Origins: Trouble in Mind (Richard M. Jones?)

Subject: RE: Origins: Trouble in Mind (Richard M. Jones?)
From: GUEST,Joseph Scott
Date: 09 May 20 - 11:07 PM

The first recording was by Jones' friend Thelma La Vizzo in 1924 and it's on youtube. It adds a verse, and in the famous chorus section it includes somewhat different lyrics, e.g. her left eye keeps on jumping and the train's going to "satisfy" her mind. Chippie Hill also sang "satisfy" in it in 1926 so I'm not sure who changed to "pacify my mind" when.

Subject: RE: Origins: Trouble in Mind (Richard M. Jones?)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Jul 16 - 10:05 PM

Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:

Trouble in Mind (I)

DESCRIPTION: "Troubled in mind, I'm blue, but I won't be blue always; The sun's gonna shine in my back do' some day." "I'm gonna lay my head on some lonesome railroad line...." "I love all you pretty women, I love you all the same...."
AUTHOR: Richard Jones
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (copyright)
KEYWORDS: courting hardtimes floatingverses
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Lomax-FSNA 313, "Troubled in Mind" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Bertha "Chippie" Hill, "Trouble in Mind" (OKeh 8312, 1926/Conqueror 8937, 1937; Vocalion 04379, 1938) (Circle J-1003, n.d.) (Vocalion 1248, 1929)
Roscoe Holcomb, "Trouble in Mind" (on Holcomb-Ward1, HolcombCD1, ClassOT)
Karl Jones, "Trouble in Mind" (Mercury 2002, 1945)
R. M. Jones: "Trouble in Mind" (Bluebird B-6569, 1936; Bluebird B-6963, 1937)
Lone Star Cowboys, "Trouble in Mind" (Decca 5340, 1937)
Jane Lucas [pseud. for Victoria Spivey] "Trouble in Mind" (Vocalion 03346, 1936)
Lucky Millinder & his Orch.; Rosetta Tharpe, vocalist, "Trouble in Mind" (Decca 48053, rec. 1941)
Jesse Rodgers, "Troubled in Mind and Blue" (Bluebird B-6924, 1937)
Georgia White, "Trouble in Mind" (Decca 7192, 1936), "Trouble in Mind Swing" (Decca 7521, 1938)
Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys, "Trouble in Mind" (Vocalion 03343, 1936; Columbia 20109, n.d.; Conqueror 9041, 1938; Columbia 37306, 1947)
SAME TUNE:
Jack & Lesllie, "Trouble in Mind #3" (Decca 5561, 1938)
Shelton Brothers, "New Trouble in Mind" (Decca 5339, 1937)
Georgia White, "New Trouble in Mind" (Decca 7332, 1937)
File: LoF313

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The Ballad Index Copyright 2016 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.

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And here are the Digital Tradition lyrics. Any corrections?

TROUBLE IN MIND

Trouble in mind, I'm blue
But I won't be blue always,
'Cause the sun's gonna shine
In my backdoor some day.

I'm all alone at midnight
And my lamp is burnin' low
Ain't never had so much
Trouble in my life before.

Trouble in mind, that's true
I have almost lost my mind,
Life ain't worth livin,
Sometimes I feel like dyin'.

Goin' down to the river
Gonna take my ol' rockin' chair
And if the blues don't leave me
I'll rock away from there.

You been a hard-hearted mama
Great God! You been unkind
Gonna be a cold, cold papa
Cause you to lose your mind.

I'm gonna lay my head down
On some lonesome railroad line
And let the two nineteen
Pacify my mind.

Well it's trouble, oh trouble
Trouble on my worried mind,
When you see me laughin'
I'm laughin' just to keep from cryin'.

@blues
filename[ TROUBMND
TUNE FILE: TROUBMND
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

Subject: RE: Trouble In Mind
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 22 Mar 05 - 03:50 PM

In his latest programme Mike Harding claimed the author of Trouble In Mind was Lightnin' Hopkins. The Mudcat SuperSearch does not confirm this but came up with Charlie Segar (words) and Big Bill Broonzy (tune), Alex' Blues Pages have two entries, one credited to Brownie McGhee, the other to Snooks Eaglin, and the DT doesn't lay the credit anywhere. As Richard Jones's name is the only one to be accompanied by a definite copyright date I take it he is the surest bet. Shouldn't this info be added to the DT?

