NOHOBANJO OF NORTHAMPTON, AND NOW EASTHAMPTON, "MUSICAL MUSINGS"

I don’t know about you, gentle readers, but I am increasingly finding the news of the day disheartening if not depressing; too much “this and that,” too little “that and this.”  I thinking not just of the deeply worn depressions found in too many of the streets in our little part of New England, but also thinking back on that rocky rubble of American history known as the “Great Depression.”

Few of us around today lived through those days, but all of us have heard the admonitions of our parents or grandparents: “Make do or do without;” “Poor folks have poor ways;” or “Think about the poor children from—wherever—who don’t have enough to eat.” 

However, there were silver linings on the dark clouds and those fit right in with these musical musings I have been posting for the past five or six years. It’s in many of the songs we remember, play, and sing today as we troll through our songbooks and strum, saw, tap, or toot away on our favorite musical instruments.

There were Dozens and Dozens and DOZENS of songs written in the time span between presidents Hoover and Roosevelt. 

As would be expected, many of these were in the blues, country, and protest song traditions. They reflected in song the woes of the time. 

Still others, mostly in the jazz and popular traditions, focused on the optimism that everyone needed to survive. 

After all, songs on the radio (if you were lucky enough to have one in those days) were free and (it was said by many) that: “You can’t be sad when you’re dancing!” 

So, let’s take a look at just a few of these songs–from both sides of the cloud, of course–to illustrate my point and, then hopefully, give us a bit of cheer once we set aside our newspapers (screens today) and sing along!  

To begin, gentle readers, let’s “eat our spinach before our desert” and look at the most quintessentially woeful song of the times, the one that defined the Great Depression: “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?”

Without a doubt, this is one of the best-known American songs of the era of bread lines and soup kitchens and, in effect, has become THE anthem of the Great Depression. Written in 1931 by lyricist Yip Harburg (who, incidentally, wrote all the songs for “The Wizard of Oz”) and composer Jay Gorney, the song was part of the 1932 Broadway musical revue “Americana.”

The melody begins in a minor key—unusual for a popular song at the time—and is based on a Russian-Jewish lullaby that Gorney had grown up with as a child. The song tells the story of the universal everyman, whose honest work was towards achieving the “American Dream.” 

Although blues songs often reflected a dark, more rural or racially oriented take on the times, . . .

. . . “Brother Can You Spare a Dime” became one of the few Tin Pan Alley or Broadway songs of the era to shine on the darker aspects of the county’s collapse.

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or to listen to this song that defines the dark side of the era.

But, enough of the dark side!  Let’s, indeed, move over to the—shall we say—sunnier side of the street. 

American popular music reacted to the Great Depression with optimism—albeit guarded—and a spate of lighter songs became radio, movie, and Broadway hits.  Many of these have endured and, in fact, have found their way into our songbooks.

A happy song from the sad days is “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” a 1930 tune composed by Jimmy McHugh, who wrote another great depression era song, “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Her other contribution to this “try to feel good” genre includes the lyrics for “Pick Yourself Up, And Start All Over Again.”  All three songs have been covered by scores of performers over the years. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear a modern version of the “Sunny” song.   

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link to hear Cliff (“Ukulele Ike”) Edwards’ version of “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” with the rarely included verse as well as the well-known chorus. 

Now, click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a Fred and Ginger take on “Pick Yourself Up.” Then, just for fun, click or tap on the triangle in the image after that one to see their phenomenal dance routine to our song.

Now here’s another happy tune from our songbooks. Although written a couple of years before the 1929 Stock Market Crash that sparked the Great Depression, “Side by Side” became one of the most popular songs of the 1930s and, today, is considered a standard. 

It was written by Harry Woods, who practiced songwriting only as a sideline, and, as a bit of trivia composed his songs on the piano despite the fact that he was born without fingers on his left hand!  He wrote a couple of other favorites: “When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin Along,” and “I’m Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover.”  

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to see a movie version of “Side by Side”: 

Oh yes, here are a couple of Art Deco style ukuleles from my collection in a style that was popular, to say nothing of symbolic, during the Great Depression—an inexpensive uke fancied up with an inexpensive paint job.  What’s not to like?

And, of course we have to end with probably the most optimistic song of the Great Depression—at least at the beginning of its end—you know what it is! 

