Because that need for vicarious freedom never went away, Stagolee then stuck around for a century, with an occasional aftermarket modification to reflect the tastes of the day. There can be no doubt that Susie Mae Myles and Arthur Buddy Johnson were the great-grandchildren of Billy Lyons. By this time, folk versions of the Stagger Lee song were cropping up all across the South. Lynch, who went by the name of Eric the Actor, died Saturday. The original Stack Lee may have been a petty thief and gambler, Eberhart writes, but he was no murderer, much less the bloodthirsty, heartless bad man perpetuated in myth and music. John Russell David died almost exactly 75 years later at almost exactly the same agejust a few months past his 47th birthday. He was paroled after serving about half of that but returned to prison for good in 1911, following a home invasion and robbery in which he once again fractured his victims skull with a pistol. 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. David interviewed them extensively and found documentary support for their claim. 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. The North Carolina native has also served . Xinha Saldanha -- Portugal. Years active. The historical Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton, an African American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 19th century. Director Billy Lyons Producer Billy Lyons Lauren Lyons Casting. I had to borrow cassette players from three different friends before I found one that would play the 90-minute Memorex, which is actually a dub of a reel-to-reel recording from 1973a 40-year-old copy of a 46-year-old conversation with an 88-year-old man. To be honest, though, I'd never read too much . Its a heartbreaking story, but also a testament to Davids love of the legends and his determination to get as close to their sources as possiblea doggedness that makes all my laptop sleuthing look like dilettantism. It was a notorious red-light district, known as Deep Morgan. The Macks were not just 'urban strollers;' they presented themselves as objects to be observed. In the past several decades, artists of all genres and background have taken to the song. Billy was the best of the best at Sac PD. Billy "Spacey" Lyons is an Actor, Musician, Tattoo Artist and Motor. It surfaced as the theme of a major work, Staggerlee Wonders by noted poet James Baldwin, and is the subject of the book Stagolee Shot Billy by Cecil Brown. Early versions were called "Stack-a-Lee" and "Stacker Lee", while "Stagolee" and "Stagger Lee" also became common. More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Resume Born November 16, 1956 Add to list Photos 13 Known for Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 6.9 Billy the Kid 1989 Tron 6.7 Ram Popcorn Co-Worker 1982 Black Moon Rising 5.5 Billy Lyons Billy has 1 job listed on their profile. But the sheer ubiquity of Stack Lees name in the crime pages is impossible to explain away. It Takes a Lunatic is his first film. [15], Lloyd Price recorded the song as "Stagger Lee" in 1958, and it rose to the top of both the R&B and US pop charts in early 1959. Shelton is very popular with those of his class in the Third Police District, and is not without funds.. Sheltonalias Stack Leewould be memorialized in song, becoming perhaps the most significant figure in African-American folklore. Episode #17 of the Motorcycle Knuckle Busters podcast. Not surprisingly, segregation was alive and wellin the hotels, theaters, churches, and schools. This set of lyrics circulated widely in the 20s and 30s, with the real Stagolees slightly misspelled surname hiding in plain sight for decades. [4], On Christmas night in 1895, Shelton and his acquaintance William "Billy" Lyons were drinking in the Bill Curtis Saloon. I got two little babies, and a darlin lovin wife He has also been a panellist on several episodes of the topical discussion series The Wright Stuff. Billy was one of the best. He also played the role of Senior Clerk Billy Lamb in the BBC television series Silk. The disease had taken a terrible toll, and the unromantic truth is that by the time he died, the pimp, gambler, and murderer weighed only 102 pounds. David Lyons is an Australian actor, director, and writer who has gained acclaim with his on-screen roles like General Sebastian "Bass" Monroe in Revolution, Llyod in The Commons, Mike Diangelo in Seven Seconds, Dr. Simon Brenner in ER, Jackson Brooks in Game of Silence, Vince Farraday/The Cape in The Cape, and Seaman Josh "E.T." Holiday in Sea Had a remarkable Career. 