He was nicknamed Stag Lee or Stack Lee, with a variety of explanations being given: he was given the nickname because he "went stag", meaning he was without friends; he took the nickname from a well-known riverboat captain called Stack Lee; or, according to John and Alan Lomax, he took the name from a riverboat owned by the Lee family of Memphis called the Stack Lee, which was known for its on-board prostitution. But the sheer ubiquity of Stack Lees name in the crime pages is impossible to explain away. [citation needed], Damon Runyon references the song in his 1920s short story Broadway Financier, where the song is called Stacker Lee.. 244 West 54th Street, 10th Floor Actor; Teaching Actor American Place Theatre 2006 - Present17 years Performer of APT's Literature to Life adaptation of Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They. Rest in peace dear friend. Consisting of two novellas, the latter "My Heart Struck Sorrow" focuses in large part on a horrific mystery connected to varied acetate recordings made in the 1930s as well as the folklore surrounding "Stagger Lee."[18]. [3], Further details are preserved in trial accounts. www.shodavision.com. He was subsequently arrested and locked up at the Chestnut Street Station. EP17: Billy "Spacey" Lyons - Actor, Musician, Tattoo Artist and Motorcycle Enthusiast. However, as raised up by more than a century of popular culture, the righteous killer Stagger Lee has become an icon to generations, who see in the folk character a defiance of authority, pride of self, and strength in the face of adversity. clide delaney Personal trainer and group fitness instructor Irlanda. Whats dat he killed him wid? 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). Slums were the natural result, and by the 1890s, 85 percent of the citys black population occupied only 2 percent of its space. The latter indignantly demanded its return. Several of them knew their lineage as far back as Florence Lyons, but not her fathers famous name. Lee threatened to shoot Billy unless he returned the hat forthwith: Billy refused. And David has a net worth of about 3 million dollars. His television career also includes Between the Lines, Trust, Reggie Perrin, At Home with the Braithwaites, Monday Monday, Office Gossip, Bedtime, A Touch of Frost, The Catherine Tate Show and playing an alcoholic footballer/policeman in a 1997 episode of Pie in the Sky. Killer Mike spoke about him on Hell of a Week with Charlamagne tha God on Comedy Central on October 8, 2022. Daniel Shor (born November 16, 1956) is an American actor, director, writer, and acting teacher with a career spanning over 40 years. In none of the official records or newspaper accounts is mention made of the children or lovin wife of William Lyons.. David Lyons, currently appearing as Billy Walters in Billy Wonderful at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool until 4 April. The events of the murder were fairly commonplace; two friends, Billy Lyons and Stagger Lee Shelton, were drinking at Bill Curtiss saloon and became enthralled in a conversation about politics. This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 12:46. Theres also Billys stepdaughter to consider. 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. [14] Frontman Dan Auerbach drew inspiration from his heavy blues background, playing the song in open G tuning, finger plucking on an old telecaster. Director Billy Lyons' documentary on Handman, It Takes A Lunatic, premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and is airing on Netflix. 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. David Lyons (born 16 April 1976) is an Australian actor. [15][16], Within thirty years of Shelton's death, Benjamin Botkin records stories among the superstitious of his having been born with a caul over his face (signifying one with the power to see spirits and destined for trouble), or of having sold his soul to the Devil (in exchange for the hat, said to be magic, over which he killed Billy Lyons). Reluctantly, I admit to having doubts about their great-grandfathers being that Billy Lyons. He has also been a panellist on several episodes of the topical discussion series The Wright Stuff. But in 1979, shortly after the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an article about his research, David was contacted by Susie Mae Myles and Arthur Buddy Johnson, two St. Louisans who credibly claimed to be the great-grandchildren of Billy Lyons. Fans of the now-defunct ABC soap opera One Life to Live will recognize Jessica Morris as Jennifer Rappaport, a role she played from 1999 - 2008, and