Coverinfo
Bruce recorded the song with The Seeger Sessions Band and released it on his 2006 album We Shall Overcome: The album was recorded over the course of nine years at Thrill Hill East, Springsteen's home studio in Colts Neck, NJ: During these sessions, all of the album's songs were cut live in the living room of Springsteen's farmhouse – they were not rehearsed and all arrangements were conducted by Springsteen as he and the band played them. "We were doing trapeze without a safety net," Sam Barfeld told Backstreets magazine. "He plays the song for you once, a couple of arrangement ideas. Have enough time to scrawl out a chord chart, and then boom! You record."
Note that this cover is different from the Springsteen-penned Robert Ford, which is also known under the title "Jesse James". Robert Ford is an unreleased song written by Bruce Springsteen who recorded it in studio in 1982. The song is also known under the titles "Robert Ford And Jesse James" and "Jesse James". The song is obviously inspired or based on the 19th century folk song Jesse James, The Seeger Sessions version.
LYRICS
Robert Ford and Jesse James were like brothers
Together they would loot the Danville train, train
And then, da da da da da
Da da da da da da da
Da da, to dust, and they went down the line
Baby, da da da da da da
Da da da da da da da
Da da da, da da da da da da da da da, da da da da da
Baby I can't take it now
Jesse James was recorded in the first session
First Session : 02/11/1997
- Soon after the conclusion of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's short Vote For Change Tour, Springsteen was liaising with manager Jon Landau regarding material for a potential future second volume of the Tracks boxed set. Some of the leftover material from the 02 Nov 1997 session was being evaluated and out of those discussions came the idea of releasing this session material as a stand-alone album project. "Thanks to Jon Landau for another one of his 'I think we've got something here...' phone calls," Springsteen later wrote in the liner notes of the 2006 album.
Second Session: 19/03/2005
There were not enough songs recorded on 02 Nov 1997 to fill an album, so the original 1997 musicians were contacted again and an additional recording session took place on 19 Mar 2005, just prior to Springsteen embarking on his Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour. Nine songs were recorded during the second session:
ERIE CANAL, JOHN HENRY, O MARY DON'T YOU WEEP, PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN, OLD DAN TUCKER, FROGGIE WENT A COURTIN', SHENANDOAH, MRS. MCGRATH, and MICHAEL ROW YOUR BOAT ASHORE. Eight of the songs recorded during this second session ended up on the album.
Third Session: 14/01/2006
Bruce performed the song 64 times:
2006-04-20 - CONVENTION HALL, ASBURY PARK
Rehearsal Show
2006-04-24 - CONVENTION HALL, ASBURY PARK
2006-04-25 - CONVENTION HALL, ASBURY PARK
Rehearsal Show
2006-04-30 - NEW ORLEANS FAIRGROUNDS, NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
2006-05-05 - POINT THEATRE, DUBLIN, IRELAND
2006-05-07 - MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS ARENA, MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
2006-05-08 - HAMMERSMITH APOLLO, LONDON, ENGLAND
2006-05-10 - PALAIS OMNISPORTS DE PARIS-BERCY, PARIS, FRANCE
2006-05-12 - DATCH FORUM, MILAN, ITALY
2006-05-14 - PAVELLÓ OLÍMPIC DE BADALONA, BARCELONA, SPAIN
2006-05-16 - HEINEKEN MUSIC HALL, AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
2006-05-17 - FESTHALLE, FRANKFURT, GERMANY
2006-05-20 - OSLO SPEKTRUM, OSLO, NORWAY
2006-05-21 - HOVET, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
2006-05-27 - TWEETER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, MANSFIELD, MA
