Monkey Joe

Jesse "Monkey Joe" Coleman (January 26, 1906 – November 16, 1967) was an American country blues pianist and singer, who recorded sporadically from the 1930s into the 1970s.

Coleman was born in Shelby County, Tennessee. He worked locally in Jackson, Mississippi, in juke joints in the 1930s, and recorded with Little Brother Montgomery in 1935 on Bluebird Records. He began using the moniker "Monkey Joe" during that decade. Late in the 1930s he worked as a session musician for Lester Melrose, and recorded under his own name with Charlie McCoy, Fred Williams, Big Bill Broonzy, and Buster Bennett as backing musicians. Coleman also appears to have worked under several other names, such as "Jack Newman" at Vocalion Records and "George Jefferson" as an accompanist on recordings for Lulu Scott. He also recorded on Okeh Records for a time.

Little is known of Coleman's whereabouts, aside from recording credits, from before the 1960s. He worked often in Chicago blues clubs in the 1960s, and he became the subject of some interest due to the blues revival in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He worked again with Little Brother Montgomery in the 1970s on an album entitled Crescent City Blues.

Document Records released a two-volume CD set of Monkey Joe's works in 1996.

In 2022 the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed the headstone for Jesse Coleman at the Washington Memory Gardens in Homewood, Illinois.

Birth and Death Data: Died November 16, 1967

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1935 - 1939

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 34 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-94414 10-in. 8/10/1935 Sweet patuna stomp Monkey Joe Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar and piano vocalist  
Victor BS-94415 10-in. 8/10/1935 Gonna beat it back to Memphis, Tenn. Monkey Joe Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar and piano vocalist  
Victor BS-94416 10-in. 8/10/1935 Monkey Joe got the blues Monkey Joe Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar and piano vocalist  
Victor BS-94417 10-in. 8/10/1935 Hard times blues Monkey Joe Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar and piano vocalist  
Columbia C2188 10-in. 5/9/1938 Ever dream you was lucky? Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with mandolin, piano, and drums vocalist  
Columbia C2189 10-in. 5/9/1938 Three o'clock blues Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and drums vocalist  
Columbia C2190 10-in. 5/9/1938 O.K. with me baby Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with mandolin, piano, and drums vocalist  
Columbia C2191 10-in. 5/9/1938 Hair parted in the middle Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with mandolin, piano, and drums vocalist  
Columbia C2192 10-in. 5/9/1938 I knocked upon your door Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with guitar, piano, and drums vocalist  
Columbia C2193 10-in. 5/9/1938 Some sweet day Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with mandolin, piano, and drums vocalist  
Columbia C2298 10-in. 9/8/1938 Taxes on my pole Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with alto saxophone, mandolin and piano vocalist  
Columbia C2299 10-in. 9/8/1938 Must I break 'em on down Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with alto saxophone, mandolin and piano vocalist  
Columbia C2300 10-in. 9/8/1938 Just out the big house Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with alto saxophone, mandolin and piano vocalist  
Columbia C2301 10-in. 9/8/1938 Preach, pray and moan Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with mandolin and piano vocalist  
Columbia C2302 10-in. 9/8/1938 New York Central Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist  
Columbia C2303 10-in. 9/8/1938 Rabbit foot blues Monkey Joe Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist  
Columbia WC2526 10-in. 3/31/1939 Wise to the jive Monkey Joe ; Music Grinders Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Columbia WC2527 10-in. 3/31/1939 I was laying 'em down Monkey Joe ; Music Grinders Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Columbia WC2528 10-in. 3/31/1939 Tailor made woman Monkey Joe ; Music Grinders Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Columbia WC2529 10-in. 3/31/1939 Trouble comin' on Monkey Joe ; Music Grinders Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Columbia WC2530 10-in. 3/31/1939 Good business #2 Monkey Joe ; Music Grinders Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Columbia WC2531 10-in. 3/31/1939 Mobile and K. C. line Monkey Joe ; Music Grinders Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Columbia WC2532 10-in. 3/31/1939 B. V. D. blues Monkey Joe ; Music Grinders Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Columbia WC2533 10-in. 3/31/1939 Headache blues Monkey Joe ; Music Grinders Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
Columbia WC2702 10-in. 9/13/1939 You don't have to tell me Monkey Joe ; Music Grinders Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist  
(Results 1-25 of 34 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Monkey Joe," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110919.

Monkey Joe. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110919.

"Monkey Joe." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110919

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