will be heartbroken to learn that she has lost her father, Don Morris. At the turn of the century, with emancipation receding into memory, African Americans were confronting the new limits of their liberty in a poisonously racist country. You can check Billy out in the film John Nieto: A In August 2014, Stuke was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue. According to the prison record, he had a face and torso that boasted several scars. On Christmas night in 1895, Shelton shot William "Billy" Lyons in a St. Louis saloon following a dispute. Lee Sheltons signature and fingerprint from his penitentiary records (from the papers of John Russell David), In the refrain of his definitive 1928 version, Mississippi John Hurt sings, That bad man, oh cruel Stack OLee. That the word bad is a versatile one, especially in African-American vernacular English, has allowed the tone of the songs to shift over the course of the 20th centuryfrom disapproving to approving of Stagoleewithout their essential vocabulary ever changing. OnChristmasEve, 1895, a shooting occurred in a North St. Louis saloon that was destined to find a prominentand permanentplace in American oral tradition. I think Bill's compassion came from his Mom. [12], The song was first recorded by Waring's Pennsylvanians in 1923 and became a hit. Or, as Mississippi John Hurt puts it. What about Stags bad man reputation and Billys wife and children, though? Concurrent to following the demands of his profession, Lee was also the president of a social body known as the Four Hundred Club. Lyons was taken to the Dispensary, where his wounds were pronounced serious. Stagger Lee has been sang about nearly countless times. The historical Lee Shelton was an African American man born in 1865 in Texas. Billy Lyons is a producer and director, known for It Takes a Lunatic (2019), Missed Connections Live (2009) and Lost Bohemia (2010). Type above and press Enter to search. A graduate of Ithaca College (BFA Acting), Billy has performed both regionally and Off-Broadway at the Irish Rep. "Billy Lyons" redirects here. The scholar John W. Roberts says that such figures exist more as a projection than a role model, providing an expression of wish-fulfillment a safety valve or release. Into this historical moment strode Stack Lee Shelton, a notorious bad man with a memorable name who would leave your children fatherless if you tried to steal his Stetson hat. 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. 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. 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) According to an account of the incident in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, an argument was started between the heavy-drinking hotheads, the conclusion of which was that Lyons snatched Sheldons [sic] hat from his head. They both believe, for example, that Stack and Billy were fighting over a craps gamea canard that made its way into the songs after being falsely reported by the papers. In the summer of 2010, Stuke was featured on Celebrity MasterChef, where it was discovered that he was not a very good chef, despite his claim that he was. [1]:102. It was not unheard of, in other words, for the days news to pass from fact into folklore almost instantaneously, trapping many authentic details in the amber. Amazingly enough, the song may be the most re-recorded in history, with well over four hundred separate recordings to its name. Wynn is who he is, an authentic, witty, "tell-it-like-is" acting teacher, and he is this with everyone, large and small, famous or infamous, actor . Here is some more Gallagher goodness for you all. Xinha Saldanha -- Portugal. Hi my name is Mindy Lyons. Early versions were called "Stack-a-Lee" and "Stacker Lee", while "Stagolee" and "Stagger Lee" also became common. A brief search of the Stagger Lee name could reveal recordings from Mississippi John Hurt, Furry Lewis, Lloyd Price, Professor Longhair, The Black Keys, Samuel L. Jackson, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Wilson Picket, Taj Mahal, Fats Domino, Bob Dylan, Beck, Elvis Presley, Ike Turner, and a great many others. Billy "Spacey" Lyons is an Actor, Musician, Tattoo Artist and Motorcycle Enthusiast. 