Lee was our captain. That year, musicologist John Lomax received a partial transcription of the song,[9] and in 1911 two versions were published in the Journal of American Folklore by the sociologist and historian Howard W. Lyons death certificate classifies him as single. He graduated from Hiram Get email updates about William Lyons delivered directly to your inbox. But maybe that was the error. David Lyons, currently appearing as Billy Walters in Billy Wonderful at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool until 4 April. The feud between Stagger Lee and Billy Lyons is as legendary as the one between the Hatfields and the McCoys; a truly American folk tale, retold countless times, about Stagger shooting Billy Lyons over, varyingly, a Stetson hat, a woman, a gambling debt, politics, or simply because Stagger was that mean of a man. $25. Unable to get parole, he died in the hospital of the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City on March 11, 1912, from tuberculosis. His doctor believed hed been exposed to it while doing fieldwork for his dissertation in the early 70s. Years active. Director Billy Lyons (with co-directors Kim Ferraro and Seth Isler) jumps between relatively brief snippets outlining Handman's personal life and a more thorough, linear account of the American . Whats been missing is any corroborating evidence that isnt a song lyric. Odum. Gosh almighty. Lee Sheldon is also known as 'Stag' Lee. He teaches creative writing at Washburn University and is a former poet laureate of Kansas. Nov 2020 - Present2 years 4 months. Heres the original arrest warrant. HarperCollins published "A Lush and Seething Hell" by John Horner Jacobs in 2019. Burnside, who also sang popular versions of Stagger Lees song. Log In or Sign Up Billy Lyons See Photos Billy Lyons See Photos Billy Lyons See Photos Billy Lyons See Photos Billy Lyons See Photos Billy Lyons See Photos William Lyons (Billiam) The next day, I drove the archive from her house to the nearest hotel, where I spent the evening bouncing back and forth between those boxes and my laptop. William and Lena Lyons, the childrens parents listed on the baptism record, were not present. Uncharacteristically, David included no footnote, although the heavily hand-edited page is clearly not from a final draft. The factory was guarded by two vicious bulldogs., Sheltons parting gesture, in other words, was to will his meager possessions to the biggest drug kingpin in St. Louis. Still, in 1887, the paper had noted the marriage of a Wm Lyons to Lizzie Ware. Their conversation settled on politics, and soon it grew hostile: Lyons was a levee hand and, like his brother-in-lawone of the richest black . W.C. And heres the kicker: she was living at 914 North Twelfth Street, which, according to the Globe-Democrat, had been Lee Sheltons home address on the day he killed Billy Lyons two years earlier. 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. Geoffrey O'Hara: February 2, 1882 January 31, 1967 Canadian Singer and songwriter. That same night alone, five murders were committed in Saint Louis, but only one shot to world-wide infamy through a tangled web of politics, folklore, and raw persistence. A legendary actor with 50 celebrated years of film, television, theatre and producing experience, Michael Douglas, has shown an uncanny knack for projects that reflect changing trends and public concerns. The historical Lee Shelton was an African American man born in 1865 in Texas. In 2007, Samuel L. Jackson played Stack-O-Lee in the movie Black Snake Moan, backed by Cedrick Burnside and Kenny Brown. Principal photography began in April 2015 in Georgia.The film is a co-production between the United States, the . Billy "Spacey" Lyons is an Actor, Musician, Tattoo Artist and Motor. [14] Frontman Dan Auerbach drew inspiration from his heavy blues background, playing the song in open G tuning, finger plucking on an old telecaster. [14] By the time W.C. Billy Lyons is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Patsy Lucher. Lynch, who went by the name of Eric the Actor, died Saturday. Both parties, it seems, had been drinking and were feeling in exuberant spirits. Since the mid-70s, most new recordings of Stagolee have come from white singerswhether traditionalists like Tim and Mollie OBrien or transgressive artists such as Nick Cave (who sees the song primarily as an exploration of human evil). 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 He has touched so many lives. Bill was The Best! For all of us who know and love him, it's our turn to . [1]:37 He later worked as a carriage driver in St. Louis, Missouri, where he gained a reputation as a pimp and gambler, and evidently served as a captain in a black "Four Hundred Club," a political and social club with a dubious reputation. He wanted to be just like his Dad and follow in his fathers footsteps. Dat same ole fohty-fo. 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. A Brief History of Stagger Lee and Billy Lyons, The 28th Sandy Beaches Cruise to Set Sail in 2024 With Initial Lineup Announcement, An Q&A with Otis Taylor, New Album BANJO Out Now, Watch: Animated Video for John Lee Hooker Hit Boom Boom, River Crests in Memphis, Downstream Still Faces Dangers, Bluescentric.com the shop for Blues, Soul, and Rock n Roll, Mick Kolassa Announces Essentials Series, Kicks Off With Babys Got Another Lover, Listen: New Bob Corritore & Friends Single What Kind of Man is This ft. Koko Taylor. [13] Also in 1924, the first version with lyrics was recorded, as "Skeeg-a-Lee Blues", by Lovie Austin. www.shodavision.com. And that same Lizzie Ware, per the 1880 census, was a young African-American widow with two daughters: Ada (age five) and Estella (age eight). 1,431 likes. Concurrent to following the demands of his profession, Lee was also the president of a social body known as the Four Hundred Club. Lee hit him on the head with his pistol, which was actually a .44-caliber Smith & Wesson. I recall when Stackalees mother died, he says, pronouncing recall with a long e. The guard from the Missouri Penitentiary brought Stackalee, whose name was Lee Shelton, to his mothers funeral, at the Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church, which was at 2625 Morgan Street., David, who sounds a little like Jim Henson, doesnt try to conceal his excitement. OnChristmasEve, 1895, a shooting occurred in a North St. Louis saloon that was destined to find a prominentand permanentplace in American oral tradition. 