And they were acquainted with the story of Stagolee, but as legend, not family history. Lee was arrested, tried, andafter two trialssentenced to twenty-five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary. In its World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival, It Takes a Lunatic, director Billy Lyons (actor, director, teacher, producer and assistant to Wynn Handman) displays the man behind the mask and reveals there is no mask or gloss to Wynn Handman. Handman is survived by daughters Laura Handman and Liza . Lincoln in the Bardo features a myriad of charactersdead and alive, historical and imaginary who offer perspective and input on the story as it unfolds. The mythmakers work was already done. OnChristmasEve, 1895, a shooting occurred in a North St. Louis saloon that was destined to find a prominentand permanentplace in American oral tradition. It had remained latent in his lungs for several years, but the chemotherapy he needed for a bone marrow transplant weakened his immune system, forcing him to take an enervating TB medicine. This time, there would be no parole; Stack Lee died of tuberculosis in the prison infirmary in early 1912. Prayers for his family. Odum. However, practically all the various iterations of the song have Stagger Lee executed for his crime: In reality, Lee Shelton was paroled in 1909 but found himself in trouble again just two years later. In John Russell Davids papers I found whats almost certainly the oldest published sheet musicStack-O-Lee (A True Story From Life), copyright 1910, by the cringe-worthily named Three White Kuhns. [15][16], Within thirty years of Shelton's death, Benjamin Botkin records stories among the superstitious of his having been born with a caul over his face (signifying one with the power to see spirits and destined for trouble), or of having sold his soul to the Devil (in exchange for the hat, said to be magic, over which he killed Billy Lyons). All rights reserved, The Real Story Behind That Bad Man "Stagger Lee". A couple of summers ago, I started poking around in those collections, and once I started comparing what I thought I knew about the Stagolee legend with what I was seeing in the documentary record, I found that I couldnt stop. George M. Eberhart, probably the most meticulous Stagolee scholar, calls this a slander on Lee Shelton. Amazingly enough, the song may be the most re-recorded in history, with well over four hundred separate recordings to its name. A truly great friend to all and a caring cop! By the time he faced off with Billy Lyons the following Christmas, pistol-whipping had become his specialty; at the coroners inquest, three witnesses said that Shelton struck Lyons with the .44 before shooting him. The murder, reportedly motivated partially by the theft of Shelton's Stetson hat, made Shelton an icon of toughness and style in the minds of early folk and blues musicians, and inspired the popular folk song "Stagger Lee." The song exploded in popularity and became #1 on the Billboard Pop Charts. David interviewed them extensively and found documentary support for their claim. Rest in peace dear friend. Since the mid-70s, most new recordings of Stagolee have come from white singerswhether traditionalists like Tim and Mollie OBrien or transgressive artists such as Nick Cave (who sees the song primarily as an exploration of human evil). "Billy Lyons" redirects here. The factory was guarded by two vicious bulldogs., Sheltons parting gesture, in other words, was to will his meager possessions to the biggest drug kingpin in St. Louis. Less than a year later, Andersons ramshackle brick house was raided by police, who discovered what an IRS agent called the largest cocaine and opium distribution plant in the United States. You can check Billy out in the film John Nieto: An American Spirit Walk, he also has a part in the new release "Rough Boys". That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O Lee, And all they gathered, hands way up high, Experience actor . She claimed thatthis song is sung by the Negroes on the levee while they are loading and unloading the river freighters. In 1911, Shelton broke into a mans home, murdered him, and was sent to prison, but by 1912, Shelton received yet another pardon from another governor, apparently due to political pressure. Bill, you will be missed, great man, great cop!! Nuno Marques Planeamento e Atividades Econmicas at Municpio de Setbal . These are the bare bones of the case, upon which have been piled countless folk tales, legends, and outright lies, ultimately giving rise to what has become one of the most popular American murder