The original Mississippi Mud is a catchy pop tune penned by Harry Barris and James Cavanaugh in 1927. Among the first to record it was the Paul Whiteman Orchestra with Davenport’s Bix Beiderbecke and a vocal group called The Rhythm Boys whose members included a young Bing Crosby. The catchy, perky tune is paired with surprisingly racist lyrics depicting happy “darkies” singing and dancing next to the river. Pretty much every singer of note recorded a version since the original was released, though most modified the lyrics to remove the offensive terms.
And now for something completely different. check out this rapid-fire version from ska-influenced Less Than Jake (on Goodbye Blue & White, released in 2002):
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