Coley Jones
Coley Jones (late 1880s – Unknown) was an American country blues mandolin player popular in Dallas, Texas, in the 1920s. Much of Jones's background, such as his residency, date of birth, and death are obscure, but he is best remembered for leading and recording with The Dallas String Band, with their most known song being the traditional Irish folk tune, "Drunkard's Special." Jones was born sometime in the late-1880s, in Texas, and was associated with music at an early age, first with his family ensemble, which was led by his father, guitarist Coley Jones Senior. With Coley Jones split between duties as the mandolin player and an additional guitarist, the group ventured to performances in various dances, outside theaters, and town squares throughout the state. In 1903, it was first confirmed, through tentative documentation, that Jones had established residency in Dallas, where he was known to reside, until the end of the 1920s, and is presumed to remain for the majority of his life since nothing verifies a change of location. During that time, Jones began his professional career as a member of a traveling minstrel show. Between December 1927 and December 1929, Jones recorded compositions for Columbia Records, first as a solo act accompanying himself with guitar and providing vocals. Among the songs was "Drunkard's Special," which originated (as stated above) from Irish folk music ballads, with alternate titles including "The Merry Cuckold and the Kind Wife" and "Three Nights Drunk." Jones's version later was featured on Harry Smith's prominent compilation album, Anthology of American Folk Music, in 1952, along with many of his contemporaries' recordings. Jones track, "Dallas Rag", best exemplified his expertise at mandolin playing. In addition, Jones was an in-demand session musician, as he worked as a guitarist on tracks by Bobbie Cadillac and Texas Bill Day. His conspicuous presence in the music scene saw Jones as a transitional musical figure, resulting in a distinct Texas-influenced blues sound. All the while, Jones was involved in the group, the Satisfied Five, which included Herbert Cowans, and used to broadcast live from Baker Hotel and radio station WFAA. At approximately the same timeframe, Jones was also a member of the Dallas String Band, alongside Marco Washington on double bass, Sam Harris on guitar and several sidemen. The band produced ten sides during their existence, with each one displaying the group's complex instrumental abilities. The Dallas Strings later evolved into the Coley Jones String Band, notably for including T-Bone Walker. By the end of 1929, no further documentation of Jones is found though it is generally thought he still was performing in Dallas well into the 1930s. |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1885
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927 - 1929
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, guitar, mandolin
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | W145324 | 10-in. | 12/3/1927 | Army mule in no man's land | Coley Jones | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Columbia | W145325 | 10-in. | 12/3/1927 | That's my man | Coley Jones | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Columbia | W145326 | 10-in. | 12/3/1927 | Papa Coley's past life blues | Coley Jones | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Columbia | W145327 | 10-in. | 12/3/1927 | You go ahead, I'll stay right here | Coley Jones | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Columbia | W145328 | 10-in. | 12/3/1927 | Oh death, where is thy sting? | Coley Jones | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Columbia | W145329 | 10-in. | 12/4/1927 | Travelling man | Coley Jones | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist | |
Columbia | W145342 | 10-in. | 12/6/1927 | Frankie and Albert | Coley Jones | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W147612 | 10-in. | 12/8/1928 | So tired | Dallas String Band ; Coley Jones | String trio, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, mandolin, vocalist | |
Columbia | W147613 | 10-in. | 12/8/1928 | Hokum blues | Dallas String Band ; Coley Jones | String trio, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, mandolin, vocalist | |
Columbia | W147622 | 10-in. | 12/9/1928 | Chasin' rainbows | Dallas String Band ; Coley Jones | String band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, mandolin, vocalist | |
Columbia | W147623 | 10-in. | 12/9/1928 | I used to call her baby | Dallas String Band ; Coley Jones | String band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, mandolin, vocalist | |
Columbia | W149512 | 10-in. | 12/4/1929 | Goin' back to my baby | Texas Bill Day | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar and piano | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149513 | 10-in. | 12/4/1929 | Don't get love in your mind | Texas Bill Day | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar and piano | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149514 | 10-in. | 12/4/1929 | Good mornin' blues | Texas Bill Day | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar and piano | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149515 | 10-in. | 12/4/1929 | Burn the trestle down | Texas Bill Day | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar and piano | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149536 | 10-in. | 12/5/1929 | I can't stand that | Bobbie Cadillac ; Coley Jones | Female-male vocal duet ("blues singers"), with guitar and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149537 | 10-in. | 12/5/1929 | He throws that thing | Bobbie Cadillac ; Coley Jones | Female-male vocal duet ("blues singers"), with guitar and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149538 | 10-in. | 12/5/1929 | Elm Street blues | Texas Bill Day ; Billiken Johnson | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar, piano, and vocal effects | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149539 | 10-in. | 12/5/1929 | Billiken's weary blues | Texas Bill Day ; Billiken Johnson | Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar, piano, and vocal effects | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149558 | 10-in. | 12/6/1929 | Drunkard's special | Coley Jones | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149559 | 10-in. | 12/6/1929 | The elder's he's my man | Coley Jones | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149566 | 10-in. | 12/6/1929 | Listen everybody | Bobbie Cadillac ; Coley Jones | Female-male vocal duet ("blues singers"), with guitar and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149567 | 10-in. | 12/6/1929 | Easin' in | Bobbie Cadillac ; Coley Jones | Female-male vocal duet ("blues singers"), with guitar and piano | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W149568 | 10-in. | 12/6/1929 | Shine | Dallas String Band ; Coley Jones | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, instrumentalist, mandolin | |
Columbia | W149569 | 10-in. | 12/6/1929 | Sugar blues | Dallas String Band ; Coley Jones | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, instrumentalist, mandolin |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jones, Coley," accessed November 18, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/104538.
Jones, Coley. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 18, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/104538.
"Jones, Coley." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 18 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Jones, Coley - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84044514
Wikidata: Coley Jones - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q22018771
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/33393090
MusicBrainz: Coley Jones - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/ec49c5b9-a430-4eec-9c32-76f58d538161
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.