ballads as well as one of the most widely adapted song in our national history. Lyons was taken to the Dispensary, where his wounds were pronounced serious. Billy "Spacey" Lyons is an Actor, Musician, Tattoo Artist and Motorcycle Enthusiast. He was 39. . Here are prison records with Stack Lees signature and fingerprints. According to the Globe-Democrat, his trial for Lyonss murder had to be pushed back because the two chief witnesses couldnt be found: Deputy Sheriff Ruler said he had reason to believe that [the witnesses] had been paid to leave the city. Paulo Anes Poet Lisboa. He was 80 years old. Molly Lyons (Molly Susan Lyons) was born on 14 July, 1978 in USA, is an Actor. View Billy Lyons' profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Cecil Brown, author of 2003's Stagolee Shot Billy, has used the witness statements from Lyons' inquest to compile an account of the night's events. Another version was recorded later that year by Frank Westphal & His Regal Novelty Orchestra, and Herb Wiedoeft and his band recorded the song in 1924. According to the prison record, he had a face and torso that boasted several scars. David Lyons was in Nine Network police drama called Sea Patrol and he was playing Leading Seaman Josh Holiday in the first series of the show since 2007 up to 2009. I havent been able to track down the surviving documents he apparently saw. clide delaney Personal trainer and group fitness instructor Irlanda. That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O Lee. Walter O'Keefe: August 18, 1900 June 26, 1983 American David has maintained a good relation with several TV and movies star and according to them, David is very helpful and kind hearted guy. Another version was recorded later that year by Frank Westphal & His Regal Novelty Orchestra, and Herb Wiedoeft and his band recorded the song in 1924. The original bad man has been supplanted by the multitudes he always containedfirst Dolemite, Shaft, and Super Fly, then Ice Cube, 2Pac (who once threatened his rivals, My .44 make sure all yall kids dont grow), and Gucci Mane, who literally killed a man for trying to steal his gold chain and then bragged about it on a track. It Takes a Lunatic is his first film. Lee Shelton may have had a wife of his own. The Macks were not just 'urban strollers;' they presented themselves as objects to be observed. Unable to get parole, he died in the hospital of the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City on March 11, 1912, from tuberculosis. The events that inspired the murder ballads Frankie and Johnny and Duncan and Brady occurred within a few years, and a few blocks, of the Stagolee killing. September 14, 2019. The songs play up the importance of Stagolee's Stetson hat as a symbol of manliness. Today were bringing you another entry in American Blues Scenes exclusive Brief History of a Song series. Handy wrote that it probably was a nickname for a tall person, comparing him to the tall smokestack of the large steamboat Robert E. For all of us who know and love him, it's our turn to . [1], In January 2020, he appeared in an episode of Doctor Who, alongside Jodie Whittaker, Jo Martin and The Judoon. The historical Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton, an African American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 19th century. That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O Lee, Billy de Lyon told Stack O Lee, Please dont take my life, Its strikingly close to what actually happened, right down to the names of the principals and the caliber of the murder weapon. Thats one detail that the songs, understandably, have tended to get wrong, insisting that the bad man went proudly to the gallows. The first evidence for it is a reference to "Stack-a-Lee" being performed by "Prof. Charlie Lee, the piano thumper" in the Kansas City Leavenworth Herald in 1897. On Feb. 26, 1993, a truck bomb built by Islamic extremists exploded in the parking garage of the North Tower of New York's World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others. In November 1894, he beat a man with a revolver, fracturing his skull and inflicting five severe scalp wounds. Less than two months later, he fired a shot without effect at Thomas Gibson. He then hit Gibson over the head with the butt of the gun. At one point, David asks Myles when she first heard the family story about Stack Lee and Billy, and she says, Well, a song came out. When he invites Johnson to share the familys version of the legend, Johnson singsin a beautiful, mournful voicethe lyrics to Lloyd Prices number-one hit. [7] The crime quickly entered into American folklore