Subject: RE: Richard M. Jones?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler still at the backdoor
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 09:28 AM

Biography by Scott Yanow
The composer of "Trouble in Mind," Richard M. Jones' main significance to jazz was as the leader of an interesting series of recording dates. He played alto horn and cornet with the Eureka Brass Band as early as 1902 and worked as a pianist in New Orleans during 1908-1917. After playing with Oscar Celestin (1918), Jones moved to Chicago where he worked for Clarence Williams' publishing company. He recorded as a piano soloist in 1923, accompanied Blanche Calloway and Chippie Hill on record dates (1925-1926), and led his Jazz Wizards on sessions of his own during 1925-1929. Jones' sidemen included Albert Nicholas, Johnny St. Cyr, Ikey Robinson, Roy Palmer, Omer Simeon, and some lesser-known musicians. Richard M. Jones stayed in Chicago for the rest of his life, leading further sessions during 1935-1936 and 1944, and working as a talent scout for Mercury in the 1940s. All of his records as a leader have been reissued on two Classic CDs.

(source: AllMusic Guide)
RtS

Subject: RE: Richard M. Jones?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler at the backdoor
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 09:12 AM

Richard M. Jones
b.Donaldsville, Louisiana, 13 June 1889; d. 8 Dec 1945

Richard Myknee Jones worked around New Orleans in clubs and cabarets in his teens and in 1919 joined Clarence Williams' publishing company. By 1925 he was A&R man for Okeh (producing the "race" records which were popular with both black and white audiences in the 1920s), from whom he later moved to Decca. A longtime friend of Joe Oliver, for whom he engineered recording contracts with OKeh, Columbia and other companies, Jones was also a fine pianist who recorded prolifically himself from 1923.
From 1925 he made records with his Jazz Wizards, which included such famous names as Albert Nicholas (clarinet), Shirley Clay (cornet), Darnell Howard (clarinet), and Preston Jackson, (trombone). He also composed famous tunes such as "Trouble in Mind" and "Riverside Blues". From the 1940s he was most active as an arranger and talent scout for Mercury
[Digby Fairweather in The Rough Guide to Jazz 2nd ed. 2000]

RtS

Subject: RE: Richard M. Jones?
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 15 Feb 05 - 08:01 PM

Thanks. I guess the answer to my question is, no, he didn't write
anything else I've heard of (though I'm well aware this says more
about me than about him). I tried finding Riverside Blues on the
net, but mostly found Travellin Riverside Blues, by Robert Johnson,
better known to many from Led Zeppelin's recording. Is Riverside
Blues a song or an instrumental?

Subject: RE: Richard M. Jones?
From: GUEST,Lutz Eikelmann
Date: 15 Feb 05 - 04:25 AM

Richard M.Jones composed also the RIVERSIDE BLUES ( recorded by King Oliver ), too, when my memory is right.

Subject: RE: Richard M. Jones?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 15 Feb 05 - 03:53 AM

Heard Humphrey Lyttelton (still playing well at 83-ish)play Trouble in Mind in a great concert at Jagz, Ascot, on Sunday night. He attributed it to Jones and said if there are only 5 tunes on which everything else is based this was surely one of them. He now has the great Karen Sharp on tenor, baritone and clarinet (Kathy Stobart has retired again, probably her arthritic knees won't stand touring) who is young enough to be daughter or granddaughter to rest of the band and also, as Humph remarked, lowers the average height of the band!

RtS

Subject: RE: Richard M. Jones?
From: greg stephens
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 05:53 AM

Richard M Jones is also famous as the authority for a great story about King Oliver. In the pre- Oliver days in New Orleans, Freddie Keppard was famous as the best trumpet player(or cornet, I'm not sure). As King Oliver was getting established, he was frustrated at Keppard's reputaion. Anyway, after a few years, King Oliver thought he was ready,when his band was setting up to play in a bar(Richard M Jones on piano); and Freddie Keppard's Band was in another bar across the street. The Keppard band was in full flood and his bar was full. At this point King Oliver said to Richard M Jones "Hit me in B flat"(without specifying a tune). So Richard MJ banged a Bflat chord, and King oliver stuck his horn out of the window, and proceeded to blus the hottest music New Orleans had ever heard, straight at the bar where Keppard was playing. People duly trooped out of there, and walked across and settled in the Oliver bar. And he turned to Richard M Jones and said "That bastard won't bother me no more".

Subject: RE: Richard M. Jones?
From: greg stephens
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 05:37 AM

I think there is a Richard M Jones Blues knocking around in the jazz repertoire somewhere? And I also have a feeling that King Oliver's Working Man Blues was also written by Richard M Jones. This is all from memory, by the way, so dont accept it as gospeltruth.

Subject: RE: Richard M. Jones?
From: Peace
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 12:38 AM

"Trouble in Mind" copyright 1926 by Richard M Jones.

Subject: RE: Richard M. Jones?
From: Peace
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 12:34 AM

http://www.redhotjazz.com/jones.html

Subject: Richard M. Jones?
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 12:19 AM

Recently I heard a fellow sing Trouble In Mind and attribute it
to Big Bill Broonzy. A trawl through the net shows some sites
agreeing with that attribution, but other (and, in my opinion,
more reliable) ones say it was written by Richard M Jones in
1927. I'm not familiar with Jones - did he write anything else
I'm likely to have heard of?