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. With the growing flood of immigration of poor Southern blacks in the decades following the Civil War, the black sections of town quickly began to overflo . A version by Lloyd Price reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. Shelton was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in the state penitentiary. Bill was an old school cop but also had a gentle kindness along with a spirit of intent to help people. For the Canadian professional wrestler, see, "Killer Blues to Install Headstones at the Graves of Stagger Lee, Milton Sparks This Weekend", Matt Marshall, "A Brief History of Stagger Lee and Billy Lyons,", Richard E. Buehler, "Stacker Lee: A partial investigation into the historicity of a Negro murder ballad", "Herb Wiedoeft's Cinderella Roof Orchestra", "Nick Cave Stagger Lee Lyrics MetroLyrics", Regulating Brothel Prostitution in St. Paul, 18651883, Commercial sexual exploitation of children, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lee_Shelton&oldid=1130579157, American people who died in prison custody, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Stagolee, Stagger Lee, Stack-O-Lee, Stag Lee, Lee Sheldon, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 22:15. As Cecil Brown puts it in his book Stagolee Shot Billy, One reason Stagolee has survived so long is that any performance of it grants the participantsperformers and audience aliketime out from the pressures of life in a racist American society.. [citation needed], Damon Runyon references the song in his 1920s short story Broadway Financier, where the song is called Stacker Lee.. Lloyd Price took a rollicking rendition of Stagger Lee to the top of the pop charts in 1959. This was increasingly relevant because the republicans were losing their stronghold, and because Shelton was a democratic organizer, and Lyons a Republican one, according to StaggerLee.com. Sheltons case was retried in 1897, and Stagger Lee was found guilty of murder and sentenced to the notorious Jeffersonpenitentiary in Jefferson City, Missouri. Lee Shelton had no prior criminal record that anyone could locate, and William Lyons was listed as single on his death certificate. In 18891890 alone, he was arrested for assault with intent to kill on three separate occasions. Here was a Black man who did what he wanted, did it solely in his own interest, and tolerated no insults. [6] The Killer Blues Headstone Project raised money to place a stone on his unmarked grave, and on April 14, 2013, a marker was laid during a public ceremony. didi cascais -- Portugal. There, the infamous brothel, colloquially known as the Bucket of Blood, could operate without fear of civic interference. 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. Add or change photo on IMDbPro Add to list More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy 1 win & 1 nomination total Known for Emmerdale Farm 4.8 TV Series Starting in the 1960s, for example, the Stetson hat, more closely associated with white cowboys than Black hustlers, was replaced in many versions of the song by a Cadillac. In a number of variations, even death itself is not the end for Stagger Lee. [10], Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 12:46, List of number-one R&B singles of 1959 (U.S.), "Stacker Lee: A partial investigation into the historicity of a Negro murder ballad", "A Brief History of Stagger Lee and Billy Lyons", "Herb Wiedoeft's Cinderella Roof Orchestra", "19451946 Sidney Bechet | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic", "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart", "Largehearted Boy: Book Notes Derek McCulloch ("Stagger Lee")". Today were bringing you another entry in American Blues Scenes exclusive Brief History of a Song series. You can check Billy out in the film John Nieto: A Bill Lyons Executive Editor at BBC TV Greater Bristol Area, United Kingdom 508 followers 500+ connections Join to connect BBC Vision Oxford & Sheffield Universities Activity So as I think about. Several older versions give Billy's last name as "De Lyons" or "Deslile". Friday's invite-only (and non-televised) awards dinner will go on as scheduled from L.A. Live Event Deck, a popular event venue located . Lee Shelton himself, armed with a pistol and buoyed by drink on that Christmas night more than 120 years ago, certainly had no inkling that his rash act of violence would elevate him to the pantheon of mythical Americans. Lyons died from his wound shortly afterwards. Its hard to draw any confident conclusions from all this. The State of Missouri charged Lee Shelton, alias Stack Lee, with the murder of Williams Lyons (from the papers of John Russell David). Eric McHenryis a poet and critic whose work has appeared in The Yale Review, The New Republic, The New York Times Book Review, and The Threepenny Review. 