Everybody sing along! Uh, not you, Mike.
Jazz trumpeter Roy Eldridge is considered the bridge between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie — his rapid runs helped give birth to be-bop, but he didn’t like the style. He also grew tired of the racism he encountered as the only black musician in otherwise white bands, so when he toured France with Bennie Goodman’s orchestra in 1950, Eldridge decided to stay. He spent a year there, recording with European players, many of whom were also ex-pat Americans. I can find evidence of only four recordings made by Anita Love, three with Eldridge and one with Zoot Sims, who was also playing with Goodman during the European tour.
The tune itself is based on “Ain’t No Bugs on Me,” which in turn was based on an older folk song known as “Ain’t Gonna Rain No More.” All used the same melody, and singers frequently made up their own verses. The earliest recorded version of “Ain’t No Bugs on Me” was by Fiddlin’ John Carson, who did it as a duet with his daughter, billed as Moonshine Kate.
