Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
From Think & Play Music by Porfirio Gueiros and Guests
April 22, 2026 · 8 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the blues standard 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out' and its historical context related to economic hardship.
Send us Fan Mail "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" is a blues standard written by pianist Jimmie Cox in 1923 and originally performed in a Vaudeville-blues style in the aftermath of the 1920–1921 U.S. economic depression. A later 1929 recording by Bessie Smith became popular during the early years of the Great Depression due to the lyrics highlighting the fleeting nature of material wealth and the friendships that come and go with it. Since Smith's 1929 recording, the song has been ...
People in this episode
Host: Porfirio Gueiros
Topics covered
- blues music
- economic depression
- material wealth
- friendship
- Great Depression
Keywords
- blues standard
- Jimmie Cox
- Bessie Smith
- Great Depression
- material wealth
- friendship
More episodes of Think & Play Music
- Hotel Cali For Michael · June 10, 2026 · 5 min
- 1 I Thank God - Metronome · March 9, 2026 · 4 min
- 2 Rescuer - Metronome · March 9, 2026 · 4 min
- 3 Awesome God - Metronome · March 9, 2026 · 3 min
- 4 Amazing Grace - Metronome · March 9, 2026 · 5 min
- 5 The Lamb - Metronome · March 9, 2026 · 5 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Think & Play Music podcast page.