McTell is simply wonderful - I like him more as I hear him more. I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of that book about him.

You’re not the only one - it’s a great tune. Oh, just to be pedantic, it was John Lomax who recorded this 1940 session, not Alan.

fixed. when are you bringing your blog back?

I, too, am a big fan of this song as well as a lover of McTell’s music. How many more versions of this song do you know about? I was introduced to it on a McTell CD. I didn’t know anyone els had recorded it. Why do you think his claim to have written it is dubious? And, thanks!

Willie didn’t write this tune, despite what he may have said . . . or remembered! Martha Copeland recorded a version of it in the 20s. She recorded from 1923-28 & the lyrics to her version are pretty much exactly the same as Willie’s.

i posted martha copeland’s version earlier this year here:

http://prewarblues.org/2007/03/the-dying-crap-shooters-blues/

it still a bit different from this recording of mctell. and i think cab calloway did the first major recording of the song in 1919 and maybe the first as “dying crapshooter blues” as opposed to st. james infirmary.

St. James Infirmary does appear to be the source of Crapshooter but it’s different enough to be its own song . . . Calloway didn’t record as early as 1919 as far as I know . . . maybe ‘29 . . . Here are some other versions:
Martha Copeland, w/clarinet an piano, 5 May 1927
Nannie McKinney, w/piano, 24 June 1927
Viola McCoy, w/cl, piano, late August 1927
Rosa Henderson, w/piano, late Sept 1927
Willie McTell, 5 Nov 1940

I think the book L refers to is “Hand Me My Travelling Shoes - In Search Of Blind Willie McTell” This is first rate - thoroughly recommended

wait. is there a place to by that book in the states? i’ve only seen it for sale from european booksellers.

According to some historians, McTell himself said of his most strikingly original composition, “Dying Crapshooter’s Blues”, “I had to steal music from every which way you could get it to get it to fit.”

I’m not sure whether he is the original author of ‘Dying Crapshooter’s Blues’ or not. However, if he did, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that maybe parts of the song were stolen from ‘St. James Infirmary’. And some researchers have theorized that ‘St James infirmary’ dates all the back to the 16th century. All interesting stuff. Of McTell’s songs, I like ‘Travelin’ Blues’ the best, followed by ‘Statesboro Blues’. I recently posted some ‘St James Infirmary’ covers on my blog: http://www.dembluez.com hope that doesn’t sound or look like spam, I didn’t mean it to.

[...] Let A Deck Of Cards Be My Tombstone from Honey, Where You Been So Long? [...]

I love this song, too! It really is one of Blind Willie McTell’s best. Check out the version of this song on “Atlanta 12-String,” McTell’s last album, recorded in 1949. Before I listened to it, I thought since he was older at the time, it would be sloppier than earlier recordings, but he was still at the top of his game. The fingerpicking was still spot on, yet his delivery in songs like “Dyin’ Crapshooter’s Blues” and “Kill It Kid” is as sharp as a razor. It served as the perfect swan song for a blues legend.

Atlanta 12-String wasn’t McTell’s swan song. Last Session (Bluesville) was recorded seven years later. He was still pretty good in 1956, too.

Just listened to Dyin’ Crapshooters Blues after being recommended in UK newspaper The Guardian. Fantastic