Stovepipe No. 1, (August 7, 1890 – unknown) born probably Samuel Chambers Jones was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

musician and songster, active in the

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

area of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He made his first recordings in 1924.

Biography

Jones was born in

Paducah, Kentucky Paducah ( ) is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in the Upland South, and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The most populous city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located in the Southeastern Unit ...

on August 7, 1890. By the early 1910s, he had relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was known as a street singer and

one-man band A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical or electronic contraptions. One-man bands also often sing while they perform. The simplest type of "one-man ban ...

who played in many different styles and for black and white audiences. Jones became known for playing a stovepipe in the same manner as a

jug A jug is a type of container commonly used to hold and serve liquids, but not normally to drink from directly. It has an opening, sometimes narrow, from which to pour or drink, and has a handle, and usually a pouring lip. Jugs throughout histor ...

, as well as wearing a

stovepipe hat A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or som ...

; contributing to his later nickname. In 1924, Jones made his recording debut for

Gennett Records Gennett Records () was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s and produced the Gennett, Starr, Champion, Superior, and Van Speaking labels. The company also produced some Supertone, ...

. While playing in the streets of Cincinnati, Jones had adopted the nickname "Daddy Stovepipe", in reference to his stovepipe playing. Jones wished to be billed as "Daddy Stovepipe" on his records, however, Chicago based blues musician

Johnny Watson Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Variant ...

had coincidentally recorded under that name six days prior. Jones then chose to adopt the name Stovepipe No. 1, perhaps as a way to brand himself as the 'original'. Jones also recorded under the name "Stovepipe Jones", "Stovepipe Jazz Band", and "Sam Jones". None of Jones' Gennett recordings were issued. A few months later, Jones recorded for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He recorded 20 sides in these sessions, only six of which were issued, on both the Columbia and

Harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

labels. The issued songs show a variety of music styles, from

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

. Jones returned to the studio in 1927, being accompanied by blues guitarist and singer David Crockett. Crockett was a more sophisticated guitar player than Jones, who became a regular recording partner throughout the remainder of his recording career. In these sessions, they recorded six sides, four of them being issued by

Okeh Records OKeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name originally was spelled "OkeH" from the init ...

. This was Jones' last session where he was given leading credit. Jones may have also recorded with Bob Coleman's Cincinnati Jug Band during the 1920s. In 1930, Jones and Crockett, along with a group of unidentified musicians, entered the studio under the name "King David's Jug Band". The band recorded six sides for Okeh, all of which were issued. This was the last time Jones recorded. It is not known when Jones died. He is remembered as being alive in the 1960s.

Recordings

1924

Recorded May 16, 1924 in

Richmond, Indiana Richmond () is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana, United States. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,720. It is the principal c ...

for

: * "Six Street Blues" - Unissued * "Them Pitiful Blues" - Unissued * "Dixie Barn Dance" - Unissued * "Spanish Rag" - Unissued * "Hummin' Blues" - Unissued * "In Dey Go" - Unissued Recorded August 18, 1924 in

for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

: * "Stovepipe Blues" - Unissued * "Spanish Rag" - Unissued * "Sixth Street Blues" - Unissued * "Loveland Blues" - Unissued Recorded August 19, 1924 in

for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

: * "Lord Don't You Know I Don't Have No Friend Like You" - Columbia 210-D * "When The Saints Go Marching Through" - Unissued * "I've Got Salvation In My Heart" - Columbia 210-D * "Soon One Morning Death Came Creeping In The Room" - Unissued * "I'm Going To Wait On The Lord" - Unissued * "Bye And Bye When The Morning Came" - Unissued * "Pitiful Blues" - Unissued * "Sundown Blues" - Unissued * "Dan Tucker" - Unissued Recorded August 20, 1924 in

for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

: * "John Henry" - Unissued * "Lonesome John" - Columbia 15011-D * "Cripple Creed and Sourwood Mountain" - Columbia 201-D * "Turkey In The Straw" - Columbia 201-D * "Arkansas Traveler" - Unissued * "Fisher's Hornpipe" - Unissued * "Fisher's Hornpipe" - Columbia 15011-D

1927

Recorded April 25, 1927 for

: * "Court Street Blues" - Okeh 8514 * "Sundown Blues" - Unissued Recorded April 26, 1927 for

: * "Untitled Song" - unissued * "A Woman Gets Tired Of The Same Man All The Time" - Okeh 8514 * "A Chicken Can Waltz The Gravy Around" - Okeh 8543 * "Bed Slats" - Okeh 8543

1930

With King David's Jug Band Recorded December 11, 1930 for

: * "What's That Tastes Like Gravy" - Okeh 8913 * "Rising Sun Blues" - Okeh 8913 * "Sweet Potato Blues" - Okeh 8901 * "Tear It Down" - Okeh 8961 * "I Can Deal Worry" - Okeh 8901 * "Georgia Bo Bo" - Okeh 8961

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stovepipe No. 1 1890 births Year of death missing American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues harmonica players American blues singers American male singers Songwriters from Kentucky Songwriters from Ohio Country blues musicians Gennett Records artists Harmonica blues musicians Jug band musicians Musicians from Paducah, Kentucky Guitarists from Ohio American male songwriters