Viper Mad Blues: 25 Songs of Dope & Depravity

TrackList:
Kickin' the Gong Around - Cab Calloway Time: 2:45
Dope Head Blues - Lonnie Johnson / Victoria Spivey Time: 2:36
Cocaine Habit Blues - Memphis Jug Band Time: 2:15
Pipe Dream Blues - Hazel Meyers Time: 2:33
Smoking Reefers - Larry Adler Time: 2:27
Take a Whiff on Me - Leadbelly Time: 2:24
Killin' Jive - The Cats & the Fiddle Time: 2:18
You'se a Viper - Stuff Smith & His Onyx Club Boys Time: 2:37
The Stuff Is Here and It's Mellow - Cleo Brown Time: 2:12
Reefer Man - Baron Lee & the Blue Rhythm Band Time: 2:16
The Onyx Hop - Frankie Newton Time: 2:13
Knockin' Myself Out - Lillian "Lil" Green Time: 2:24
Junker Blues - Champion Jack Dupree Time: 2:10
Reefer Hound Blues - Curtis Jones Time: 2:13
The Reefer Song - Fats Waller Time: 2:18
I'm Feelin' High and Happy - Gene Krupa Time: 2:11
When I Get Low I Get High - Chick Webb & His Orchestra / Ella Fitzgerald Time: 2:00
Ol' Man River (Smoke a Little Tea) - Cootie Williams Time: 2:16
Blue Reefer Blues - Richard M. Jones Time: 2:22
Cocaine - Jusitce, Dick Time: 2:28
Reefer Head Woman - Jazz Gillum And His Jazz Boys Time: 2:26
Willie the Weeper - Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon Time: 1:54
Cocaine Blues - Luke Jordan Time: 2:35
Blue Rag - Freddy Taylor Time: 2:25
A Viper's Moan - Willie Bryant & His Orchestra Time: 2:41


Viper Mad Blues

Kickin' the gong around (3:25) cab calloway & his cotton club orchestra: Calloway (vcl) directing: Doc Cheatham, Edwin Swayzee, Lamar Wright (tp); DePriest Wheeler, Harry White (tb); Eddie Barefield, Andrew Brown, Arvile Harris, Walter Thomas (reeds); Benny Paine (p); Roy Smeck (g); Al Morgan (b); Leroy Maxie (d); 1933.

Dope head blues (3:14) victoria spivey(vcl); and lonnie johnson (g); 1927.

Cocaine habit blues (1:48) the memphis jug band: Will Slade (hca, g, vcl); Ben Ramey (kazoo, vcl); Charlie Burse (g); Hambone Lewis (jug); unknown banjo; Charlie Nickerson (vcl); 1930.

Pipe dream blues (3:10) hazel meyers (vcl); accompanied by Howard Scott (cor); Fletcher Henderson (p).

Smoking reefers (3:04) larry adler (hca vcl); 1938.

Take a Whiff On me (1:58) leadbelly: (Huddie Ledbetter) (vcl, g); 1934.

Killin' jive (2:51) the cats & the fiddle: Austin Powell, Jimmy Henderson (g); Ernie Price (uke); Chuck Barksdale (b); 1939.

You'se a viper (3:14) stuff smith & his onyx Club boys: Smith (vcl,vln) directing: Jonah Jones (tp); James Sherman (p); Bobby Bennett (g); Cozy Cole (d); 1936.

The stuff is here and it's mellow (1:43) Cleo brown (p, vcl) accompanied by Perry Botkin, Sr. (g); Artie Bernstein (b); Gene Krupa (d); 1935.

Reefer man (1:40) baron lee & the blue rhythm band: Shelton Hemphill, Ed Anderson, Wardell Jones (tp); Henry Hicks, George Washington (tb); Joe Garland, Gene Mikell, Crawford Wethington (reeds); Edgar Hayes (p); Benny James (g); Hayes Alvis (b); O'Neil Spencer (d); Chick Bullock and members of the ensemble (vcl); 1932.

The Onyx hop (1:46) frankie newton & his uptown serenaders: Newton (tp, vcl) directing: Edmond Hall (cl); Pete Brown ( as, vcl); Gene Johnson (as); Cecil Scott (ts); Don Frye (p); Frank Rice (g); O'Neil Spencer (d); Leon LaFell (vcl); 1937.

knockin' myself out (2:58) Lil green accompanied by Simon Henry (p); Big Bill Broonzy (g); Ramson Knowling (b); 1941.

Junker's blues (2:41) champion jack dupree (p, vcl) with Wilson Swain (b); 1940.

Reefer hound blues (2:44) curtis Jones (p, vcl) accompanied by unknown electric guitar and drums; 1938.

The reefer song (2:52) fats waller (p, vcl); 1943.

I'm Feelin' High and Happy (2:42) (The Do-Do Bird's Theme from "Porky In Wackyland") gene krupa & his orchestra: Krupa (d) directing: Tom DiCarlo, Tom Gonsoulin, Dave Schultze (tp); Charles McCamish, Bruce Squires (tb); Murray Williams, George Siravo, Vido Musso, Carl Biesacker (reeds); Milton Raskin (p); Ray Biondi (g); Horace Rollins (b); Helen Ward (vcl); 1938.

When I get low, I get High (2:26) Ella fitzgerald with chick webb & his orchestra: Chick Webb (d) directing: Mario Bauza, Bobby Stark, Taft Jordan (tp); Sandy Williams, Claude Jones (tb); Pete Clark, Edgar Sampson. Elmer Williams, Wayman Carver (reeds); Joe Steele (p); John Truehart (g); Bill Thomas (b); April 1936.

Ol' man river (smoke a little tea) (1:48) cootie Williams & his rug cutters: Cootie Williams (tp); Joe Nanton (tb); Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney (reeds); Duke Ellington (p); Billy Taylor (b); Sonny Greer (d); Jerry Kruger (vcl); April 1938.

blue reefer blues (2:55) richard m. Jones & his jazz wizards: Eddie McLaughlin, Jimmy McLeary, Luther Henderson (tp); Edward Saint (tb); John Davis, John McCullin, ?? Heard (reeds); George Reynolds (p); Huey Long (g); Bob Frazier (b); Eddie Green (d); 1935.
Cocaine (3:01) dick justice (vcl).

reefer head woman (3:00) jazz gillum & his jazz boys: Big Bill Broonzy (g); George Barnes (elec g); unknown (b); Washboard Sam (wbd); 1938.
Willie the Weeper (l:10) frankie "half-pint" jaxon accompanied by Blanche Smith Walton (p); 1927.
Cocaine blues (3:12) luke jordan; 1927.

Blue Drag (3:00) freddy taylor & his swing men from harlem: Freddy Taylor (tp, vcl) directing: Charlie Johnson (tp); Chester Lanier, Fletcher Allen (reeds); John Ferrier (p); Oscar Aleman (g); Eugene d'Hellemmes or Joe Riesta (b); William Diemer (d); Paris, March 1935.

A Viper's Moan (3:13) Willie bryant & his orchestra: Robert Cheek, Richard Clark, Edgar Battle (tp); John Haughton, Robert Horton, George Matthews (tb); Glyn Paque, Stanley Payne, Johnny Russell (reeds); Teddy Wilson (p); Arnold Adams (g); Louis Thompson (b); Cozy Cole (d); Willie Bryant (vcl); January 4, 1935.
cover design Jennifer Schaffer
MOJO RECORDS, 1996