and became the subject of song, as well as folktales and toasts. From 1982 to 1984, two masked professional wrestlers were billed as Stagger Lee in the Southern US; Sylvester Ritter, better known as Junkyard Dog, played him first in Mid-South Wrestling and James Ware, who became Koko B. Ware, followed suit in the Continental Wrestling Association. That bad man, oh cruel Stack O Lee, Gentlemans of the jury, what do you think of that? Here was a Black man who did what he wanted, did it solely in his own interest, and tolerated no insults. Had a remarkable Career. We know from these statements that Lyons left . Handy wrote that explanation in 1926, "Stack O' Lee" was already familiar in United States popular culture, with recordings of the song made by pop singers of the day, such as Cliff Edwards. 1939 - John Amos, American actor 1943 - Cokie Roberts, American journalist 1944 - Mick Jones, English guitarist, and songwriter 1948 - Grard Depardieu, French-Russian actor . September 8, 2019. There was no lack of carnal opportunity in Lee Sheltons part of town. When I spied Billy de Lyon, he was lyin down on the floor Police officer, how can it be? After a century of vilification, its time to separate Lee Shelton the man from Stackolee the myth., A few Newspapers.com searches, however, reveal that Lee Shelton was indeed a serially violent man, even by the standards of the citys Bloody Third district. So we're lucky to have a full cast, totaling 166 narrators (including stars like Ben Stiller, Keegan-Michael Key, Julianne Moore, and Don Cheadle), lending their talents to this paranormal historical tale. There, the infamous brothel, colloquially known as the Bucket of Blood, could operate without fear of civic interference. He has touched so many lives. Below we countdown to Billy Lyons upcoming birthday. Billy Lyons succumbed the next morning, one of five murder victims in St. Louis that Christmas Day. He wore gold rings on his fingers and carried a gold-headed cane. You can rest everybody but cruel Stack O Lee During his field recordings, John Lomax oftenrecordedthe Stagger Lee song by various groups in the American South, from Texas to theAppalachia, often times in prisons. The quartet included Hugh Bradley, Marty Hale and Bill Lyons. When I contacted Davids widow, Judith, in the summer of 2019, she asked if Id like to have it. Author and music critic Greil Marcus explicitly ties the Stagger Lee archetype to Sly Stone and his album There's a Riot Goin' On in his book Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music. Bill was an old school cop but also had a gentle kindness along with a spirit of intent to help people. Lee Shelton had no prior criminal record that anyone could locate, and William Lyons was listed as single on his death certificate. Lyons died from his wound shortly afterwards. HarperCollins published "A Lush and Seething Hell" by John Horner Jacobs in 2019. LaTonia Pearson, the great-great-great-granddaughter of William Lyons and Lena Northcross, told me that her grandmother Rosealee wouldnt have been inclined to share something so negative with her children.. But the fact is that when children live in an orphanage, theyre usually orphans. [3] In addition to those activities, he was the captain of a black Four Hundred Club, a social club with a dubious reputation. However, the definitive version of the song came out in 1959 when rhythm-and-blues singer Lloyd Price topped the charts with his snappy, horn-drenched version. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 43 years old? Nonetheless, Stagger Lee spread with extraordinary speed, beginning shortly after the actual killing. David Lyons, currently appearing as Billy Walters in Billy Wonderful at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool until 4 April. That year, musicologist John Lomax received a partial transcription of the song,[11] and in 1911, two versions were published in the Journal of American Folklore by the sociologist and historian Howard W. In a typescript draft of Davids book, I found the following: Surviving documents record that two of the Lyons childrenFlorence and Mariewere already in St. Louis Colored Orphans Home by May of 1894 where they were baptized by Father Cassius Mason of All Saints Episcopal Church. They include such exalted artists as Ma Rainey, Cab Calloway, Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, James Brown, Fats Domino, Peggy Lee, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Carl Sandburg, Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson, Pete Seeger, Ike and Tina Turner, Nick Cave, Amy Winehouse, Taj Mahal, Wilson