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In the Jailhouse Now (WORD)
In the Jailhouse Now (PDF)
YOU CAN PLAY IN THE SAME KEY AS THE 1ST RECORDING IN GCEA TUNING IF YOU PUT YOUR CAPO ON THE 4TH FRET!
Jimmy Rodgers' version of "In the Jailhouse Now" was recorded February 15, 1928, and features Rodgers on vocals and guitar. Rodgers included his famous yodel throughout the song. He recorded a sequel titled "In the Jailhouse Now—No. 2" in 1930, which follows the misadventures of a man named Campbell.
Prior to 1930, several different versions of it were recorded and copyrighted. The earliest is Davis and Stafford's 1915 version, which has verses about a man named Campbell cheating at a card game and a corrupt election. In 1924, Whistler's Jug Band from Louisville, Kentucky, recorded it under the title "Jail House Blues," which was the same title as a famous blues tune by Bessie Smith but was, in fact, the same song as "In the Jailhouse Now".
In O Brother, Where Art Thou?, "Delmar" (Tim Blake Nelson) sings a rendition, with "Pete" (John Turturro) yodeling between the verses, prior to the Soggy Bottom Boys' main number, "Man of Constant Sorrow". The other "Soggy Bottom Boys" songs are lip-synched, but Tim Blake Nelson sings his own vocals on this song, while Turturro's yodeling is actually performed by Pat Enright of the Nashville Bluegrass Band.