The American myth of Stagolee african american history, folklore, history, KT Lowe, music, myth making December 9, 2019 Website mdilwort On the evening of December 25, 1895, “Stag” Lee Shelton was doing the 19th century version of a bar crawl … The myth of Stagger Lee was a fantasy of life without limits for these many people who lived with incredible limits to their freedom every day (Greil 66). But one thing we know for sure: Stagger Lee will find his way back for another showdown. A blues standard, Stagger Lee has been covered in country, rock, gangsta rap, jazz, and heavy metal, to name but a few. Both Stack O Lee by MJH and Stagger Lee by NC tell the story of a bad man with a hat and a gun. More than 100 years and as many songs later, Bay Area authors Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix take an entertaining and bold look at that "Bad Man Behind The Myth & Song" in their new graphic novel, STAGGER LEE. Over time, Stagger Lee's story evolved and became a part of turn of the century American folklore. The Dallas Theater Center built Stagger Lee entirely from scratch, from the story to the set. STAGGER LEE explores this mythical translation in song handed down over the years. McCulloch and Hendrix launch a "STAGGER LEE 101" tour at Berkeley's Comic Relief book store on September 30 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., "101" presentation at 7:30 p.m. followed by book signing. From the moment I first read the history that inspired the legend, I knew it was a uniquely powerful story just waiting to be told to a new generation, STAGGER LEE Graphic Novel by Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix. Stagger Lee, (also known as Stagolee, Stack O'Lee, Stacker Lee, etc. But for Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, the hero was found not in Stagger Lee… "Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee" and other variants, is a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by "Stag" Lee Shelton, in St. Louis, Missouri at Christmas, 1895. Thirty years later, “Stag” Lee Shelton famously shoots William “Billy” Lyon in the Bill Curtis Saloon in St. Louis, as a result of a political argument between friends ending with Lyon stealing Shelton’s Stetson hat. Stagger Lee, written by Meadows Prize winner Will Power, spans multiple generations and genres. But actually the Stagger Lee myth draws on a long tradition of stories about people putting objects in front of human life. September 18, 2006. The $5 Stetson hat for which Stagger Lee shot Billy was ultimately a symbol of the black man’s manhood, his coming of age in white society. Stories were told. San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) On stage he seems diabolical, a bogey man, a … The Clash, Pat Boone, Fats Domino and Bob Dylan. Louis”: An Opening Number Comes To Life, “Frankie and Johnny”: History Of Another Musical Inspiration. His live shows are their own intense bursts of power. It was his manhood itself that Lee was recovering from Billy Lyons. The man behind the myth—“Stack” Lee Shelton—was a real person, who did many if not most of the things ascribed to him in song (except, perhaps, go down to … 11. Meet the creators of the story and music, watch the show change, learn more about the real-life Stagger Lee, and listen to the way musicians have mythologized him for almost a century. Will Power’s new musical, Stagger Lee, was inspired by the folk figure of Stagger Lee but it includes others from African-American history and myth — notably, the unfaithful, violent lovers, Frankie and Johnny. Join KERA’s Art&Seek for a rare backstage look at how a professional musical is born. Robert Hunter and the Myth of Stagger Lee. Reach out to the author: contact and available social following information is listed in the top-right of all news releases. Since its release in May from publisher Image Comics, Inc., STAGGER LEE has garnered critical acclaim from Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, Miami Herald, St. Louis –Dispatch, Library Journal, grassroots bloggers, and legendary rock critic and historian, Greil Marcus. The Song and Myth of Stagger Lee There is a song that has been recorded by James Brown, Nick Cave and Neil Diamond. Wear a Stetson Hat and win a prize. This true, and seemingly mundane, story soon became legendary and has inspired hundreds of recordings of the song known as "Stagger Lee," "Stagolee," "Stack 'O Lee," and other variations. Playwright-in-residence Will Power writes notes during a rehearsal of "Stagger Lee". Especially if they're mean and packin' heat.". It