who performed the best version of 'stagger lee'.....blues fans will know the story/song

ive been running through youtube listening to a lot of the renditions and these two are my fav...

en.wikipedia.org...

"Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee" and other variants, is a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by "Stag" Lee Shelton in St. Louis, Missouri at Christmas, 1895
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The historical "Stagger Lee" was Lee Shelton, an African-American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri in the late 19th century. He was nicknamed "Stag Lee" or "Stack Lee", with a variety of explanations being given for the moniker: he was given the nickname because he 'went "stag"', meaning he was without friends; he took the nickname from a well-known riverboat captain called "Stack Lee"; or, according to John and Alan Lomax, he took the name from a riverboat owned by the Lee family of Memphis called the Stack Lee, which was known for its on-board prostitution.[1] He was well known locally as one of the "Macks", a group of pimps who demanded attention through their flashy clothing and appearance.[2] In addition to these activities, he was the captain of a black "Four Hundred Club", a social club with a dubious reputatio
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#2...the black keys....'stack shot billy'.....its awesome



#1...sam jackson from black snake moan....'stack o lee'.....(language)




a lot of people covered this song...woody guthrie..bob dylan...amy winehouse...the isley brothers...elton john...

these are my fav's....

yours?

a reply to: Grovit

a reply to: Grovit

Always liked Taj Mahal's joint.

YOUTUBE

Wilbert Harrison or Lloy Harris, Harris' version is the one I grew up with on beach music radio and the oldies stations.

oops bad language!!! From Nick Cave, still my favorite but totally inappropriate for a site like this one with so many kids around.


How about this one....

www.youtube.com...

Wilson Pickett for the win!



Let's not forget Professor Longhair:

Cool thread. I love tracking traditional songs and really like variations on a theme. To me music should be passed on, reworked, reinterpreted and at the same time, keeping the continuity.



here are a couple links that list the variations and historical info

www.staggerlee.com...

artsites.ucsc.edu...

a vote for the keys here

its still jackson then keys for me..

for a different flavor on it..

what up doctor house

a reply to: Grovit

Elvis!


But it doesn't get any better than this!

Yeah would have to be Mississippi John Hurt to be honest...but there are so many good versions.

A couple of others are

The version by Lucious Curtis and Willie Ford from the Alan Lomax recording Blues Songbook



Also the version from the Negro Prison Blues & Songs Lomax recording sung by Bama