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When the 'Time 4 Hemp' television series
began, it lacked a theme song. Not sure what to do, a frantic search for just the
right music surfaced a cool song by Cab Calloway called 'Reefer Man'.
Cab Calloway, you might say, was one of the
pioneers in hemp music. He, along with Louis Armstrong, Les Brown, Count Basie, as
well as several other members of the entertainment industry, openly performed music about
hemp. Several comedians from that era (such as Milton Berle and Jackie Gleason)
performed comedy routines about this wonderful plant. This cut new paths that
were later followed by some of today's great comics like Cheech and Chong, Chris Rock or
George Carlin. Because of this, most were under constant surveillance during the
1940's by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics agency.
The Vipers, or reefer smokers, of the Jazz
era had a language of their own, including many different words for Marijuana. These
terms for marijuana and many others can be found in Jazz lirics: Marijuana, Reefer, Gage,
Grass, Muggles, Weed, Mota, Dope, Mezzrow, Shuzzit, Ritghteous Bush, Trey, Joint, Roach,
Spinach, Mary Warner, Vipe, Dime, Stuff, Mr. Alexander, Cig, Mighty Mezz, Sweet Marijuana
Brown, Mexican Golden Leaf, Stick, Jive, Lotus Blossom, Smoke, Wackey Tobaccy.
Harry Anslinger, the head of the Narcotics
Bureau hated Jazz because he thought it lead to depravity. He even stated that,
"Any one carrying an instrument case was at least a Marijuana user, if not a
Marijuana dealer." He led his department to arrange multiple arrests of Jazz
musicians to occur on the same day. He was apparently unsuccessful because Jazz
lives on and some of his targets went on to perform many songs about the beloved weed.
These are some of the songs that were
recorded despite Anslinger's oppression:
Reefer Man - 1932- Don Pedmin and His
Orchestra
The Man From Harlem - 1932- Cab Calloway and His orchestra
Texas Tea Party - 1933- Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (with
Chailie and Jack Teagarden)
The Wood Smokers Dream - 1936- The Harlem Hamfats
All The Jive is Gone - 1936- Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy
The stuff is Here - 1937- George White
Wood - 1938- Bea Foote
Wackey Dust - 1938- Chick Webb and Hiss Orchestra
Jack I'm Mellow - 1938- Trixie Smith
Reefer Song - 1938- Fats Waller
Save the Roach For Me -1944- Buck Washington
Sweet Marijuana Brown - 1945- Barney Bigard Sextet
The "G" Men Got the
"T" Man - 1945- Cae Pee
Johnson and His Band
Lotus Blossom - 1947- Juhie Lee and Her Orchestra
These entertainers are as much a part of
Hemp History as are hemp farmers. Because of this, it is of historical importance to
have included this song by this performer in this project.
The first concern in using this song
was--of course--copyright. The copyright to the song is held by CBS Records, 1990;
and unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.
When this concern was brought to the
attention of the station manager of West Valley Community Access Cablevision Studios in
Van Nuys, California from which 'Time 4 Hemp' was first being produced and broadcast, it
was noted that since the show was:
1.) being developed as a Public Access
program
2.) to be aired on Public Access Stations
3.) released into Public Domain
The use of this song (as well as ANY OTHER
song that might be selected) is permitted even without written permission obtained.
MEANING! It is NOT okay to take this song
and record it onto a cassette tape or compact disk and SELL it! It IS okay however,
to use this song in a presentation for release into public domain and then give away that
aspect of the presentation for free.
 With that in mind, please feel free to
enjoy this download for your own personal use and share with your friends.
To review the first song used
as a theme for 'Time 4 Hemp',
click on the image to the right.
A song that was ALMOST used as a theme is
the tune listed above by the Barney Bigard Sextet called 'Sweet Marijuana Brown'. It
was a song that Casper had recorded from a radio broadcast years before his
involvement in the Hemp Movement. Due note: It is NOT okay to take this song and
record it onto a cassette tape or compact disk and SELL it! With that in mind,
please feel free to enjoy this download for your own personal use and share with your
friends.
 To enjoy the song that was almost used as
a theme for 'Time 4 Hemp',
Click here to follow the story to Lynnette Shaw
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