Here’s our happy days song in its original, Broadway version from 1930–before it became a campaign song. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen. Then, click or tap on the following image for a performance of our song from the 2000s coupled with another appropriate tune. Same optimism? We hope!

So, stay safe, stay un-depressed, keep up with those boosters, and STAY TUNED! Because, perhaps, hopefully . . .

If we all work together as a community!

Musical tales of the “Emerald Isle” and St. Patrick’s Day are low hanging fruit for Alison and me who indeed have bent over backwards and actually kissed the Blarney Stone!  There are, however, way too many blossoms and branches on this tree for a simple musical musing.  Nonetheless, with a dram or two (or three) of Jameson “in the jar,” try I must and do I will.

Because of the plethora of Irish and Irish-related songs out there, I’m just going on an un-thematic rove of some of the more interesting that I have found. Just a good listen and look, with the blessing of the Good Saint I am sure! Move to the next tune if you tire, or come back after you’ve drawn a fresh pint. Just be prepared to do a jig or two!

A rowdy celebration of St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal in the US but only lately in Ireland itself.  It was always a religious holiday over there but seldom rowdier than a night of music and good “craic” (definition later) at the neighborhood public house or “pub.” 

Sad to say, the ukulele is not a traditional Irish instrument although some can, of course, be found.

Surprisingly, however, the tenor banjo is traditional! It doesn’t quite sound like the bluegrass or old-time banjo playing styles we hear around here–a bit more like mandolin picking. So, tap or click on the triangle in the next image to listen to the late, great Irish banjo player with the Dubliners, Barney McKenna.

Of course, there is a long, long tradition of Irish music going way back to the early days.  Irish–and similarly, Scottish, Welsh, and English–traditional music has been collected, studied, and played to this day. It’s known as Celtic music, pronounced “Keltic.” That’s for music; for basketball its “Seltic.”

Leave it to say that the “Keltic” pronunciation (from the Greek “keltoi“) is preferred by those who study the Celtic culture, language, and history, to the point that if you call it anything else, they’ll be lookin’ down on you. But if you are attending a game in Boston, you’ll be rootin’ for the “Seltics” (from the old French “celtique“). Go figure.

Much of the early Celtic music we know followed the Ulster (Scots/Irish) migrations to the US and Canada in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  This “first wave” migration of mostly Protestant “Orangemen” settled in the mountainous frontiers of America, such as Appalachia, and their music became the foundation on which today’s old-time, hillbilly, country/western, and bluegrass music was built.

As another linguistic aside, Scots/Irish followers of William of Orange, in the “Glorious Revolution” of 1688 were known as “Billy’s Boys” and were identified by their bright red neck scarves. Settled in America, over the years they became “hillbillies” and “red-necks.”

“The Wearing of the Green” is a traditional Irish ballad lamenting the repression of supporters of the “Rebellion of 1798” against British rule. It is based on an old Irish air, and many versions of the lyric exist proclaiming that “they are hanging men and women for the wearing o’ the green,” the color of the shamrock adopted by these supporters.

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to listen to this early Irish song that is still sung today.

Later, during the potato famine–“starvin’ times”– of the mid- 19th century, these traditional dance tunes and nostalgic ballads from Ulster and the lower counties of Ireland were carried to towns and cities all over the world with the diaspora of mostly Catholic Irish immigrants. While the early migration brought traditional Celtic music to the countryside and mountains, the later, “second wave” migration also spawned newer, Irish/American music in the cities. 

It was in American cities where musical nostalgia for the “Old Sod,” or “Emerald Isle,” rose and “American/Irish songs were born. Here’s one from the early 1900s.

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen to this oldie.

Needless to say, American sheet music publishers profited, particularly as Irish immigrants found their way into the workplace, settled themselves in towns and neighborhoods, and brought their music into their pubs and parlors.

How about this one from 1915.

Tap or click on the triangle in the following image for the song and the scenery.

Now here’s one originally published in 1901 that has become a favorite among barbershop singers to this day.

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a “one-man quartet” version of this oldie!

And, another bit of nostalgia from the 1900s.

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen to this tearjerker.

Needless to say, the “Irish theme” was quickly picked up by enterprising songwriters—most of them non-Irish, many Jewish—on New York’s Tin Pan Alley and performed on Vaudeville stages and parlor pianos throughout the country. Needless to say, The whimsical, often satirical, and too often pejorative portrayal of the Irish immigrant rose.

