Joe Cocker: St. James Infirmary Blues

This was a busy week of which I spent a couple of days in Tennessee – so, I am quite behind on my blog posts. Today, I thought I’d make it up with a traditional tune that was released by Joe Cocker in 1972. While “St. James Infirmary Blues” was the flipside of “Pardon Me Sir,” the single was not a big national seller. I remember it getting airplay in Pittsburgh and I bought the single. The “A” side peaked at #51.

The song was originally based on an English folk song named “The Unfortunate Rake” and was adapted by Irving Mills who used the pseudonym of Joe Primrose on his published version. Louis Armstrong made the first recorded version of “St. James Infirmary Blues” in 1928. This live version comes from Cocker’s self-titled fourth (“Joe Cocker”), which is not to be confused with his similarly titled second LP “Joe Cocker!” that was released in 1969.