traces it's roots to Africa and the Christian/Gospel influence of the slavery era. McCulloch and Hendrix listened to more than 30 renditions for inspiration while writing and drawing their book. the stagger lee myth refers to: a. a stereotype of sexually driven black men who view white women as conquests b. the cultural misunderstanding of blues songs c. the romantic idea of a musician dying at a young age d. the belief that blues music evolved from folk music However, it is neither myth nor legend but is in fact based on a true story: In December of 1895, in St. Louis, a guy named Lee Shelton – variously known as Stagger Lee, Stag Lee, Stack O’ Lee – shot a man named William Lyons, 25, over a Stetson hat. Lee Shelton (also known as Stagger Lee, Stagolee, Stackerlee, Stack O'Lee, Stack-a-Lee and by several other spelling variants) was a black cab driver and a pimp [1] convicted of murdering William "Billy" Lyons on Christmas Eve, 1895 in St. Louis, Missouri.The crime was immortalized in a blues folk song that has been recorded in hundreds of different versions. Stagger Lee shoots Billy full of lead, breaks the bartender’s glass, and that’s it. 2011: visual artwork based on the story: Deconstructing Stagger Lee Buster Spiller chats with hip-hop theatermaker Will Power, whose musical Stagger Lee premieres at Dallas Theater Center this week, about the show, myth … Stagger Lee Part biography, part fiction, part cultural record, this graphic novel charts the phenomenon of an American folk song from the turn of the century to the present day. More than 100 years and as many songs later, authors Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix take an entertaining and bold look at that "Bad Man Behind The Myth & Song" in their new graphic novel, STAGGER LEE. Duke Ellington, The Grateful Dead, Woody Guthrie, The Ventures, Ike & Tina Turner, Ma Rainey and Jerry Lee Lewis. Questions about your PRWeb account or interested in learning more about our news services? Art&Seek has tracked the progress of the show since an early workshop in 2013. While this is not a wildly diverse resource of the variations of the Stagger Lee story and myth, it is an example of an interactive, participatory venue for lovers of the Stagger Lee artworld. Chances are you've heard about Stagger Lee in one of the many recordings available by artists like Ma Rainey, Mississippi John Hurt, Lloyd Price, Bob Dylan, The Clash, Ike and Tina Turner, and Nick Cave. On a winter night in 1895 Lee Sheldon and Billy Lyons got into a fight over a Stetson hat. On Christmas Eve, 1895, in a St. Louis saloon, "Stag" Lee Shelton shot Billy Lyons during an argument over a Stetson Hat. A myth about food, Kristen Taylor Persephone in Hell, Neil Freeman A scary German morality tale for kids that ends badly, involving fire, Anke Gruendel The ballad of Stagger Lee, Bre Pettis Prometheus with a personal interpretation involving beer and human history, James Bridle Koschei (Slavic), Ian Crowther A leading publisher of graphic novels and comics, Image Comics, Inc. is located at 1942 University Avenue, Suite 305, Berkeley, CA. The legend of Stagger Lee is one of the most important and enduring stories from American folklore. Stagger Lee is everything Cave excels at – narrative, performance, myth making. Tom wasn't aware that he was singing in Stagger Lee's old house. "From the moment I first read the history that inspired the legend, I knew it was a uniquely powerful story just waiting to be told to a new generation," says writer Derek McCulloch. The show opens at the Wyly Theater on Jan. 30. “Stagger Lee,” alternately known as “Stagolee” or “Stackalee,” has been reinvented innumerable times as a work chant, field holler, blues, rag, jazz, rock, and folk song. There are a few known facts about the real Stagger but they don’t go beyond the fact the he was a pimp and a gambler who would travel around the mid-west looking for the next, cheap hustle. © 2017 North Texas Public Broadcasting, Inc. A collage of photos and clips adorns the wall of the rehearsal space. For more information or to schedule an interview with authors Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix, contact Nancy Dyal at 415.533.7124. Kind of like a cool-ass Davy Crocket. Stagger Lee pours himself a drink, walks off into the sunset, or maybe somewhere down the line even comes face to face with the law. Art & Seek for a rare backstage look at how a professional musical is born Domino and Bob.! Kera ’ s Art & Seek has tracked the progress of the American experience ''. 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