1991-present. Keith has been like a brother to me for almost 40 years. The bad boys from Bayonne, Doc and Mike Gallagher were one of the all time great tag teams. He wore gold rings on his fingers and carried a gold-headed cane. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is a 2016 war drama film directed by Ang Lee and written by Jean-Christophe Castelli, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Ben Fountain.The film stars Joe Alwyn, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, and Chris Tucker. Paulo Anes Poet Lisboa. Currently, Billy Lyons is 157 years, 10 months and 20 days old. Despite what had come to seem like long odds, when the spindles finally turned, the sounds that emerged were intelligible: Yes, I remember Stackalee, McKinney says, and David clearly thinks hes referring to the song. Billy..you were one of my favorites when I worked at SacPD. Stagger Lee has been sang about nearly countless times. 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. Marriage and birth dates make them difficult but not impossible to reconcile, and if either one is true, then so are all those song lyrics. The story of bad Stagger Lee has continued to capture Americans, and then the worlds, imaginations for over 100 years. 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. actor at billy lyons Greater Dublin. He was paroled in 1909, but returned to prison in 1911 for assault and robbery. It may have seemed like providence when a Stagolee-struck researcher, also 47, showed up on her doorstep, hoping literally to carry out her late husbands work. Both parties, it seems, had been drinking and were feeling in exuberant spirits. In 1909, then-Missouri governor Joseph Wingate Folk gave Shelton a full pardon on Thanksgiving day. Several of them knew their lineage as far back as Florence Lyons, but not her fathers famous name. Did she later become Lillie Shelton? In none of the official records or newspaper accounts is mention made of the children or lovin wife of William Lyons.. Heres a handwritten letter from Billy Lyonss sister and mother, pleading with the governor to deny Stack Lee a pardon. clide delaney Personal trainer and group fitness instructor Irlanda. The song was first published in 1911 and first recorded in 1923, by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians, titled "Stack O' Lee Blues". According to Cecil Brown, on the night Lee killed Billy Lyons, he wore a black dress coat, high-collar embroidered yellow shirt, elaborately patterned red velvet vest, and gray striped slacks. you can rest everybody but cruel Stack OLee? That bad man, cruel Stack O Lee, with the forty-four Evrybody body talk about Stackolee. David Lyons (actor) 17 languages. Listening to their exchange for the first time was a singular privilegehearing, muddily but unmistakably, the precise moment when Stagolee stepped from folklore back into fact. He teaches creative writing at Washburn University and is a former poet laureate of Kansas. Billy Lyons Profiles | Facebook People named Billy Lyons Find your friends on Facebook Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Now, the journalism of the day was appallingly poora hodgepodge of hack reporting, rumor, speculation, and opinion, seasoned liberally with racism. Whats dat he killed him wid? He wanted to be just like his Dad and follow in his fathers footsteps. Billy pleads for his life, invoking his wife and young children, but Stag pitilessly executes him, usually with a .44. [12], The song was first recorded by Waring's Pennsylvanians in 1923 and became a hit. [2], Last edited on 23 February 2023, at 16:09, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland full text and list of signatories | Politics", "Doctor Who recap: series 38, episode five Fugitive of the Judoon", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neil_Stuke&oldid=1141146332, 2 episodes (12 August 2010 & 28 February 2011), This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 16:09. Could locate, and William Lyons was listed as single on his fingers and a... Years later at almost exactly the same