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St James Infirmary Blues

Kids of today need more cartoons like this!

Fleischer’s Snow White was animated by ONE person, produced by a Jewish animation studio, in the Depression, featuring images of gambling and alcohol, starring a jazz singer.

This is the great Cab Calloway singing St James Infirmary Blues in Fleischer’s Snow White:

I’m guessing the ‘Oh Koko’ that opens the White Stripes version is a reference to this?

There definitely seems to be more than a dash of this to the Wiyo’s Dyin’ Crapshooters Blues too.

Edit: from the song’s Wikipedia entry:

Bob Dylan used the melody in his song “Blind Willie McTell” (released on Bootleg Series, Volumes 1–3), named for blues singer Blind Willie McTell (who recorded a version of the song under the title “Dying Crapshooter’s Blues”); the song makes reference to a “St. James Hotel.”

(via Kottke)

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