Alas, no YouTubes of these. Perhaps for the better!

There are a few dozen YouTubes of the next one, however. It’s been around since 1898!

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen.

After 1860, Irish Americans also wrote songs to reflect the discrimination they felt first in England and then as newcomers in America. The protest song “No Irish Need Apply” was inspired by this. It’s the pride of this latter migration, however, that gave us St. Patrick’s day as we know it in this country and the “wearin’ o’ the green” that is celebrated today.

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a more contemporary take on this old, old lament.

And, let’s not forget the great Irish tenors of the past—a unique contribution to popular vocal music.  Anyone remember Dennis Day on the Jack Benny radio show?  And that great English/American/Irish Song  . . .     

Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for a listen.

In Ireland, the fellowship, banter, and fun conversation over a pint or a few at the local pub is said to be “good craic!”  (Pronounced: crack.)  And, a pub is a favorite venue for song.  

Here, folks with pints in hand will shout/sing chorus after chorus as the house band runs through verse after verse.  Here is what is said to be the most popular tune of this tradition— “The Wild Rover.”

Tap or click on the the image below to join the crowd at the neighborhood pub!

To end on a bit o’ good craic, let’s not forget the other musical Irish saints, such as Saint Ukelelaigh.

So, Avoid rowdy Saint Patrick’s Day crowds, stay as masked as you need be, . . .

. . . enjoy whatever craic you may be given or give, wear a bit o’ the green, and . . . STAY O’TUNED!

We’re all going to lose an hour of sleep this coming Sunday morning as we comply with the “times that will be a’changin.” However, gentle readers, rejoice with me as we relish that extra hour of sunshine we’ll have in the evening–perfect for cocktail hour on the porch at the “Huckleberry Inn” here in the Hamptons of western Massachusetts!

On to the early morning mission . . . To maintain appropriate silence, I won’t be whistling a tune or strumming a banjo when I tiptoe around the house to set all of our clocks forward at EXACTLY 2:00 A.M. this Sunday, as required by law.

I wouldn’t want to awaken Alison on a Sunday morning with a raucous tune, but here is one of a few that addresses the controversy some folks have with our recurring time-change responsibilities. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a seriously timely take on the issue–but let’s not turn up the volume during our 2 A.M. mission!

Alison believes that I could set all our clocks ahead BEFORE I go to bed. But, in this day and age, I would not want to be caught breaking the law.  Besides, it could be hazardous!  

There are cameras everywhere, you know!  And ICE—the Incremental Clock Enforcers! 

Anyway, by 3:00 A.M. or so, all of our clocks will be reset and we will—as I believe we Happy Valley folks must—be in compliance with the 2 A.M. mandate of the law. 

For all of us to quietly waltz back to bed after completing our Sunday morning mission, here is an appropriate tune. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to dance along!

And, so to bed—with the banjo (reset, of course) and back in its place back hanging on the wall.

Moving ahead, here are a few vintage sheet music reminders of time and clocks and a few timely tunes.  

Or, how about this one from my high school pep band days?

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image and rock along!

And, of course, here’s the grandfather of the genre!

Despite the name of this duo, this is a fun take on this old chestnut of a clock song from the 1840s. Click or tap on the next image for a bit of musical fun by a duo that seems to have stood the test of time!

And, how about a different kind of “savings time?” 

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a 1931 version of this one.

Here’s a tune from 1945. Remember this one?

Click or tap on the triangles in the next two images for two really, really different versions of this timely tune.

So, on Sunday morning, remember—EXACTLY at 2 A.M. or you are breaking the law!  After all, we must do our bit for our soldiers and farmers—the whole reason we have daylight savings time in the first place.  Right? 

To wind things up, click or tap on the triangle in the next image to see how these folks are musically addressing the time change as they get ready for church this Sunday.

So, on Sunday morning, do your duty, don’t break the law, enjoy all that extra sunshine, and . . .

. . . STAY TUNED! But, . . .

It being the week of the annual Presidents Day remembrance, we need look no farther than out our windows to see our local link to this parade of American history.  Now, I am sure that most of you gentle readers who live in or near Northampton, Massachusetts, are steeped in the lore and history of the city’s most famous citizen, the 30th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge. 