Pickett, Elton John, Leon Russell, the Grateful Dead, Huey Lewis, Beck, the Black Keys, and the Clash. The death certificates of both Marie and Florence, for example, list Lyons as their biological father. This did not impede him from building cribs in back of his house, where some of his girls conducted business under his watchful eye. . Privacy Policy, In 1928, Mississippi John Hurt recorded a definitive 1928 version of Stagolees story, Eric McHenrys annotation to the murder ballads oldest known lyrics, https://theamericanscholar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mchenry_audio.mp3, Hilary Mantel, one of Britains most revered novelists, died last year at the age of 70. According to the lines in the song, it was over a game of chance: In fact, if the local newspapers are to be credited, the altercation was political in nature. Occupation. Join to connect billy lyons. Click To Watch Free 'NAACP Image Awards 2023' Live Stream. In 1909, then-Missouri governor Joseph Wingate Folk gave Shelton a full pardon on Thanksgiving day. Several older versions give Billy's last name as "De Lyons" or "Deslile". Shared with Public Grid view Feed View 3 Connect with Billy Lyons on Facebook Log In or Create new account Except that the evidence hasnt been missing; its just been missed. Theres also Billys stepdaughter to consider. You can check Billy out in the film John Nieto: A Billy Wonderful attempts to recreate. Mississippi John Hurt, Cab Calloway, Woody Guthrie, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Beck are among the hundreds who have sung a version of Stagolees story. Ive got two little babies and a darlin, lovin wife. Stack O Lee killed Billy de Lyon about a five-dollar Stetson hat The prolific Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent's cause of death was revealed after he passed away on Saturday (February 25), at the age of 92. Cedric is the grandson of legendary bluesman R.L. The story was first covered in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat on December 28th, 1895. Permission required for reprinting, reproducing, or other uses. It only took until 1902 or 1903, depending on the source, for the first printed lyrics referring to the Stagger Lee murder. Price also recorded a toned-down version of the song that changed the shooting to an argument between two friends for his appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. This was ready-made folklorea set piece for which every essential prop had been provided. Now, the journalism of the day was appallingly poora hodgepodge of hack reporting, rumor, speculation, and opinion, seasoned liberally with racism. He was a native . The discussion grew increasingly heated, and fueled by a significant intake of spirits, Lee dented Billys derby, whereupon Billy grabbed the Stetson from Lees head. The simplest answer may be racism. The feud between Stagger Lee and Billy Lyons is as legendary as the one between the Hatfields and the McCoys; a truly American folk tale, retold countless times, about Stagger shooting Billy Lyons over, varyingly, a Stetson hat, a woman, a gambling debt, politics, or simply because Stagger was that mean of a man. He was Bridgewater's brother-in-law, and had been attacked at Curtis' before. Or they may be descended from another Billy Lyons altogether, whose death orphaned three young children and left a vacuum of information in which family lore and folklore would eventually merge. The historical Lee Shelton was an African American man born in 1865 in Texas. In 2007, Samuel L. Jackson played Stack-O-Lee in the movie Black Snake Moan, backed by Cedrick Burnside and Kenny Brown. As per our current Database, Billy Lyons is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020). Lee Shelton (March 16, 1865 March 11, 1912), popularly known as "Stagolee," "Stagger Lee," "Stack-O-Lee," and other variations, was an American criminal who became a figure of folklore after murdering Billy Lyons on December 25th, 1895. And here is the tape of David interviewing Ed McKinney, an elderly musician with an encyclopedic knowledge of St. Louis history. Billy Crudup photographed by Bronwen Sharp Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern and Managing Director Suzanne Appel are pleased to release photos from the 40th Anniversary Gala hosted at The Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street). Neil Robert Stuke (born 22 February 1966 in Deal, Kent) is an English actor best known for his role of Matthew in the TV sitcom Game On and more recently for playing Billy Lamb in the BBC legal drama Silk . 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