in his grave[Chorus]
Oh, Jesse was a man that befriended of the poor
He would never see a man suffer pain
But [with his brother] Frank he robbed the [Glendale Train]
And stopped the Glendale train[Chorus]
Well the people in the west when they heard of Jesse's death
They wondered how it was he came to die
It was Ford's pistol ball that [???] wall
And he laid poor Jesse down to die[Chorus]
Now old Jesse's gone to rest with his head upon his chest
And the devil [???]
He was born one day in the country of Clay
And he came from a solitary race[Chorus]
Now this song it was made by old Billy Gashade
As soon as the news did arrive
Said there was no man with the law in his hand
That could take Jesse James when alive[Chorus]