Today’s classic song of the day sounded quite a bit different from everything else on the radio at dawn of the British Invasion. The song is “(Down At) Papa Joe’s” by a group called the Dixiebelles, and it hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released late in 1963.
“(Down At) Papa Joe’s” was written by a piano player named Jerry Smith and produced by early rock ‘n’ roller Bill Justis, who had a previous hit with the instrumental, “Raunchy.” Together, Jerry and Bill made up the duo Cornbread and Jerry, and they played backup on the “Papa Joe’s” recording.
The song “Papa Joe’s” was inspired by an actual joint down in New Orleans. The single has a definite Dixieland flavor, complete with tack piano, banjo, and brass band. As the lyrics say:
There’s a place in New Orleans
That serves fried chicken with turnip greens
Crawfish bisque that’ll treat you right
And Papa Joe plays there every night
A little dark haired beauty says, “Step right in”
And, you can bet a full dollar, she’s be your friend
Everybody there has a tolerible time
Down at Papa Joe’s
The Dixiebelles were a Memphis-based girl group composed of three former members of the Tonettes: Mary Hunt, Mildred Pratcher, and Shirley Thomas. That’s not them singing on the single, however. For the recording, producer Bill Justis supposedly brought in members of the very white bread Anita Kerr Singers. Mary, Mildred, and Shirley, three black girls, were assembled after the recoding as the touring group.
Whomever it was doing the singing, “(Down At) Papa Joe’s” was the Dixiebelles’ first single. They had a fairly successful follow up, 1964’s similar-sounding “Southtown U.S.A.,” but that was about it for the ladies. The group split up in 1967.