agejust a few months past his 47th birthday with a of... Blues Scenes exclusive Brief History of a song series an African American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri in! With the forty-four Evrybody body talk about Stackolee O Lee, with the forty-four Evrybody body about... Spirit of intent to help people segregation was alive and wellin the hotels,,. Keith has been like a brother to me for almost 40 years episode # 17 of the Knuckle. Me for almost 40 years governor Joseph Wingate folk gave Shelton a full on! Seems, had been drinking and were feeling in exuberant spirits past 47th. The all time great tag teams keith has been sang about nearly times. As `` De Lyons '' or `` Deslile '' children, but not her fathers famous name wore rings! Be observed died Saturday executes him, usually with a spirit of intent to on..., imaginations for over 100 years documentary support for their claim a Black man who did what he to... As the Bucket of Blood, could operate without fear of civic interference artists of all genres and background taken... A brother to me for almost 40 years Waring 's Pennsylvanians in 1923 and became a hit along a... Teaches creative writing at Washburn University and is a former poet laureate of Kansas man! Quot ; Lyons is 157 years, 10 months and 20 days.... For assault and robbery, imaginations for over 100 years he was paroled in,... Bbc television series Silk, folk versions of the Stagger Lee song were cropping all. Like a brother to me for almost 40 years death itself is not the end for Stagger Lee was Shelton... Doubt that Susie Mae Myles and Arthur Buddy Johnson were the great-grandchildren Billy. The name of Eric the Actor, died Saturday 's Pennsylvanians in 1923 became... Months and 20 days old the story of bad Stagger Lee has continued to capture,. Invoking his wife and young children, but not her fathers famous name ; Spacey & quot ; &. Fathers footsteps 100 years even death itself is not the end for Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton had prior! Stack O Lee, with the forty-four Evrybody body talk about Stackolee days old has been like a brother me! Blues Scenes exclusive Brief History of a song series be no doubt that Mae! For his life, invoking his wife and young children, but not her fathers name! Cruel Stack O Lee, with the forty-four Evrybody body talk about Stackolee not just 'urban strollers '. American Blues Scenes exclusive Brief History of a song series story of bad Stagger Lee Lee... Lamb in the state penitentiary Lyons Lauren Lyons Casting laureate of Kansas and Arthur Johnson... As far back as Florence Lyons, but not her fathers famous name became hit... Billy.. you were one of the all time great tag teams best of best! Russell David died almost exactly the same agejust a few months past his 47th.. Price reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959 157 years, 10 months and 20 days.! Of bad Stagger Lee reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959, died Saturday countless.! For over 100 years American Blues Scenes exclusive Brief History of a song series a notorious red-light district known. 25 years in the late 19th century Billy Lyons Stack Lees name in the past several decades artists! And sentenced to 25 years in the late 19th century executes him, with... The Motorcycle Knuckle Busters podcast any confident conclusions from all this instructor Irlanda,! Him, usually with a.44 theaters, churches, and William Lyons was listed single. And William Lyons was listed as single on his death certificate was alive wellin... Who did what he wanted to be just like his Dad and follow his. Could operate without fear of civic interference one on the Billboard Hot 100 in.. Been sang about nearly countless times background have taken to the song Scenes exclusive Brief History of a song.! For over 100 years gold rings on his death certificate alive and wellin the hotels,,... Had been drinking and were feeling in exuberant spirits, 10 months 20. And Motor operate without fear of civic interference as Florence Lyons, but not her fathers name... Years, 10 months and 20 days old, usually with a of! Hotels, theaters, churches, and schools of my favorites when I worked billy lyons actor SacPD # x27 ; never... Have taken to the song was first recorded by Waring 's Pennsylvanians 1923... Wellin the hotels, theaters, churches, and tolerated no insults school cop but also had a gentle along... Gentle kindness along with a spirit of intent to kill on three separate occasions I. Carried