But, perhaps, a few of you out-of-towners or newcomers to our Happy Valley may not be as up on local lore as the rest of us.  So, this is why his story is of importance and how we can link Coolidge with a musical musing—sort of.

As a quick setting of the stage, Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States, was born in Plymouth, Vermont, on July 4, 1872. The only president born on the 4th of July!  After graduating from nearby Amherst College, he began a career in law and politics in Northampton eventually becoming Governor of Massachusetts, Vice-President of the United States, and–after the death of President Warren Harding–President in his own right.

And, as a matter of local pride, the nationally known (I presume, of course!) Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum is located in Northampton’s venerable Forbes Library!

And, to make a musical point, Northampton’s own AEIOUkes meet in the Library’s Coolidge Room for many of our weekly ukulele strum sessions!

 

This museum resource began when Coolidge, as Massachusetts Governor and Vice-President-Elect, began giving documents and memorabilia to the public library for the city of Northampton. 

There are several good biographies of Coolidge and his times—as well as our good friends on the internet—that can give you as much of his life story as you care to learn. 

Suffice it to say that, for our purposes, simply knowing that his law office . . .

. . . was in the Main Street building above what is now Fitzwilly’s Restaurant . . .

. . . and that he and his wife, Grace–a teacher at the nearby Clarke School for Hearing and Speech, lived in a rented duplex on Massasoit Street before their moves to Boston and Washington. 

After leaving the White House in 1929, they returned to Northampton where he lived for the rest of his life.  As a historical tidbit, he is the only President to have moved from a rented duplex to the White House—and back! They later moved to a larger house in Northampton to accommodate, as Coolidge commented, all the visitors of a “has-been President.”

Most historians note his calm, shy personality that appealed to the attitudes of the time. 

His common sense and dry wit earned him a well-deserved reputation for being wise.  Most of us recall that he earned the nickname “Silent Cal” because he refrained from giving public statements unless they were absolutely necessary, and when he did, they were short and to the point.  How novel in this day and age!  Just saying.     

In 1924, Coolidge was nominated and ran for President on his own and, with all the campaign hoopla of the day, was elected in a landslide. 

He campaigned on the promise of a “calm hand on the rudder of state” and “safe, sane, and steady” were emblazoned on his posters. 

His reasoned demeanor and deliberate decision-making process sparked his campaign slogan—“Keep Cool with Cal.” 

Voters bought into this and he was elected in a landslide.

But, on to music.  In those early days of radio and rallies, campaign songs were the rage and Coolidge was first mentioned in one for the Harding campaign of 1920.

In the 1920s, these songs were catchy tunes with easy to remember and sing lyrics.  Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for one from the Harding campaign that was written by none other than the most popular musical performer in America of the day, Al Jolson!

For the 1924 election campaign of Coolidge and Charles Dawes, his running mate, there were several songs.

But, by far, the most memorable was “Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge.”  This was written for the “Home Town Coolidge Club” of Plymouth, Vermont, but soon became popular nationwide. 

It was even performed on the White House lawn for the Coolidges, again by Al Jolson himself.

Here is a relatively recent recording of this tune by the performing musicologist Oscar Brand. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a listen.

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for another iteration of this tune complete with newsreel footage of a rally back home in Northampton!

As a reminder that Coolidge was president during the dry (mostly) days of Prohibition . . .

. . . keep cool and listen to some words of wisdom from a hundred years ago.

So, to get ready for the super-hoopla of the 2024 election campaign, stay as masked as you need to be . . .

And, STAY TUNED! And . . .

Every mid-February over the past four or five years I’ve done a musical musing pertaining to Valentine’s Day.  Needless to say, there are tons of songs, sheet music covers, ukulele- or banjo-oriented cards, and YouTube recordings to give some sparkle to these. 

This year, however, I’ve decided to do things a tad differently and focus on just one song, probably one of the most familiar and most covered songs of the “heart-shaped” genre—“My Funny Valentine.”

“My Funny Valentine” is a melancholy show tune from the Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart musical “Babes in Arms” . . .

. . . in which it was introduced by popular teen-aged actress and singer Mitzi Green. 

“Babes in Arms” opened at the Shubert Theater on Broadway in 1937 and ran for 289 performances.  In the original play, Mitzi Green’s character, “Billie” sings the song to her boyfriend “Val”—whose name matched the lyrics of the song.   