2006-05-28 - NISSAN PAVILION, BRISTOW, VA
2006-05-30 - GERMAIN AMPHITHEATER, COLUMBUS, OH
2006-05-31 - VERIZON WIRELESS MUSIC CENTER, NOBLESVILLE, IN
2006-06-03 - GLENDALE ARENA, GLENDALE, AZ
2006-06-05 - GREEK THEATRE, LOS ANGELES, CA
2006-06-06 - SLEEP TRAIN PAVILION, CONCORD, CA
2006-06-10 - WELLS FARGO ARENA, DES MOINES, IA
2006-06-11 - XCEL ENERGY CENTER, ST. PAUL, MN
2006-06-13 - FIRST MIDWEST BANK AMPHITHEATER, TINLEY PARK, IL
2006-06-14 - BRADLEY CENTER, MILWAUKEE, WI
2006-06-16 - BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH
2006-06-17 - DTE ENERGY MUSIC THEATRE, CLARKSTON, MI
2006-06-19 - SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY
2006-06-20 - TWEETER CENTER AT THE WATERFRONT, CAMDEN, NJ
2006-06-22 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY
2006-06-24 - PNC BANK ARTS CENTER, HOLMDEL, NJ
2006-06-25 - PNC BANK ARTS CENTER, HOLMDEL, NJ
2006-10-01 - PALAMALAGUTI, BOLOGNA, ITALY
2006-10-02 - PALAISOZAKI, TORINO, ITALY
2006-10-04 - VILLA MANIN, UDINE, ITALY
2006-10-05 - ARENA DI VERONA, VERONA, ITALY
2006-10-07 - ARENA SANTA GIULIANA, PERUGIA, ITALY
2006-10-08 - PALAMAGGIÒ, CASERTA, ITALY
2006-10-10 - PALALOTTOMATICA, ROME, ITALY
2006-10-12 - COLOR LINE ARENA, HAMBURG, GERMANY
2006-10-13 - SPORTPALEIS AHOY, ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
2006-10-19 - PLAZA DE TOROS DE LAS VENTAS, MADRID, SPAIN
2006-10-21 - ESTADIO CIUTAT DE VALÈNCIA, VALENCIA, SPAIN
2006-10-22 - PLAZA DE TOROS DE GRANADA, GRANADA, SPAIN
2006-10-24 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA, SPAIN
2006-10-25 - PABELLÓN DEPORTIVO, SANTANDER, SPAIN
2006-10-28 - PARKEN STADIUM, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
2006-10-29 - OSLO SPEKTRUM, OSLO, NORWAY
2006-10-30 - GLOBE ARENA, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
2006-11-06 - KÖLNARENA, COLOGNE, GERMANY
2006-11-07 - SPORTPALEIS, ANTWERP, BELGIUM
2006-11-09 - THE NEC ARENA, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
2006-11-11 - WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON, ENGLAND
2006-11-12 - WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON, ENGLAND
2006-11-14 - HALLAM FM ARENA, SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND
2006-11-17 - POINT THEATRE, DUBLIN, IRELAND
2006-11-18 - POINT THEATRE, DUBLIN, IRELAND
2006-11-19 - POINT THEATRE, DUBLIN, IRELAND
2006-11-21 - ODYSSEY ARENA, BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND
2014-05-01 - MIDFLORIDA CREDIT UNION AMPHITHEATRE, TAMPA
2014-05-03 - NEW ORLEANS FAIRGROUNDS, NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
2014-05-06 - CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL PAVILION, HOUSTON
2014-05-17 - MOHEGAN SUN ARENA, UNCASVILLE, CT
2015-05-16 - TRIBECA GRILL, NEW YORK CITY
Kristen Ann Carr Fund Gala with the Gotham Playboys: Bruce is reunited with members of his 2006 Sessions Band during this "A Night To Remember" event at the annual Kristen Ann Carr Fund gala, which took place at New York's Tribeca Grill. The charity honors the late daughter of Springsteen's co-manager Barbara Carr, who died of sarcoma in 1993. The guest of honor at this gala was Thom Zimny. The entertainment, known as the Gotham Playboys when they started playing private parties at Springsteen's farm in the late '90s, is billed for the evening as the Tribeca Playboys: Charles Giordano on accordion, Jeremy Chatzky on stand-up bass, Larry Eagle on drums, Sam Bardfeld on fiddle and vocals, Soozie Tyrell on fiddle and vocals, Lisa Lowell on vocals and guitar, Ed Manion on saxophone, and Curt Ramm on trumpet. Nils Lofgren was scheduled to perform and guests on guitar, and Curtis King also joins the fun. E Streeters Max Weinberg and Steven Van Zandt also attend the event.