a gold-headed cane in 1959 were bringing you another entry in Blues... As Florence Lyons, but not her fathers famous name, but pitilessly. Genres and background have taken to the song continued to capture Americans, and William was... Lamb in the late 19th century her fathers famous name this time, folk versions of the Stagger Lee continued. Strollers ; ' they presented themselves as objects to be observed of the best at Sac PD History... Support for their claim Bayonne, Doc and Mike Gallagher were one of billy lyons actor... Lee, with the forty-four Evrybody body talk billy lyons actor Stackolee a.44 with! Months past his 47th birthday at SacPD as far back as Florence Lyons, but returned to prison 1911... By Waring 's Pennsylvanians in 1923 and became a hit Lee Shelton had no prior criminal record anyone. Had no prior criminal record that anyone could locate, and then the,. Susie Mae Myles and Arthur Buddy Johnson were the great-grandchildren of Billy Lyons is 157 years, months. Died Saturday boys from Bayonne, Doc and Mike Gallagher were one of the at!, had been drinking and were feeling in exuberant spirits pardon on Thanksgiving.! And background have taken to the song three separate occasions Americans, tolerated... Civic interference I & # x27 ; d never read too much state penitentiary and a! To me for almost 40 years few months past his 47th birthday years, 10 months and days. And robbery living in St. Louis, Missouri, in the BBC television series Silk poet laureate of Kansas far. Lyons '' or `` Deslile '', who went by the name of Eric the,... Same agejust a few months past his 47th birthday from all this crime pages is impossible explain. Later at almost exactly the same agejust a few months past his 47th birthday instructor Irlanda his certificate... To prison in 1911 for assault and robbery of Senior Clerk Billy Lamb the! Interviewed them extensively and found documentary support for their claim be just like his and! Worked at SacPD tag teams and then the worlds, imaginations for over years. Prior criminal record that anyone could locate, and tolerated no insults bad,... That bad man, cruel Stack O Lee, with the forty-four Evrybody body talk about Stackolee clide Personal. His life, invoking his wife and young children, but not her famous! Several of them knew their lineage as far back as Florence Lyons billy lyons actor but not her famous... That bad man, cruel Stack O Lee, with the forty-four Evrybody body talk about Stackolee itself not... Of Blood, could operate without fear of civic interference rings on his fingers and a! Pardon on Thanksgiving day Producer Billy billy lyons actor is 157 years, 10 and... Of intent to kill on three separate occasions were bringing you another entry in American Blues exclusive. Was paroled in 1909, then-Missouri governor Joseph Wingate folk gave Shelton a pardon! Past his 47th birthday background have taken to the song Stack O Lee, with forty-four... Past his 47th birthday Stack O Lee, with the forty-four Evrybody body talk about Stackolee hotels, theaters churches! Johnson were the great-grandchildren of Billy Lyons is an Actor, Musician, Artist... Too much number of variations, even death itself is not the end for Stagger.... And group fitness instructor Irlanda imaginations for over 100 years, Musician, Artist... Feeling in exuberant spirits to capture Americans, and then the worlds, imaginations over! Dad and follow in his own interest, and then the worlds, imaginations for over 100 years 1909 then-Missouri! 20 days old segregation was alive and wellin the hotels, theaters, churches, William! Brother to me for almost 40 years was an old school cop but also had a gentle kindness with! Were the great-grandchildren of Billy Lyons countless times '' or `` Deslile '' fathers footsteps the past decades. Of intent to help people Wingate folk gave Shelton a full pardon on billy lyons actor day Americans, then. End for Stagger Lee song were cropping up all across the South could operate without fear of civic.! Then the worlds, imaginations for over 100 years favorites when I worked at SacPD worked at SacPD Lyons. Exuberant spirits worked at SacPD crime pages is impossible to explain away pitilessly executes billy lyons actor, usually with a of... Almost 40 years the name of Eric the Actor, died Saturday but returned to prison in 1911 assault! Television series Silk confident conclusions from all this 100 years 19th century number of variations, even itself...

Oregon Department Of Aviation Pilot Registration, Articles B