In the song, “Billie” describes “Val’s” characteristics in unflattering and derogatory terms (at one point she describes his looks as “laughable,” in keeping with the title), but ultimately affirms that he makes her smile and that she doesn’t want him to change. 

Alas, gentle readers, there seems to be no YouTube of her performance in the role.  You may click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link to see and hear her a couple of years before “Babes in Arms.” A teenager heading into adulthood!

She went on to an on-again, off-again career that faded by the 1950s.  Some folks still remember, however. 

“My Funny Valentine” lasted much, much longer and has become a jazz standard appearing in over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists!  Not too shabby for a minor-key, melancholy show tune from the Depression Era.

Here’s one of the earliest stand-alone recordings of this song, probably in the Mitzy Green style. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image or link for a listen.

What has given the song a long, long life in the musical world, however, is that the lyrics are sufficiently gender-neutral to allow the song to be sung by or about either gender, and a large proportion of the cover versions are by men describing a hypothetical woman.  What’s not to like?

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link for a guy’s version of our song, sung to his daughter!

And, of course, there are innumerable jazz versions. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for one by Sarah Vaughan.

In addition to “My Funny Valentine,” several songs from the Broadway production of “Babes in Arms” have become jazz or pop standards—”Where or When,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “Johnny One Note,” and “I Wish I Were in Love Again.”  

But, back to Broadway in 1937.

Basically, the plot of the musical centered on a group of precociously talented teen-age children of impoverished vaudevillians–so-called “babes in arms”–banding together to oppose the closing of their small-town theater by stuffy, fiscally conservative, local authorities. They kids did it by by doing—what else?—“PUTTING ON A SHOW!“

That was Broadway; then along came Hollywood. Sorry Mitzi; hello Judy!

Delightful in its own right, the 1939 film version of “Babes in Arms” starred teenagers Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney and was directed by the inimitable choreographer Busby Berkeley. However, it was–as Hollywood was wont to do–heavily massaged and rewritten. So, in the movie, the “babes” band together to prove to their pooh-poohing vaudevillian parents that they had real talent and could make it to Broadway on their own. Needless to say, they did this by doing–what else?–“PUTTING ON A SHOW!” So much for helping out the impoverished little theater in their home town.

The movie script — as significantly revamped, restructured, and rewritten to accommodate a Hollywood take on things–avoided much of the mildly leftist political slant of the original musical. And–tragedy of tragedies–left out almost all of the Rogers and Hart songs from the Broadway musical, including “My Funny Valentine.”  Go figure!

Just for fun, however, click or tap on the next image or link to hear bits of the songs that did win the Broadway vs. Filmdom battle of 1939–with the full Hollywood treatment!

But, I digress . . .

Now, as far as ukuleles are concerned, there are quite a few out there in ukulele land with a valentine or sweetheart theme–minor or major key. Here for fun are a couple of “sweethearts” from my collection.

Now, before we go and spend the better part of the day opening all of the valentines that we’ll be getting from all of our sweethearts on the 14th, here is one of many, many YouTube versions of “My Funny Valentine.” Click or tap on the next triangle in the next image or link for a guitar instrumental that will give you a Valentine’s Day earworm for the next few days!

And of course, there are a lot of vintage cards that could easily fall into the “funny valentine” category. Sadly, there are way too many that, in my humble opinion, may be a tad to prurient for the eyes of many of my gentle readers. But just for fun let me focus on a few that fall into the more benign genre of “What Were They Thinking?”

Whew!

So stay safe, stay sequestered (from everyone except your music loving valentine!), . . .

. . . stay as masked as you would like or need to be . . .

And, without question, stay a funny valentine!

And for those of you who just might be watching the Super Bowl this weekend . . .

A happy Valentine’s Day to all, gentle readers.

STAY TUNED!

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Since we are still deep in the New England Winter doldrums, it might be worthwhile to take a peek at some of the songs we play or sing that keep us “by the fireplace” on days like this. Anyone skimming through a list of early country and folk songs will run into a genre with a certain chilly greyness to them: “Prison Songs.” 

Songs about prisoners, jail time, and other forms of judicial restraint were well known by most folks—even if experienced by only a very few. 

A night spent in the “hoosegow” to dry out or as punishment for a bit of wanton revelry was common.

Less common were months, years, or a lifetime in the “pen” or on a chain gang. 

