Reefer Madness

One could be forgiven for assuming that the 1960's saw the first mentions of marijuana moving into music (in the era of classic rock, psychadelia, reggae, etc). But the first 'weed songs' are actually from much earlier, stretching back to a time nearer the beginnings of recorded music. The swing big bands, bluesmen and jazzy hepcats of the 1930's and 40's produced an oft-forgotten small library of weed-inspired music.

Cannabis was not made illegal in the USA until 1937, but had long been seen as corruptive and debasing - a substance for criminals, revellers with loose morals, and black/foreign people. But among the bandstands of the popular swing ensembles, it was indulged and cherished. In the music halls, where the young and the hip converged, reefer would constantly be on the burn. Showbusiness then was as seedy as ever: gangsters and dealers mingled with entertainers and ordinary folk, hard drugs and prostitutes were openly-available, serious violence was common. Weed is a natural and ubiquitous feature in such a scenario.

Performers used the "tea" for both inspiration and recreation, and many broadcasted their love of the herb in their songs, decades before 1968 and the cultural revolution. Uploaded in this post is a small selection of those tracks: from uptempo swing tunes striking a celebratory tone about getting high, to grittier blues parables about the downfalls of addiction and vice.

The slang terms of the time are wonderfully memorable - zoots are reefers; chro is jive, tea, or wacky dust; weedsmokers are vipers. While the syntax might have changed, drug imagery is near enough universal, unchaging across cultures and eras... dealers, addicts, and weed-induced experiences are instantly-recognisable in the songs, even to someone who's never listened to jazz or blues before.

The Pick and Rofl "Reefer Madness" Tape - Early Weed Music

Click to DL.

01 - Ella Fitzgerald - When I Get Low, I Get High
02 - Cab Calloway - The Man From Harlem
03 - Baron Lee - Reefer Man
04 - Gene Krupa - Feelin High And Happy
05 - Rosetta Howard - If You're a Viper
06 - Trixie Smith - Jack, I'm Mellow
07 - Barney Bigard - Sweet Marijuana Brown
08 - Ella Fitzgerald - Wacky Dust
09 - Ray Charles - Let's Go Get Stoned
10 - Cleo Brown - The Stuff Is Here And It's Mellow
11 - Buck Washington - Save The Roach For Me
12 - The Cats & The Fiddle - Killin Jive
13 - Champion Jack Dupree - Junker Blues
14 - Curtis Jones - Reefer Hound Blues
15 - Jazz Gillum - Reefer Head Woman
16 - Lil Green - Knockin Myself Out

17 - Muddy Waters - Champagne and Reefer

* Note I realise the Muddy Waters and Ray Charles songs are from much later, but they are included because they are superb 'old weed' songs, which do not break up the blues-jazz aesthetic of the collection.