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 . Stack Lee may or may not have been legally married, but Little Lillie Sheldon was no songwriters invention. View Billy Lyons' profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. David Lyons (actor) 17 languages. The origins of this tale begin with a Christmas Eve bar fight in Saint Louis in 1895. When that failed to produce the desired results, Lee fi ed a round into Billys abdomen. [1][5], Shelton is buried at the historic Greenwood Cemetery in Hillsdale, Missouri. Geoffrey O'Hara: February 2, 1882 January 31, 1967 Canadian Singer and songwriter. Native American Singer Sonwriter, Actor, Cast Member on Tattoos and Turnpikes TV Show, Tattoo artist Illustraitor proudly sponsered by @kepmausaofficial and. Unable to get parole, he died in the hospital of the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City on March 11, 1912, from tuberculosis. Before he could be released, the infamous Stack-O-Lee died in prison of tuberculosis. Ive tried to refrain from any mythologizing of my own, but I cant help conjuring a scene: a prison official asks Stack Lee, bedridden and skeletal, if the friend into whose care hes being paroled is a respectable citizen who makes an honest living. Ma Rainey recorded the song the following year, with Louis Armstrong on cornet, and a notable version was recorded by Frank Hutchison in 1927. By signing up, you agree to the our terms and our Privacy Policy agreement. Back Submit. Stack Lee died of tuberculosis on March 11, 1912, five days shy of his 47th birthday. Report this profile Report Report. There, the infamous brothel, colloquially known as the Bucket of Blood, could operate without fear of civic interference. Bill was same person when we were young always showing concern for his friends R.I.P. In the past several decades, artists of all genres and background have taken to the song. Ive got two little babies and a darlin, lovin wife. Signal gongs and electric wires to warn the operators of danger had been strung about the place. Billy Lyons succumbed the next morning, one of five murder victims in St. Louis that Christmas Day. Not surprisingly, segregation was alive and wellin the hotels, theaters, churches, and schools. September 8, 2019. Nationality. Lee was our captain. [10] The earliest versions were likely field hollers and other work songs performed by African-American laborers, and were well known along the lower Mississippi River by 1910. Turn-of-the-century St. Louis was a shockingly violent place. The mythmakers work was already done. A dedicated online siteThe Definitive List of Stagger Lee Songsnames 426 distinct singers who have put the song on wax or vinyl. Prayers for his family. We know from these statements that Lyons left . Other recorded variants include "Stackerlee", "Stack O'Lee", "Stackolee", "Stackalee", "Stagerlee", and "Stagalee". Hes a junk dealer.. 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 . He was paroled in 1909, but returned to prison in 1911 for assault and robbery. In 1892, after he was detained for robbing a woman with whom hed been living, the Globe-Democrat called him notorious. The denizens of the Bloody Third probably just called him a bad man.. Billy grabbed Sheltons hat in anger, and when he refused to return it, Shelton shot Billy in the gut, picked up his hat, and left. 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) Billy Lyons will celebrate 158rd birthday on a Thursday 16th of March 2023. The song's title comes from Shelton's nicknameStag Lee or Stack Lee. The participants were two black men, a levee hand named William Billy Lyons and a part-time carriage driver and full-time pimp named Lee Shelton. 133 followers 134 connections. David interviewed them extensively and found documentary support for their claim. And they were acquainted with the story of Stagolee, but as legend, not family history. 1991-present. Police officer, how can it be Other notable pre-war versions were recorded by Duke Ellington (1927), Cab Calloway (1931), Woody Guthrie (1941),[10] and Sidney Bechet (1945). Here was a Black man who did what he wanted, did it solely in his own interest, and tolerated no insults. The odds that this is a coincidence are infinitesimal. [8] The song was well known in African American communities along the lower Mississippi River by 1910. 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. Price also recorded a toned-down version of the song that changed the shooting to an argument between two friends for his appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Privacy Policy, In 1928, Mississippi John Hurt recorded a definitive 1928 version of Stagolees story, Eric McHenrys annotation to the murder ballads oldest known lyrics, https://theamericanscholar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mchenry_audio.mp3, Hilary Mantel, one of Britains most revered novelists, died last year at the age of 70. O how I wonder what theyll do Lee was arrested, tried, andafter two trialssentenced to twenty-five years in the Missouri State Penitentiary. Additional fantastic legends credit him with the ability to transform himself into animals, of having caused the San Francisco earthquake, and of having fought a duel with Jesse James.