James Booker: St. James Infirmary

[57dogsbody]

some motherfuckers (dealers in harlem) pulled his eyeball out with a pair of pliers over an unpaid drug debt, poor man had a hard life.

[country12able]

BEBY OK  NEW ORLEANS !

[boojb]

AMAZING!!!!

[skyhighharbor]

Now this, my friends, is music!

[vinspizz]

Fantastic !!!

[PetrucciJunior4]

I was named after this guy! :D

[mozelle58]

I remember him at the Maple Leaf moons ago.

[aprilvan44]

I knew I should have f*cked him that night when I had the chance. He died a couple of days later. Damn! A great musician like that, what a soul.

[fleecyboy]

Luca Sestak, a German 16 year old pianist, also says James Booker is his idol. If you don't know LuckyLuca99 listen up -- the lad is coming on strong in Booker footsteps!

[MultiKZB]

Stayed in New Orleans for 3 nights in the '70s...lived in San Diego since 1948...this rendition reminds me that "home" is New Orleans...that is where my heart is....

[mscarolannstaples]

If you listened to Henry Butler he also give credit to James... Thank you Mr. Booker for giving us so much..

[ddd3240]

Thanks for postin this one. Good music is easy to find. Excellent music is a whole lot harder. This one is in a whole nuther realm.

[asinn44111]

I love this guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don wana end up in St James infirm.

[VerbinStudios]

this song makes you weep. sheesh

[Bosanacmele]

this makes me wanna move to new orleans

[bittersandblueruin]

Does anyone have any recommendations for artists or albums with this kind of blues piano sound?

[TRlPZ]

@bittersandblueruin Professor Longhair, Bobby Bland, Dr John, and Allen Toussaint would be a good start, though there are so many good ones. Booker is definitely my favorite though.

[southparkforever1]

@bittersandblueruin OTIS SPANN. its not quite like this but im sure you'll love him.

[larrybeetree]

@bittersandblueruin some of most beautiful blues instramentals on Trouble in mind. recorded copenhagen, denmark l980 Archie Shepp sax, Horace Parlan piano. Just sax and piano. no vocals. 12 tunes. cd is availble.

[MultiKZB]

Ah, so sweet and poignant...and to think that Charity Hospital where James was born and died is still not open! Your music will always resonante. RIP

[missspoonful]

@9thwardjukebox and @vercingeteroixXIII: It breaks my heart to know there are so many NOnians away from their unique and beautiful home. I sincerely wish and hope very strongly that you will find your way back to where you believe you belong, VercingetorixXIII And @9thwardjukebox, were you really in When the Levees Broke?

[kevnito]

anyone know what the monologue at the end is about?

[cjdore99]

@kevnito Just NewOrleans jive..  Maybe 10%relevancy at that time

[jack042065]

Greatest Piano player ever out of New Orleans Man Oh Man OH MAN oh MAN .. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMM

[jack042065]

Greatest Piano player ever out of New Orleans Man Oh Man OH MAN oh MAN .. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMM

[jarooism]

THIS KILLS ME! A BAD MO FO HE WAS.

[DavidJohnsonsbag]

His piano playing is so amazing it sounds like hes playing a harp, running his fingers over the keys.

[unionguy36]

Great stuff. But I gotta say, "best piano player ever from New Orleans" is a very tough category to compete in. Professor Longhair, Jelly Roll Morton, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Fats Domino, Tuts Washington, Ellis Marsalis... the list goes on and on.

[1blastman]

@unionguy36 The pianists that you mentioned that are still alive would readily admit that Booker was in a class by himself. But current players like Tom McDermott, David Torkanosky, Harry Connick, Jr., Joshua Paxton, George Winston and John Cleary - to name a few, all place him among the greatest.

[9thWardJukebox]

The best piano player ever from New Orleans. I know dat 'cause I'm here, hungover below sea level. Who dat!

[logan3185]

Haha. Cool.

[VercingetorixXIII]

@9thWardJukebox who dat from California... me miss dat... one day you think we will all be able to walk back home, like war torn people, just walk home like none of this ever happened? walk to our houses? see our trees and smell our dirt again? Smell the rain hitting the french quarter streets again and the heat and smell that rises from the rain? cars driving by and splashing water on me and I dont even care...

[VercingetorixXIII]

@VercingetorixXIII Sometimes I feel like screaming, because if I dont go back I will die here, maybe what I love dont exist anymore, dont know, hope it does...

[9thWardJukebox]

@VercingetorixXIII New Orleans will always be in your heart and soul. You are part of it and it is a part of you. It will always exist for and in you as "something" no one else could ever understand; even those who visit here and love it.

[50420052908]

@VercingetorixXIII I FEEL THE SAME WAY :O( EVERYDAY

[9thWardJukebox]

@VercingetorixXIII I'm guessing that I don't need to tell you that most everything east of Orleans Ave. and west of Claiborne Ave. is still struggling but are making great strides. I said it in when the levees broke that it would be 10 years for most of the reminders to vanish. We're halfway there now and I think this timetable may come to pass. Who Dat!

[Academic1Researcher]

@9thWardJukebox Im Gonna Die In New Orleans Forever Loyal

[9thWardJukebox]

@Academic1Researcher I hope "dat's" a long way off!!!

[Academic1Researcher]

@9thWardJukebox Yeah that's not any time soon i got jazz and blues to play haha

[coolgreg1]

my favorite piano player bar none

James Booker RIP

he didn't need a steinway... Booker could make a cheap apartment size sound like the soul of 1000 men