Champion Jack Dupree

We have previously introduced Roy Byrd in these sessions as one of the great NO pianists, and we have a few more to go. Another of the city’s greats was Champion Jack Dupree, although he really didn't spend much of his life in the Crescent City. Seeking an escape from a racist society, Dupree left New Orleans, first to the cities of the North and then abroad to Europe, only to return to his hometown in the twilight of his life to much fanfare and acceptance.

A formidable contender in the ring before he shifted his focus to pounding the piano instead, Champion Jack Dupree often injected his lyrics with a rowdy sense of down-home humor

1 My Woman Left Me – 1990 – Back Home in NO – Tk 6 – 3.08

William Thomas Dupree was born in July 1910 in New Orleans. Dupree was notoriously vague about his beginnings, claiming in some interviews that his parents died in a fire set by the Ku Klux Klan, at other times saying that the blaze was accidental. Whatever the circumstances, Dupree grew up in New Orleans' Colored Waifs' Home for Boys (Louis Armstrong also spent his formative years there). Learning his trade from a barrelhouse pianist named Willie "Drive 'em Down" Hall, he met another young pianist during this period by the name of Roy Byrd (later known as Professor Longhair) with whom he made an agreement to teach him how to sing in exchange for further lessons on the piano.

.Dupree left the Crescent City in 1930 for Chicago and then Detroit. While in Detroit, he was introduced to boxing legend Joe Louis, who rekindled the young man's interest in the sport and helped Dupree work his way into the ring. By 1935, he was boxing professionally. During his time as a boxer, Dupree fought in 107 bouts and even won the lightweight championship in Indiana. It also earned him the nickname of Champion Jack in the process.

By 1940, he had enough of boxing and turned back to the piano He had been supplementing his income all along by playing part-time and his talent had earned him a reputation as a boogie master in the Midwest. Dupree had also attracted the attention of producer, Lester Melrose, and in 1940, Dupree made his recording debut for OKeh Records.

Dupree's 1940-1941 output for the Columbia subsidiary exhibited a strong New Orleans tinge despite the Chicago surroundings; and his driving "Junker's Blues" was later cleaned up as Fats Domino's 1949 debut, "The Fat Man."

2 Junker’s Blues – Blues Collection – Jan 1941 – Tk 8 – 2.41

In 1942, Dupree was drafted into the navy and was sent to the Pacific front where he worked as a cook. He was eventually captured by the Japanese and spent two years as a prisoner of war.

After the war ended, Dupree decided that the piano beat pugilism any old day. He spent most of his time in New York and quickly became a prolific recording artist, often in the company of Brownie McGhee. Contracts meant little; and like John Lee Hooker at about the same time, Dupree masqueraded as Brother Blues on Abbey, Lightnin' Jr. on Empire, and the truly imaginative Meat Head Johnson for Gotham and Apex. Here is a track from the immediate post war period, with Brownie McGhee on guitar.

3 How Long Blues - – Blues Collection – 1945 – Tk 15 – 2.39

King Records got hold of him in 1953 and held onto him through 1955 (the year he enjoyed his only R&B chart hit, the relaxed "Walking the Blues."). Dupree's King output rates with his very best; the romping "Mail Order Woman," "Let the Doorbell Ring," and "Big Leg Emma's" contrasting with the rural "Me and My Mule"

In 1958, he recorded what is considered by many to be his masterpiece, "Blues From The Gutter". This album recanted tales of prostitution, drug use and the shadier side of life altogether and included marvelous readings of "Stack-O-Lee," "Junker's Blues," and "Frankie & Johnny" beside the risqué "Nasty Boogie

4 Nasty Boogie – 1958 – Blues From The Gutter – Tk 5 – 3.06

Great album with excellent guitar and sax work on every track, backing Dupree’s piano. Next song …Listen out to Dupree telling us of the evils of drug addiction towards the end…….

5 Can’t Kick the Habit – 1958 – Blues From The Gutter – Tk 3 – 3.39

The prejudice and racism throughout the United States became too much and in late 1958, like others we have spoken about in these sessions, he decided to move to Europe. Over the next 32 years, he lived in Switzerland, France, England, Denmark and Germany. He also recorded a multitude of wonderful albums during this time for a long list of European labels.

In 1990, Champion Jack Dupree was talked into returning to the United States and his hometown to make an appearance at the famed New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. It was his first visit to the city since 1954 and he was simply the sensation of the event. He agreed to stay long enough to record the critically acclaimed album, "Back Home In New Orleans", backed by an all-star lineup of NO greats and produced by Ron Levy. The recording showed to an American audience that even at the age of 79, Dupree still had the powerful vocals and stunning barrelhouse piano talent that so many had forgotten over the years.

6 When I’m Drinking – 1990 – Back Home In Chicago – Tk 1 – 3.24

Dupree made an encore performance at JazzFest in 1991 and also played the Chicago Blues Festival that same year. He returned to the studio one more time, in 1991, where he laid down the tracks for what eventually became his final releases, "Forever & Ever"and "One Last Time". Track from One Last Time

7 Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee – 1991 – Portrait of a Champion – Tk 6 – 4.10

Champion Jack returned to his home in Hanover, Germany, where he died from complications of cancer on January 21, 1992.

Dupree was a fun-loving man despite the themes of his music and he left a large catalog of material. Champion Jack Dupree was posthumously honored by the Blues Foundation, receiving election into their Hall of Fame. He found success in a multitude of professions throughout his life: musician, boxer, cook and even as a painter towards the end..

Go out with another track from…….Listen out for the alto sax work

8 Stack O Lee – 1958 – Blues From The Gutter – Tk 10 – 3.56