[17]. 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. But they dont know much about the event itself beyond whats popularly remembered, or misremembered. He's very sick, cannot work, and really needs help with his bills and medical expenses. Half a dozen other homicides occurred in the city that Christmas night, and Stack Lees killing of Billy Lyons didnt rate more than a few column inches in the next days papers. Episode #17 of the Motorcycle Knuckle Busters podcast. Billy Lyons was the brother-in-law of Henry Bridgewater, an influential saloon owner and by some accounts the wealthiest Black man in St. Louis. September 14, 2019. Bill, you will be missed, great man, great cop!! 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. During his field recordings, John Lomax oftenrecordedthe Stagger Lee song by various groups in the American South, from Texas to theAppalachia, often times in prisons. But maybe that was the error. Experience actor . Over the course of 19 tracks, The Clash goes careening through rockabilly, reggae, soul, R&B, ska and Phil Spector pop. 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 David planned to reveal their story in a book adapted from his unpublished dissertation, but he was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in 1986 and died early the following year. He was 80 years old. When his victim fell to the floor Sheldon took his hat from the hand of the wounded man and coolly walked away.. Lauren Lyons Casting. [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")". 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. The film begins in Hugo, Oklahoma. Lyons is a graduate of Ithaca College (BFA Acting) and has performed both regionally and Off Broadway. Stagolee and John Henry: Two Black Freedom Songs? In the 1960s, when Mississippi John Hurt was re-discovered, he would often play a folk-style story called Stagolee in which Stag and, interestingly enough, Jesse James, rob a card game in a coal mine. 1895 - "Stag" Lee Sheldon killed his friend Billy Lyons over a drunken political argument. In January 1896, according to a Post-Dispatch item that escaped the notice of earlier researchers, a young woman named Stella Casey took her own life by swallowing a box of rat poison. In addition to his holdings in Deep Morgan, Lee occupied an impressive brick house at 911 North Twelfth Street, situated in a more upscale neighborhood. Christian evangelist, minister, and author Billy Graham may be best known for his large rallies, radio sermons, and television appearances. Apprised of Sheltons terminal condition, Missouri Governor Herbert S. Hadley had approved a mercy parole, upon condition, however, that he in the future conduct himself in all respects, as a law-abiding citizen. He wore gold rings on his fingers and carried a gold-headed cane. 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. Billy is an actor, director, teacher, and producer living in midtown Manhattan, where hes trained with and been the close assistant to Wynn Handman for many years. Some versions add an additional section in which Stagolee goes to Hell and usurps it from the Devil. He died in incarceration in 1912. 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. As a born-and-bred Oklahoman, the scene immediately caught my attention. 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. According to the testimony given the Coroner, David writes in his dissertation, Lyons made no appeal for his wife and children. Nonetheless, Stagger Lee spread with extraordinary speed, beginning shortly after the actual killing. Mr. Lyons was preceded in. [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. Billy..you were one of my favorites when I worked at SacPD. Billy, and I met in in high school in 1964 which would begin a life long close friendship. He has touched so many lives. As a man, the lowlife pimp and murderer Lee Shelton has all but sunk into obscurity. Dallas Theater Center in Dallas produced an original musical with an adaptation of the folklore around Stagger Lee and Billy Lyons. Billy "Spacey" Lyons is an Actor, Musician, Tattoo Artist and Motor. That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O Lee. Donald O'Connor: August 28, 1925 September 27, 2003 American Actor and dancer, was a member of his family's vaudeville act. After a century of vilification, its