Yes Sir, That's My Baby

Original 1925 Sheet Music for Yes Sir, That's My Baby

"Yes Sir, That's My Baby" is a U.S. popular song from 1925.

The music was written by Walter Donaldson and the lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was a hit for Ace Brigode in 1925 and for Eddie Cantor in 1930. It was later a hit for Rick Nelson in the 1950s and Frank Sinatra in the 1960s. The song has become a standard that has been recorded by over 100 artists in genres from jazz to rock, marimba and country.

Opening line: "Yes sir, that's my ba - by, no sir, don't mean may - be, Yes sir, that's my ba - by now...."

According to one source, the song was written when Donaldson & Kahn were visiting Eddie Cantor. Cantor's daughter Marjorie brought out one of her favorite toys, a walking mechanical pig. She wound it up and it started walking in rhythm while 2 notes kept coming from the little creature. Kahn was inspired and started working lyrics to these notes in rhythm with the pig, coming up with the title and opening line of the chorus in short order.^[1]

A Yiddish version entitled "Yes Sir, Iz May Kalleh" (Yes Sir, That's My Bride) was recorded by Peisachke Burstein.

The song was also sung by Jason Robards in the 1965 feature film A Thousand Clowns.^[2]

Recorded versions

Some of the recorded versions of the song include:

• Ace Brigode,^[3]
• The Coon-Sanders Nighthawks^[4]
• Climax Jazz Band^[5]
• Four Voices - Track 10 on their album, "Four Voices II" [6]
• Roy Acuff [7]
• Pepper Adams Quintet - Track 8 on the 1966 Milestone album Mean What You Say [8]
• Ernestine Anderson - Track 3 on the 1976 Concord Jazz album Hello Like Before [9]
• Baja Marimba Band - Track 7 on the 168 A&M album Do You Know the Way to San Jose? [10]
• Count Basie - Track 5 on the 1978 Pablo album Yessir, That's My Baby with Oscar Peterson [11]
• Billy & The Essentials - Track 20 on the 2005 Cyrstal Ball compilation (No More) Lonely Weekends [12]
• Blue Wisp Big Band - Track 2 from the 1982 Sea Breeze album Butterfly/The Smooth One [13]
• Ace Brigode - original 1925 hit version
• Paul Broadnax Quartet - Track 2 on the 1999 Jazz Toons album Strike Up the Band [14]
• Ruth Brown - Track 1 on the 1968 album Fine Brown Frame [15] and Track 7 of the 1988 Fantasy album Have a Good Time [16]
• Eddie Cantor -- included on many Cantor compilations, including the 1997 ASV/Living Era compilation Yes Sir, That's My Baby: The Songs of Walter Donaldson [17]
• Clairdee - Track 1 on the 2005 Hyena album Music Moves [18]
• The Clovers - doo wop version from the 1950s, included on multiple Clovers compilations [19]
• Nat King Cole -- 1949 version by the King Cole Trio included on multiple Cole compilations [20]
• Eddie Condon - Track 14 on the 1952 Storyville album Dr. Jazz Series, Vol. 1 [21]
• The Coon-Sanders Nighthawks - 1920s version available on the compilation The Coon-Sanders Nighthawks, Vol. 1 [22]
• Bing Crosby - available on multiple compilations [23]
• Wild Bill Davidson - Track on the 1973 Jazzology album Just a Gig [24]
• Firehouse Five Plus Two -- dixieland version from 1950s [25]
• The Five Keys - early 50s doo wop version [26]
• Franki Valli & the Four Seasons - Track 2 on the 1962 Vee-Jay album Sherry & 11 Others [27]
• Buddy Greco - Track 2 on the compilation of late 1950s recordings, Talkin' Verve [28]
• Hale & The Hushabyes - Phil Spectre wall of sound version [29]
• The Harper Brothers - hard bop version was Track 8 on the 1991 Verve album Artistry [30]
• Tiny Hill & His Hilltoppers
• Earl Hines - Track 8 from the 1961 Original Jazz Classics album A Monday Date [31]
• Percy Humphrey - Track 2 from the 1965 Pearl album Climax Rag [32]
• Milt Jackson - Track 6 from the 1978 Pablo album Soul Believer [33]
• Al Jolson
• Thad Jones
• Johnny Kidd & The Pirates - Track 23 on compilation 25 Greatest Hits
• Sara Martin
• Lee Morse
• Rick Nelson
• John Pizzarelli
• Perez Prado
• Ann Richards
• Sammy Rimington
• Spike Robinson
• Jimmy Roselli
• Melanie Safka
• The Satisfactions
• Blossom Seeley
• Ben Selvin
• The Sensations
• Douglas September
• Kid Sheik
• Simmons' International All Stars
• Frank Sinatra - appears on the classic 1960s Reprise album Strangers in the Night
• Mews Small
• Jimmy Smith
• Kid Thomas
• The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain - track 2 on the 2006 album 'Top Notch' and track 13 on their third album 'A Fistful of Ukuleles'
• The Viscounts
• Kai Winding
• Gene Austin

Notes

External links

• "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", Lee Morse (Pathe 10949, 1925)—Internet Archive.