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. Billy Lyons - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday. For example, Shelton had first crushed Lyons' Derby hat, after which Lyons grabbed Shelton's hat and demanded restitution; Shelton then drew his gun and smacked Lyons on the head with it. 22 February 1966 (age 57) Deal, Kent, England. John Russell David was a graduate student in the early 1970s when he first uncovered the St. Louis origins of Stagolee by talking to a Black octogenarian who remembered the murder. Shed died not long after Billy did, orphaning their three children: Marie, Leon, and Florence, the daughter from whom Myles and Johnson said they were descended. "It's Weill's money, but it's our history and this is the endgame here," said actor Billy Lyons, 29, assistant to acting coach Wynn Handman, who had worked from a Carnegie studio since the . As the oral legend spread of Stack Lee as a black man who would not back down, Billy Lyons turned into ''a small . He played Sebastian "Bas" Monroe, a former US Marine Corps sergeant who served with Miles Matheson . Now, the journalism of the day was appallingly poora hodgepodge of hack reporting, rumor, speculation, and opinion, seasoned liberally with racism. [8] The song was well known in African American communities along the lower Mississippi River by 1910. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stagger_Lee&oldid=1139901017, The song is sung by an African American prisoner in Jack Black's autobiography, The song "Wrong 'Em Boyo" by the Jamaican, In John Hornor Jacobs' 2019 horror novella. It is virtually impossible to predict what people or events will be caught up in the myth-making machine and what will simply fall by the way. [13], In 2004, The Black Keys recorded a song on their third album, Rubber Factory dubbed Stack Shot Billy, which tells the tale of the infamous murder. He always addresses Stagolee, and its always some version of the same two-sentence appeal: Please dont take my life. In 1931, folk great Woodie Guthrie sang a rendition of the song, likely adapted from John Hurts version, as the lyrics are very similar. Billy Wonderful attempts to recreate. It was to Lower Morgan Street that the urban white people from the citys more upscale sections would go slumming, then to their respectable homes before daylight caught them out. As part of The American Place Theatre's Literature to Life program, Billy was directed by Wynn in The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, which he performed extensively in schools and communities throughout the USA, working closely with Vietnam Veterans. Luxury The Future of Auctions Might Rely on . Hi my name is Mindy Lyons. He was subsequently arrested and locked up at the Chestnut Street Station. Whats dat he killed him wid? This was ready-made folklorea set piece for which every essential prop had been provided. Some versions add an additional section in which Stagolee goes to Hell and usurps it from the Devil. The personal traumas that allegedly drove her to do it included the recent slaying of her step-father, William Lyons, by Lee Sheldon [sic]. The shoddiness of 19th-century journalism makes me skeptical of anything reported only once. On Christmas night in 1895, Shelton shot William "Billy" Lyons in a St. Louis saloon following a dispute. In 18891890 alone, he was arrested for assault with intent to kill on three separate occasions. However, the definitive version of the song came out in 1959 when rhythm-and-blues singer Lloyd Price topped the charts with his snappy, horn-drenched version. Here was a Black man who did what he wanted, did it solely in his own interest, and tolerated no insults. The State of Missouri charged Lee Shelton, alias Stack Lee, with the murder of Williams Lyons (from the papers of John Russell David). [1]:23 He was nicknamed "Stag Lee" or "Stack Lee," possibly because he "went stag," meaning he was without friends, or took the nickname from a well-known riverboat captain called "Stack Lee." 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. According to an article in the Post-Dispatch from January 22, 1913, a huge steel vault was blown open by Government experts and found to contain more than 200 pounds of raw opium. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globes including this year's Best Actor in comedy television series for The Kominsky Method, an Emmy and the AFI Life Achievement Award. Keith has been like a brother to me for almost 40 years. Apparently, Billy was a Republican. 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 Turn-of-the-century St. Louis was a musical placethe cradle of ragtime, full of barroom bards and river roustabouts who were constantly turning scuttlebutt into song. High Functioning - released casting breakdown, outreach, and social media for web series directed by . A version by Lloyd Price reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. at twelve oclock they killed him, theys all glad to see him die 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. Odum. See full bio More at IMDbPro Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro Known For It Takes a Lunatic Producer (2019) Missed Connections Live Law Student Love Interest (2011) Lost Bohemia Self (2010) Permission required for reprinting, reproducing, or other uses. Lee Shelton had no prior criminal record that anyone could locate, and William Lyons was listed as single on his death certificate. Physically, he was unprepossessing. The latter indignantly demanded its return. [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. By signing up, you agree to the our terms and our Privacy Policy agreement. He, too, believe it or not, had tuberculosis. In his 1996 essay Stack Lee: The Man, the Music, and the Myth, he cites evidence that Lyons was the more belligerent of the two men and that Shelton probably shot him in self-defense. Researchers have tended to write that off as a likely error, though, since he was single at the time of his incarceration, according to penitentiary records. Report this profile Report Report. Mr. William Hunter "Billy" Lyons, a native of Mobile and resident of Spanish Fort, died Tuesday, June 8, 2021, of complications from a stroke. Annie I. Bang/Invision, via Associated Press. Judith was nearing 80 and trying to downsize when I contacted her two summers ago. According to the testimony given the Coroner, David writes in his dissertation, Lyons made no appeal for his wife and children. He was also booked at various times for stealing a gold watch, carrying brass knuckles, and getting caught in an opium joint. The quartet included Hugh Bradley, Marty Hale and Bill Lyons. Get email updates about William Lyons delivered directly to your inbox also in 1924, the paper had noted marriage. Marriage of a Wm Lyons to Lizzie Ware seems, had tuberculosis agree. 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