Today’s classic “man” song of the day is about a “Handy Man.” This tune was a hit for three different artists—Jimmy Jones, Del Shannon, and James Taylor.
Who wrote “Handy Man” is up for debate. The original recording, released in 1959 by the Sparks of Rhythm, lists Andrew Barksdale and Charles Merenstein as writers. That version was in a bluesy minor key instead of the more familiar major, and had a different melody than later versions.
The more famous recording by Jimmy Jones lists Otis Blackwell and Jimmy Jones himself as writers. By all accounts, Blackwell—a well-known songwriter for Elvis Presley and others—added the “come-a, come-a, come-a, come-a, coma-a, yeah” bit. Blackwell also produced Jones’ version. Blackwell and Jones retained songwriting credit for all later versions.
Jimmy Jones’ recording of “Handy Man” was released in December of 1959 and charted big in 1960. Jones was a former member of the Sparks of Rhythm, who recorded the tune first (but after Jones had left the group). Jones’ version switched the key from minor to major, pumped up the tempo a tad, and included the more familiar melody. It also added that “come-a, come-a” bit. Jones’ single charted big, hitting #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the R&B charts.
Del Shannon covered “Handy Man” a few years later, in 1964. Shannon’s rock ‘n’ roll-ish cover of the tune scored a little lower on the charts, peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100, but probably sound a bit more contemporary in the wake of the recent British Invasion.
Fast forward another decade or so and James Taylor recorded a slightly more laid-back, soft rock version of “Handy Man.” Taylor was backed by his normal crew of studio and touring musicians, including Danny Kortchmar on electric guitar, Clarence McDonald on Fender Rhodes electric piano, Leland Sklar on bass, and Russ Kunkel on drums. Leah Kunkel, Russ’ wife and the sister of Cass Elliott, sang backup vocals and producer Peter Asher played percussion. James Taylor himself provided the tasty acoustic guitar.
James Taylor’s version of “Handy Man” was included on his JT album and released as a single in June of 1977. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. It’s probably the version that most people today know best.
So here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, James Taylor performing “Handy Man” live at the Beacon Theater in 1998. JT’s “Handy Man” is a real smooth guy, that’s for sure.
