RICKY MASON

RECORDINGS WITH JIMI HENDRIX
Currently only one Ricky Mason recording with Hendrix involvement, "Sick And Tired", is known to exist. The song was discovered when Experience Hendrix acquired Chalpin`s tape archive in 2014. Why the track was never released by Chalpin is not known but it might be related to his attempts in 1966 and 1967 to get Ricky Mason recordings released by a major label. Despite contracts with Atlantic in the US and Decca in the UK ultimately neither label released any Ricky Mason product.

Suey Sundazed 2018 vinyl single

The song was first released in 2018 by Sundazed / Experience Hendrix on the flipside of a Jayne Mansfield single under the title "I Need You Every Day" and credited to "copyright control". Peter Strömbäck discovered 3 that the song actually isn`t called "I Need You Every Day", instead it`s a cover of the Chris Kenner & Dave Bartholomew -composition "Sick And Tired". The music has been heavily re-arranged to the point that it`s hard to recognize the tune but the lyrics are practically the same as on the original. The 2020 cd / lp release of the song on No Business had it titled as "I Need You Every Day [Sick & Tired]"

As Jimi`s guitar part closely resembles one that he later used for the studio version of "Bleeding Heart" in 1970 and as he was credited as arranger on the Curtis Knight "How Would You Feel" RSVP 45 (recorded under the same producer at around the same time as the Ricky Mason song) I believe it`s quite possible that it was Jimi who was responsible for the reworking of the music.

Sick And Tired
aka I Need You Every Day
Composers: Chris Kenner, Dave Bartholomew
Producer: Ed Chalpin
Arranged by: Jimi Hendrix?
Recorded at: Studio "76", New York City
Engineer: unknown
Date: Thursday 10 February 1966 1
Vocals - Ricky Mason
Trumpet - unknown 7
Baritone saxophone - unknown 7
Drums - unknown
Guitar - Jimi Hendrix
Bass - unknown

The names of the other musicians on the recording are unknown, some or all members of Curtis Knight & the Squires may have been involved but there are no clues to any names. The version that was finally released in October 2018 on a 7" vinyl single is an original 1966 PPX mix of the track. 2

Available on:
7" Jayne Mansfield featuring Jimi Hendrix : "Suey" / Ricky Mason featuring Jimi Hendrix: "I Need You Every Day" (Experience Hendrix / Legacy / Sony Music / Sundazed S323) 2018
CD No Business - Curtis Knight & The Squires The PPX Sessions Volume 2 (Dagger Records 19439800592) 2020

This is now the third Chris Kenner song that we have a PPX / Curtis Knight -recording of with Jimi playing guitar:
Sick And Tired - Ricky Mason
Land Of 1000 Dances (live) - Curtis Knight
Something You Got (live) - Curtis Knight


ORIGINAL VERSION OF "SICK AND TIRED"
"Sick And Tired" was first released in 1957 by Chris Kenner:

45 Chris Kenner - "Sick And Tired / Nothing Will Keep Me From You" (Imperial X5448) USA June 1957 5
78 Chris Kenner - "Sick And Tired / Nothing Will Keep Me From You (Imperial 5448) USA June 1957 5

According to the 45 label "Sick And Tired" was composed by Chris Kenner and Dave Bartholomew, this is confirmed by the copyright registration of the song: 4

SICK AND TIRED; w & m Christopher
Kenner & Dave Bartholomew.
C Travis Music, Inc.; 29May57;
EU480649.

You can listen to the Chris Kenner recording on YouTube.

The following year "Sick And Tired" was recorded by Fats Domino:

45 Fats Domino - "Sick And Tired / No, No" (Imperial X5515) USA March 1958 6
78 Fats Domino - "Sick And Tired / No, No" (Imperial X5515) USA March 1958 6

According to the 45 label "Sick And Tired" was this time around composed by Chris Kenner, Dave Bartholomew and Antoine Domino (aka Fats Domino). The addition of Fats Domino, however, seems to be a pure technicality related to money, the music and the lyrics seem identical compared to the Chris Kenner version.