Newspapers, movies, and, needless to say, sheet music and songs on the radio kept folks reminded of the perils of punishment and, to a great extent, kept them on the right side of the law. 

As would be expected, many prison songs can be tear jerkers as well as admonitions to the potentially wayward. 

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link to hear one of the first recordings of what many believe to be the granddaddy of the prison song genre, appropriately named “The Prisoner’s Song.” This version was recorded in 1925 by Vernon Dalhart, one of the more popular country (or “hillbilly” as it was known then) singers of his day. Get ready to wipe a tear or two from your eyes!

It is said that Dalhart learned this song from a cousin who had learned it while in prison.  That gives the tune some cred and, perhaps, that’s why it became one of the most played songs of the early 20^th century.  

And then, of course, there seemed to be just as many prison songs with a novelty or humorous touch

Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link for this 1928 Jimmie Rogers yodeling interpretation of this much older jug-band standard: “In the Jailhouse Now”:

And, just for the fun of it, here’s a string band version of the tune, written much earlier than Roger’s opus but recorded just a few years ago by a group often appearing here in our “Happy Valley.” Remember them at the Iron Horse? Click or tap on the next image for a listen to this tune not about the perils of gambling but of voter fraud! How topical!

So, let’s move on with probably the most well-known—and certainly most covered—prison song out there:  “Folsom Prison Blues.”  This became Johnny Cash’s signature song since he first recorded it in 1955, and he opened nearly all of his concerts with this rhythmically pulsating—think “passing railroad train”—prisoner’s lament.

It is, however a tale of both Cash and cash–a bit of musical thievery, but with no jail time. That is unless you count Johnny Cash’s epic performance of the song at California’s Folsom Prison back in 1968.

Click or tap on the triangle in next image or link to listen in on one of his later prison concert presentations.

Although Cash cultivated a romantic outlaw image, he never served a prison sentence. Despite landing in jail several times for various misdemeanors, he was never locked up for more than one night at a time—and never in Folsom Prison!  Still credit goes with the territory. He did have this mug shot taken at Folsom Prison just to hand out as a souvenir. Creepy!

Now, on to the musical thievery!

The theme, and many of the lyrics Cash included in “his” signature song were actually lifted (stolen!) from an earlier song titled “Crescent City Blues” written in 1950 by one Gordon Jenkins, a composer and arranger. Cash had heard Jenkin’s song earlier while serving in the Air Force in Germany. 

Jenkins, in turn, had based his melody (also used by Cash) and song title on a much earlier ragtime/jazz tune written and recorded by pianist “Little Brother” Montgomery.  Ah, evolution  .  .  .  

The upshot is that Cash, who readily acknowledged his “borrowing” but thought it unnecessary to mention it at the time, had to spend nearly $100,000 on the copyright infringement suit filed against him by Jenkins in the 1970s. Cash from Cash!

Whew  .  .  .  After all that, click or tap on the next image or link to listen to the 1953 recoding of Jenkin’s song by singer Beverly Mahr. Do these lyrics sound familiar?   

And, of course, there are a few hundred ukulele covers of the Cash version.  Click or tap on the next image or link just for a bit of fun!

Well, back to dreary reality . . .

But, as an escape from within the high stone walls, chain gangs, or work farms of this musical musing . . .

. . . stay safe, stay innocent, stay un-incarcerated, stay as masked as you should, and  .  .  .  STAY TUNED!

And, just to brighten things up for you musical scientists out there . . .

Before we moved to “the 413” back in ’05, Alison and I had lived for many years in northern Virginia.  Settled in the early 1600s, the so-called “Old Dominion” was, needless to say, strong on historical reminiscences and commemorations.  So, in 1983, when the date for the Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday was set, it was conjoined with two other statewide celebrations that had been on the state’s docket for years.  Virginians called this calendric convenience “Lee-Jackson-King” day—a curious amalgam of Civil War and Civil Rights history—observed until the year 2000.

What would Robert E. Lee, “Stonewall” Jackson, and Martin Luther King, Jr., think about all that?  Go figure.  

Anyway, what does this have to do with music, banjos, and ukuleles?  Well, for every photo or illustration I run across depicting African American men, women, or children playing a playing a banjo or a uke, too many are demeaning caricatures. And, way too many show whites in even more demeaning blackface makeup. I don’t need to illustrate these negatives in my musical musings when there are positives out there!

