High Society
written by porter steele
THE HIGH SOCIETY RAG  -  LOUIS ARMSTRONG & HIS ORCHESTRA
I'LL BE GLAD WHEN YOU'RE DEAD YOU RASCAL YOU
​(BETTY BOOP)    1932
High Society was originally copyrighted in 1901 by Porter Steele. The song was originally composed as a march, and it morphed into a very influential traditional jazz standard. In New Orleans, the clarinet variation of the song played by Alphonse Picou is considered to be one of the earliest known jazz solos. In 1923 the first jazz recording of the song was made by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. The infamous band featured Johnnie Dodds on clarinet, and also featured Louis Armstrong and Lil Hardin - who would later become Armstrong's second wife. In 1932, High Society (also known as The High Society Rag) is performed by Louis Armstrong in the Betty Boop short film I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You. This Fleischer Studio's short is one of the first times Armstrong appeared on film.
1923

KING OLIVER'S
CREOLE
​JAZZ BAND
feat LOUIS
​ARMSTRONG
& JOHNNIE
​DODDS
1928

MONK HAZEL
AND HIS
BIENVILLE
ROOF
​ORCHESTRA
1932

ABE LYMAN
CALIFORNIA
​ORCHESTRA
1932

CLAUDE
HOPKINS
1933

LOUIS
​ARMSTRONG
1939

SHARKY
BONANO
AND HIS
SHARKS OF
​RHYTHM
1939

BOB
CROSBY
AND HIS
​ORCHESTRA
1939

JELLY ROLL
MORTON
AND HIS
​ORCHESTRA

​
1944

KID ORY
AND HIS
BAND
featuring
ORSEN
​WELLES
1945

SIDNEY
BECHET'S
BLUE NOTE
​JAZZ MEN
1947

MUZZ
​MEZZROW
1949

​BUNK
JOHNSON
AND HIS
NEW ORLEANS
​BAND
1954

HUMPHRY
​LYTTELTON
1955

CHRIS
BARBER'S
​JAZZ BAND
1956

TURK
​MURPHY
1957

HENRY
​RED ALLEN
1957

PETER
FOUNTAIN
on LAWRENCE
​WELK
1958

WILBUR
DE PARIS
AND HIS
NEW ORLEANS
​JAZZ
1959

ALPHONSE
​PICOU
1960

BILLIE
& DEDE
PIERCE
WITH
PAUL
BARBARIN
1962

ACKER
​BILK
1962

LOUIS
​ARMSTRONG
1968

BIGARD
​HODES
1970

GUY
​LOMBARDO
1979

JOHN
GREEN'S
SNAP
SYNCOPATORS
1984

THE
CAPITOL
​SHOWBAND
1999

​HUMPHREY
​LYTTELTON
2001

LADY
AND THE
​TRAMP II
2008

ROYAL
BRASS
QUINTET
​(SPAIN)
2009

INGO
RUPPERT'S
​HOT FIVE
2015
BUDDY
BOLDEN
LEGACY
​BAND
2015

JEFF
​BARNHART
2017

BLUE
WONDER
​JAZZ BAND
2017

​NEW ORLEANS
JAZZ HOUNDS
(TOKYO)
HIGH SOCIETY
(LOUIS ARMSTRONG)

Just dig that scenery floating by
We're now approaching Newport, Rhode I
We've been, for years, In Variety
But, Cholly Knickerbocker, now we're going to be

In High, High So-
High So-ci-
High So-ci-ety

I wanna play for my former pal-
He runs the local jazz festival
His name is Dexter and he's good news
But sumping kind of tells me that he's nursing the blues

In High, High So-
High So-ci-
High So-ci-ety

He's got the blues 'cause his wife, alas
Thought writing songs was beneath his class
But writing songs he'd not stop, of course
And so she flew to Vegas for a quickie divorce

In High, High So-
High So-ci-
High So-ci-ety

To make him sadder, his former wife
Begins tomorrow a brand-new life
She started lately a new affair
And now the silly chick is gonna marry a square

In High So-
High So-ci-
High So-ci-ety

But, Brother Dexter, just trust your Satch
To stop that wedding and kill that match
I'll toot my trumpet to start the fun
And play in such a way that she'll come back to you, son

In High, High So-
High So-ci-
High So-ci-ety
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