You can listen to the Fats Domino version on YouTube.

There is very little difference between the Chris Kenner and Fats Domino -versions of the song but the Ricky Mason -version probably was based on the Fats Domino recording. Two little variations in the lyrics that appear on both the Fats Domino and the Ricky Mason recordings but are absent on the Chris Kenner recording back this up:

Fats Domino & Ricky Mason:
"change your ways"
Chris Kenner:
"change your way"

and

Fats Domino & Ricky Mason:
"I even brush your teeth"
Chris Kenner:
"I`ll even brush your teeth"

These are very small differences so this is by no means conclusive proof but it does suggest Fats Domino as the source, the Fats Domino -version was of course also the better known one. Here are the lyrics of all three versions:

Chris Kenner
Oh babe, whatcha gonna do
Whoa babe, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, foolin around with you
I get up in the morning fix you something to eat
Before I go to work I`ll even brush your teeth
I come back in the evening, you're still in bed
Got a rag tied round your head
Oh babe, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, foolin around with you
This is my last time telling you to change your way
I`m tellin you baby I mean what I say
My last time tellin you to stop that jive
Or you gonna find yourself outside
Oh babe, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, foolin around with you
Oh babe, whatcha gonna do
Whoa babe, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, foolin around with you

This is my last time telling you to change your way
I`m tellin you baby I mean what I said
My last time tellin you to stop that jive
Or you gonna find yourself outside
Oh baby, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, foolin around with you


Fats Domino
Oh babe, whatcha gonna do
Whoa babe, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, foolin around with you
I get up in the morning fix you something to eat
Before I go to work I even brush your teeth
I come back in the evening, you're still in bed
Got a rag tied round your head
Oh babe, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, foolin around with you
This is my last time tellin you to change your ways
I`m tellin you baby I mean what I said
Last time tellin you to stop that jive
Or you will find yourself outside
Oh babe, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, foolin around with you
Oh babe, whatcha gonna do
Whoa babe, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, of foolin around with you
I get up in the morning fix you something to eat
Before I go to work I even brush your teeth
I come back in the evening, you're still in bed
Got a rag tied round your head
Oh baby, whatcha gonna do
I'm sick and tired, foolin around with you
Whoa babe, whatcha gonna do
Whoa babe, whatcha gonna do


Ricky Mason
Baby baby, I need you every day
What I say pretty pretty pretty babe babe tell me what you gonna do
Well I`m sick and tired lord, fooling around [with you]

Woahhh, lord lord lord
Baby babe, I need you every day
Yes, come along now
Oh whatcha gonna do
Yeah I´m sick and tired lord, fooling around [with you]
Well I get up in the morning find you something to eat
Before I go to work I even brush your whoaaaaa
Lord lord lord lord lord lord
Whatcha gonna do
Well I´m sick and tired yeah, fooling around [with you]

Well it`s my last time telling you to change your ways
I`m telling you babe I mean what I say, yeah yeah yeah babe
Whatcha gonna do
Well I say it´s all right
Oh babe
I`m fooling around [with you], yeah

Yeah!
[ad lib]

Yeah lord babe babe
I need you every day
Well I say it´s alright it ??? like pretty babe
Tell me what you gonna do
Lord lord I`m sick and tired, fooling around with you
Oh yeah, yeah, lord, lord
[ad lib]




SOURCES
1 email from John McDermott 28 December 2014
2 email from John McDermott 14 September 2018
3 facebook message from Peter Strömbäck 15 November 2018
4 Library of Congress Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries Music January-June 1957 Third Series, Volume 11, Part 5, Number 1
5 Reviewed in Billboard issue 24 June 1957 under "Review Spotlight on...".
6 Reviewed in Billboard issue 7 April 1958 under "Review Spotlight on...". As Billboard was published roughly a week in advance of the cover date the single probably came out in March.
7 these two instruments were ID'd as a trumpet and a baritone saxophone by Enrico Merlin, thank you.