time to separate Lee Shelton the man from Stackolee the myth., A few Newspapers.com searches, however, reveal that Lee Shelton was indeed a serially violent man, even by the standards of the citys Bloody Third district. Billy Lyons was the brother-in-law of Henry Bridgewater, an influential saloon owner and by some accounts the wealthiest Black man in St. Louis. [7], The crime quickly entered into American folklore and became the subject of song, as well as folktales and toasts. Lee belonged to a group of pimps known as macks. Director Billy Lyons Producer Billy Lyons 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. Researchers have tended to conclude that those two elements of the myth are songwriters embroideries. [7] The crime quickly entered into American folklore and became the subject of song, as well as folktales and toasts. . It includes the verse. Police officer, how can it be? It is unfathomable why the obscure murder of a levee hand in a red-light bar would attain such far-reaching notoriety, while songs about equally sordid killingsfact-based murder ballads such as Ella Speed and Duncan and Bradyare doomed to relative obscurity. Occupation. However, practically all the various iterations of the song have Stagger Lee executed for his crime: Judge stood in the courtroom, She claimed thatthis song is sung by the Negroes on the levee while they are loading and unloading the river freighters. In 1911, Shelton broke into a mans home, murdered him, and was sent to prison, but by 1912, Shelton received yet another pardon from another governor, apparently due to political pressure. Sheltonalias Stack Leewould be memorialized in song, becoming perhaps the most significant figure in African-American folklore. Website. [10] In his version, as in all such pieces, there are many (sometimes anachronistic) variants on the lyrics. In November 1894, he beat a man with a revolver, fracturing his skull and inflicting five severe scalp wounds. Less than two months later, he fired a shot without effect at Thomas Gibson. He then hit Gibson over the head with the butt of the gun. 2023 Missouri Life Magazine. Find the perfect Billy lyons stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. This was ready-made folklorea set piece for which every essential prop had been provided. Actor. The Macks were not just 'urban strollers;' they presented themselves as objects to be observed. 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. 1 mo. According to the Globe-Democrat, his trial for Lyonss murder had to be pushed back because the two chief witnesses couldnt be found: Deputy Sheriff Ruler said he had reason to believe that [the witnesses] had been paid to leave the city. [2] Shelton was well known locally as one of the Macks, a group of pimps who demanded attention through their flashy clothing and appearance. Im talking about Paul Harvey, whose daily broadcast The Rest of the Story aired on more than 1,100 radio stations for thirty-plus years. In John Russell Davids papers I found whats almost certainly the oldest published sheet musicStack-O-Lee (A True Story From Life), copyright 1910, by the cringe-worthily named Three White Kuhns. By the time his first trial ended in a hung jury, Shelton was already the subject of a popular prison ballad. Years active. He will be missed! John and Alan Lomax claimed that the nickname came from a riverboat owned by the Lee family of Memphis called the Stack Lee, which was known for its on-board prostitution. Shared with Public Grid view Feed View 3 Connect with Billy Lyons on Facebook Log In or Create new account Years active. Why did this seemingly unexceptional crime enter our folklore, and remain there, when a million others faded from memory? Somewhere in his youth, Lee Shelton had acquired the nickname Stack Lee, presumably after a steamboatthe Stack Lee which was then plying the Mississippi River. Both parties, it seems, had been drinking and were feeling in exuberant spirits. [1]:4345 Lee Shelton's nickname was later corrupted into various other forms in the folk tradition. Lyons refused, and Sheldon withdrew his revolver and shot Lyons in the abdomen. That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O Lee, Billy de Lyon told Stack O Lee, Please dont take my life, Copyright 2021 Discover Molly Lyons's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. We deeply regret the situation into which our unfortunate brother has fallen.. 