Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five--Deacon Jones

[rankingtrevor]

How utterly typical! I am only surprised chicken or watermelons were not implemented into their performance. Love Louis and the song but the video ruined it LOL

[trucker765]

the crownd is all white, lol

[mandomaniac99]

Jordan looks like he is having so much fun doing this Deacon Jones bit. He really was a talent and absolutely the Father of rock and roll and lordy, lordy hallelujah how he could play that sax.

[busessuck1]

Diggin the Dr Clayton look

[jsjohn2]

Louis Jordan is one of the earliest connections to rap/hip-hop there is. all hail the one of the originals!

[pinstripedpants01]

@jsjohn2 Why is it I hate rap/hip-hop, but absolutely LOVE Louis Jordan? If only Rap/Hip-hop sounded more like this. You know, with singing, the performing of musical instruments and...what's that last one? Oh yeah. Joy. Ha!

[wins151]

I like the intro he knocks out 2 notes per sec then slows it down to speak then speed up again it's like a kind of jazz funk to start with great stuff i also love the jazz dancing it makes me smile i would like to know where is channel i could see more jazz dancing like that thanks.

[wins151]

Great stuff very entertaining no wonder BB King and Chuck Beery looked up to him thanks.

[Ballerfella2007]

Wow I thought that was Flavor Flav for a minute.....Great song though a lengend in the game

[Joypadjunkginger]

Was Deacon jones a real person? or is he, and i know i'l probs getter a lot of hatefor thsi referance but was Deacon Jones like the saint jimmy of 1940 ?

[Azizip17]

@Joypadjunkginger @Joypadjunkginger . Deacon Jones was a 19th century African American folk character who was a church deacon who was known for his sexual activities. This Louis Jordan song is a pop reference to that x rated character. "Uncle Bud" was a similar folk character who was also featured in a number of obscene songs.Google deacon jones mudcat. Also google uncle bud mudcat. Mudcat is a folk music website that has more information about those two African American folk characters.

[hebneh]

The kooky white-rimmed glasses are a wonderful touch.

Too bad the audience of teenagers didn't look more animated when those shots got intercut with this rollicking performance.

Deacon Jones would get mentioned in songs in later years, as one of the people enjoying good rockin' tonight, and so on.

[schizoidboy]

@hebneh To be honest I don't think they were allowed to get animated. It was one thing if an African American got up and danced to this song it would have horrified a white audience if the white kids started dancing to the music. Point of interest one show back in the early sixties got canceled when Frankie Lymon of the Teenagers was shown dancing with a white girl. That's how things were in those days.

[CLM531]

This is HILARIOUS!!! Love Louie Jordan!

[theblack100]

This brotha has soul...

[oxybent]

What is going on with Youtube these days? my comment was NOT posted 11 months ago!

[KeshaMpls]

Flava Flav wishes he had half the style of Louis J!

[leaveblank]

hahaha very very very coool! awesome performance! 5*

[metemi]

He looks like Flava Flav

[AutumnMorales]

you mean flava flav LOOKS LIKE louis jordan...

[AgamemnonPadar]

What amazed me watching this is the fact it seems to be somehow ageless or even modern. Realy beautiful!!!

[bopkick5]

James Brown's number one idol

[iam01]

That last move is KILLIN ME!

[iam01]

He'll help you beat the rug and also help you find a cider jug....LOL!

[69babel]

there's a fantastic clip of his version of "ol man mose" I've seen here on the french classical/jazz channel at three in the morning....please post it if you come across it, it's bawdier and funnier than the other versions of the tune by far...

[Gongfutube]

Excellent excellent!

[DoctorIndie]

I digg the crazy glasses.

[cjtoota1]

LOL...first at church on Sunday...but the last at work on Monday! Love it!

[humanpower]

They don't make em like this anymore, and it's a damn shame they don't.

[occupiedbytim]

What a wonderful talent! All of them!

[lambheartslayer]

love it

[Doooba123]

This is the man that set the foundation of what soul really is, this guy is music history! Got damn! It's unbelieveable there aint more views on such a historical film

[eliotwinder]

more at eliotwinder.blogspot

[dangwangi8]

Now I know where Flava-Flav got his look!

[oxybent]

Thank you, nipsipone, for SHOWING me my favourite artist and number which I have enjoyed on CD for a number of years.

Can I ask all UK viewers to ask their local radio and the BBC to play this in honour of Their Respected-Members-noses-in-the­-trough-Parliament?

[preciouscurlygirl]

racist

[nipsipone]

Grow Up

[ElComadreja777]

I suppose you think "rap" is much more dignified. Smarten up.

[GS2099]

In comprehension 101 you get a FAIL.

[BPsMovies]

I can't stop smiling!

[Finnopq]

what a performer. They don't make 'em like they used to!

[whitefalcon64]

He must be recognized, in some aspect, the father of Rock and Roll

[GreenTea200]

look at louis go. that's hilarious.

actually this is a cleaned up version of the song. the original lyrics, also by Louis Jordan, paint the deacon as a opportunistic lady's man.

see richardsull119's comment for just part of the lyrics.

if you want all of the original lyrics of Deacon Jones, or if you want me to put a video up of the original song, let me know. :)

[CrAzzyWak]

I want the lyrics and the video!

[Malachy777]

Great Tune

[MrPisster]

Wow who else thinks that he looks like an early version of Bootsy Collins in this getup?

[danlefou]

Great dancing, too.

[johnbell58]

That is absolutely fabulous, thanks for posting, and thanks for all the comments - interesting!

[mikesrecords0]

This song and recording were an important root to the early history of rock. Roy Brown and Wynonie Harris recorded Good Rockin Tonight that had lyrics which referred to Deacon Jones "rompin and stompin at the jubilee". Harris version also has handclappng- reflective of gospel roots to rock. Elvis recorded that song on his 3rd sun release.

[YREACREDNEB]

do you know what hallelujah means?

[travisdevose]

hallejah is the highest praise in honor of god.

[richardsull119]

These are different verses from what I have on CD! This is great!

In case anyone stumbles on this video without knowing Louis Jordan, here are the alternate verses:

Who will keep a sister singing? (Deacon Jones!)

Who will also keep her phone a-ringing? (Deacon Jones!)

And when she's all alone at night,

Who will help her see the light? (Deacon Jones!)

Lordy Lord Hallelujah, Deacon Jones!

[richardsull119]

Who's loved by all the congregation? (Deacon Jones!)

And who gives them consoloation? (Deacon Jones!)

When a sister's feeling blue

Who is it that consoles her in her pew? (Deacon Jones!)

Lordy Lord Hallelujah, Deacon Jones!

Who's the country's greatest lover? (Deacon Jones!)

Who makes all other cats take cover? (Deacon Jones!)

And when your gal is leaving you,

Just tell me, who is she going to? (Deacon Jones!)

Lordy Lord Hallelujah, Deacon Jones!

[CurtisMateer]

Thanks.

[monkeyraywatson]

Those white people weren't ready for that shit yet.

[Gutsyndicate]

who cares, this was create entertainment, in the era of depresion!

[JosephNScott]

"Those white people weren't ready for that shit yet." Not true: The year of this film Jordan had a #1 pop single with "G.I. Jive" and a #2 pop single with "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby."

[GS2099]

They were ready... some of them anyway. Jordan had huge crossover action. He was the Snoop Dog of the '40s. ;)

[philipwight]

love how he throws his horn to the side (and hopes someone catches it!)

[azzsocold]

Yeah, that's so true