The Alcoholic Blues (1919)

Written by: Albert Von Tilzer / Edward Laska
O: Billy Murray on Columbia (op 24-01-1919)

Three days later he recorded it for Victor.

In the 1920's severeal artists recorded the song. In the 1930's the tune of te song was used for the song "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues".
In 1939 "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues"was collected by William Wolff at the School for Southern Women Workers. Wolff didn't know the songwriter.

In 1948 Leadbelly recorded, as is written on "Leabelly's Last Sessions", "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues". But that is a mistake on the Smithsonian Record label because Leadbelly played "The Alcoholic Blues". 

In 1946/1947 (others say 1948) Pete Seeger recorded already "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues".
On the record of Pete Seeger however "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues"is credited to Leadbelly/Traditional/Jim Garland. (see AMG and Discogs)

So they didn't know that the tune was from 1919 en that there was a song named "The Alcoholic Blues".


It is possible that Jim Garland wrote the words for "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues"
Because Seeger recorded the song as B-side of "The Death of Harry Simms"on Charter records

From Wikipedia
Jim Garland (April 8, 1905 – September 6, 1978) was a songwriter from the coal mining country of eastern Kentucky, where he was involved with the communist-led National Miners Union (NMU) during the violent labor conflicts of the early 1930s called the Harlan County War.

Garland came to New York City in 1931 with his older half-sister Aunt Molly Jackson and later followed by sister Sarah Ogan where he participated in the Greenwich Village folk music scene.  Two of his best-known songs are "The Death of Harry Simms" and "I Don't Want Your Millions, Mister."

During World War II he moved, together with Sarah's family, to Vancouver, Washington, to work in the shipyard. In 1944 he founded a broom factory which he ran for many years.  Garland sang at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963 and his sister Sarah Ogan Gunning sang there in 1964.

Some recordings


1919-24-01 - Billy Murray - The Alcoholic Blues (Prohibition Song)
1919-27-01 - Billy Murray - The Alcoholic Blues (Prohibition Song)
1919 - Emerson Military Band - Alcoholic Blues
1919 - Irving Kaufman - Alcoholic Blues
1919 - Louisiana Five - Alcoholic Blues
1927 - DeFord Bailey - The Alcoholic Blues
1929 - Doc Daugherty - Alcoholic blues
1948 - Leadbelly - Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues [#]
1948 - Pete Seeger - Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
1956 - Pete Seeger - Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
1957 - Bobby Hackett - Alcoholic Blues
1964 - Chris Hillman - Winsborough Cotton Mill Blues
1975 - Frederic Rzewski - Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
1975 - Peter Yarrow - Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
1983 - Rent Party Revellers - Alcoholic Blues
1986 - Doc Watson & Taj Mahal - Winsborough Cotton Mill Blues




You can get them if you really want