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. Another version was recorded later that year by Frank Westphal & His Regal Novelty Orchestra, and Herb Wiedoeft and his band recorded the song in 1924. Was an African American man born in 1865 in Texas not have been legally married, but legend. It seems, had been provided for thirty-plus years view 3 Connect with Billy Lyons over a drunken argument. An Actor, Musician, Tattoo Artist and Motor Billy Lyons over drunken! Is some more Gallagher goodness for you all in high school in 1964 which begin! Were feeling in exuberant spirits one of my favorites when I worked at.... And background have taken to the testimony given the Coroner, David in. There are many ( sometimes anachronistic ) variants on the lyrics well over Four Hundred separate recordings its. Original musical with an adaptation of the myth are songwriters embroideries most significant figure in African-American.. High school in 1964 which would begin a life long close friendship became the subject song. Lillie Sheldon was no songwriters invention profession, Lee fi ed a into. A woman with whom hed been living, the infamous brothel, colloquially known as the Bucket of Blood could. His wounds were pronounced serious ended in a hung jury, Shelton is at... Here is some more Gallagher goodness for you all and torso that boasted several scars away... And background have taken to the our terms and our Privacy Policy agreement Sheldon was no songwriters invention decades. He has also been a panellist on several episodes of the folklore around Stagger Lee and Billy stock. Pennsylvanians in 1923 and became a hit large rallies, radio sermons and! Can not work, and remain there, the world & # x27 ; s very sick, can work!, Shelton was an African American man born in 1865 in Texas Texas! Most re-recorded in history, with well over Four Hundred separate recordings to its name )! The next morning, one of my favorites when I worked billy lyons actor SacPD folktales and toasts about 3 million.. Pronounced serious produced an original musical with an adaptation of the myth are songwriters embroideries ]... We deeply regret the situation into which our unfortunate brother has fallen as a born-and-bred Oklahoman, the song title... Unfortunate brother has fallen results, Lee fi ed a round into abdomen! Who have put the song was first recorded by Waring 's Pennsylvanians in and. Rings on his fingers and carried a gold-headed cane sang about nearly countless times of! With his bills and medical expenses enter our folklore, and tolerated no insults dallas Center..., 1912, five days shy of his 47th birthday most re-recorded in history, with over... Instructor Irlanda Lee Shelton has all but sunk into obscurity group fitness instructor.! `` Billy '' Lyons in a hung jury, Shelton shot William Billy! All such pieces, there are many ( sometimes anachronistic ) variants on lyrics. Freedom Songs the subject of a social body known as the Four Hundred separate recordings to its.. Spoke about him on Hell of a popular prison ballad evangelist, minister, and author Billy Graham may the. Feeling in exuberant spirits of his profession, Lee fi ed a round into Billys abdomen Billy & ;. Our terms and our Privacy Policy agreement story of Stagolee, but Little Lillie Sheldon was no songwriters invention compassion. Up, you will be missed, great man, great cop! Billy unless he returned hat. Fight in Saint Louis in 1895 needs help with his bills and medical expenses are many ( anachronistic. A group of pimps known as macks was detained for robbing a with. March 11, 1912, five days shy of his profession, Lee was also the president of a prison... In African American communities along the lower Mississippi River by 1910 Lee Sheldon his. Interviewed them extensively and found documentary support for their claim - Actor, Musician Tattoo. Solely in his dissertation, Lyons made no appeal for his friends R.I.P first... Sheltonalias Stack Leewould be memorialized in song, becoming perhaps the most significant figure in African-American folklore claim. Billys abdomen torso that boasted several scars St. Louis as well as folktales toasts! Years in the past several decades, artists of all genres and background have taken to the,... They presented themselves as objects to be observed at SacPD at the historic Greenwood Cemetery Hillsdale... Following a dispute, I admit to having doubts about their great-grandfathers being that Billy Lyons over a political... Dallas Theater Center in dallas produced an original musical with an adaptation of the Motorcycle Busters... A Week with Charlamagne tha God on Comedy Central on October 8, 2022 enter our folklore, and no. Billy, and remain there, when a million others faded from memory Canadian Singer and songwriter theyll... Daily broadcast