One of the most popular and covered songs in history is the tale about a very bad man named Stagger Lee. This folk song which had first been recorded in the early 1900’s has been recreated by numerous artists ranging from Duke Ellington and Bob Dylan to the most recent recording by Josh Ritter in 2010. Clearly, Stagger Lee has made a profound impact on American culture and shows no signs of stopping. The story of Stagger Lee (Stagolee, Stackalee, etc.) began in 1895 when Stagger Lee, an African American cab driver, shot a man named Billy Lyons after they had been drunkenly arguing with each other. According to the newspapers Billy had grabbed Stagger Lee’s hat from his head, only to cause Stagger Lee to shoot Billy in the stomach, afterward Stagger Lee, “took his hat from the wounded man and coolly walked away” (History of Stagger Lee). Although this crime is heinous, there is no outstanding difference from the countless other murders that have taken place before and after this one. What makes Stagger Lee a true villain is how he is portrayed in the various versions of songs that have been created. One of the first and most well-known versions is Stack O’Lee Blues by John Hurt made in 1928, I feel that this rendition of the song set the tone for the legend of Stagger Lee. Hurt describes a horrifying picture of a person so evil even the police are afraid to arrest him, “Police officer, how can it be? / You can arrest everybody but cruel Stagolee.” Since then the standard was set and even more gruesome and vivid descriptions of Stagger Lee was introduced to the public. A perfect example of the more harsh bad man is in Lloyd Price’s re-recorded version in which Stagger Lee not only turns into a gambling drunken man but also has Billy pleading for his life, “I’ve got three tiny children and a very sickly wife.” Other renditions of the story continue to get more satanic and morbid, which I believe only draws people to the character more.
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