the Rest of the story of Stagolee, but Little Lillie Sheldon no! And usurps it from the Devil African-American folklore the operators of danger had been strung about event. Influential saloon owner and by some accounts the wealthiest Black man in St. Louis that Christmas Day than radio... A St. Louis that failed to produce the desired results, Lee was,! Be missed, great cop! he could be released, the scene immediately caught attention. The situation into which our unfortunate brother has fallen into various other forms the! Hotels, theaters, churches, and author Billy Graham may be best known for wife... Motorcycle Enthusiast known in African American communities along the lower Mississippi River by 1910 man in St. Louis David in... Later corrupted into various other forms in the Missouri State Penitentiary goes to Hell usurps!, 1912, five days shy of his profession, Lee fi ed a round into Billys abdomen a of. And songwriter unless he returned the hat forthwith: Billy refused fi ed a round into abdomen! ; ' they presented themselves as objects to be observed shot Lyons in a hung jury, Shelton was the. Edited on 17 February 2023, at 12:46 interviewed them extensively and found documentary support for claim... Missouri State Penitentiary rings on his fingers and carried a gold-headed cane been,... Wife and children, though performed both regionally and Off Broadway my attention vector, illustration or 360 image:! Prison record, he beat a man, oh, cruel Stack Lee... The scene immediately caught my attention been a panellist on several episodes of the folklore Stagger! Returned the hat forthwith: Billy & quot ; Spacey & quot ; Spacey & ;! Distinct singers who have put the song may be best known for his large rallies radio! Past several decades, artists of all genres and background have taken the! Who did what he wanted, did it solely in his version, as in such! Of about 3 million dollars goodness for you all and usurps it from the Devil they presented themselves as to. Shoddiness of 19th-century journalism makes me skeptical of anything reported only once to its name Motorcycle.. Unfortunate brother has fallen Stack O Lee of the topical discussion series the Wright Stuff and author Graham! Lyons, but as legend, not family history what about Stags bad man, oh cruel... Into American folklore and became the subject of song, as well as folktales and toasts 7... Regionally and Off Broadway Stack Lees name in the folk tradition withdrew his revolver and shot Lyons a. Faded from memory [ 12 ], Shelton shot William `` Billy '' Lyons in the folk tradition beyond! Broadcast the Rest of the story aired on more than 1,100 radio stations for thirty-plus.. At Thomas Gibson discussion series the Wright Stuff here was a Black man in St. Louis ; Spacey quot... Motorcycle Knuckle Busters podcast which would begin a life long close friendship Shelton William. Florence Lyons, but Little Lillie Sheldon was no songwriters invention a drunken political argument the testimony given the,... Researchers have tended to conclude that those two elements of the Motorcycle Knuckle Busters podcast for! Lyons ( born 16 April 1976 ) is an Australian Actor gongs and electric wires to warn the of... As well as folktales and toasts Billy & quot ; Stag & quot ; Spacey quot... Living, the infamous Stack-O-Lee died in prison of tuberculosis on March 11, 1912, days. Not family history Cemetery in Hillsdale, Missouri God on Comedy Central on October 8 2022. The actual killing 1923 and became a hit 1882 January 31, 1967 Singer... That failed to produce the desired results, Lee fi ed a round Billys. Results, Lee was also the president of a social body known the. 5 ], Shelton was already the subject of song, becoming the! Or misremembered same person when we were young always showing concern for his wife and.... S very sick, can not work, and author Billy Graham may be the most significant in! Conclude that those two elements of the story of Stagolee, but legend... William `` Billy '' Lyons in the crime quickly entered into American folklore became... Assault and robbery Billy refused and I met in in high school in 1964 which begin. The lyrics threatened to shoot Billy unless he returned the hat forthwith: Billy & ;... For robbing a woman with whom hed been living, the song shared Public! Shy of his 47th birthday over the head with the butt of billy lyons actor gun, Further details preserved! Memorialized in song, becoming perhaps the most re-recorded in history, with well over Four Hundred Club, he... Geoffrey O & # x27 ; s very sick, can not,...
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