Those demeaning, but all too common, illustrations are testament to a history that should not be glossed over. But, these are not part of this special day we’ll be observing on Monday.   So, for this posting, here are some photos of good folks having a good time making music in the past and—more importantly—today.  And yes, they include ukuleles and a banjo or two!  

Mid-January brings us to one of the newest and most meaningful of all American remembrances—Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.  Newspapers and television will be full of the history of this man and the movement he led to bring civil rights issues to public attention, to congress, and to the law of the land.  

As meaningful as this is to us all—and since it will be thoroughly covered in other media—I’ll just stick with our theme and focus on a tiny facet of all this: music.

To begin, the phrase “Jim Crow,” with all its racial and civil rights connotations, had its origins in a song and dance routine from 1828 that was done in blackface makeup by a white minstrel performer, one  Thomas Dartmouth Rice.  

His song, “Jump Jim Crow,” is said to have been inspired by the singing and eccentric dancing of an African slave by that name.  In the cultural context of the early Nineteenth Century, Rice’s song—and its multiplicity of verses—became overwhelmingly popular as he performed all over the country as “Daddy Jim Crow”.

As a result of Rice’s fame and the popularity of his song, by the mid-Nineteenth Century the term “Jim Crow” had morphed from the merely comic into a pejorative meaning a Black, Negro, or African American.  

From this, laws and reguations enforcing racial segregation became known as “Jim Crow Laws.”  These were endemic in towns, counties, and states throughout much of the country.  

Rice’s song “Jump Jim Crow” was also a key initial step in a tradition of American popular music that was based on the imitation, if not outright mockery, of blacks. 

The first song sheet edition of this tune appeared in the early 1830s, and a couple of decades later this genre exploded in popularity with the rise of the blackface minstrel show, both in America and abroad.  

And, even in amateur theatricals.

A ukulele player who frequently appeared in blackface was Cliff Edwards, otherwise known as “Ukulele Ike.”  

The Duncan Sisters were a popular duo and there were, of course, many other performers with or without ukuleles.   

In retrospect, some of what was popular in the context of yesteryear’s popular music is not just unpopular today.  Rather, it is unconscionable–way beyond merely politically incorrect. 

Admittedly, this is a touchy topic for a posting.  I much prefer levity, but we cannot move forward without looking back. The observation of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day gives us that opportunity.   It is from history that we learn, even if filtered through the theme of music and our favorite musical instruments.  

We cannot sweep history under the rug.  We cannot unplay those songs. But, here is one song we should play.

This is a song to play over and over again on this important day of remembrance of a great American, his life’s work, and the historical context of our still imperfect society.

Pete Seeger recorded this song back in the late 1940s. His version–the one we hear most often today–was based on an interpretation of an old gospel hymn he had heard in the 1930s sung by Black tobacco workers in the fields of the South and a variation he had learned dating back to 1901 as sung in both Black and White labor union meetings in the North. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for his version:

And as a finale, tap or click on the next image to hear the Moorhouse College Glee Club in concert:

We have a lot to overcome in our society. But, with the humble tools we have, we shall. When will our song be “We Overcame?”

STAY TUNED!

When I was in high school, way back in the middle of the last century, I bought two musical instruments at a local secondhand store.  For a total of seventy-five cents I got a ukulele and—of all things—a bugle, both made of “genuine” plastic.  The uke was a cheap “Carnival” brand but the bugle was sturdy Army surplus. Sadly, both are long gone from my various collections. 

I strummed at the uke, learned the three or four chords that are all that are really necessary, had some fun, and set it aside until college.  In those early days, however, I was in the high school band (trombone) and knew enough about tooting a horn to be able to play the bugle.  Sorta  .  .  .

We all know that with a ukulele and its four strings and dozen or so frets, one can play over fifty distinct notes and innumerable chords.  The bugle, on the other hand, is one of the simplest of musical instruments. 

It has no valves and pitch changes are achieved by “embrouchure,” that is to say, lip control. Consequently, the bugle is limited to only five notes, middle-C, G, C, E, and G—the basis for the entire repertoire of standard bugle calls!

While the musical range of the bugle is limited, the music surrounding the bugle and those who play it—buglers—can be quite a rhythmically and melodically complex. Take the famous”wake up call” . . .

The bugle, along with an array of drums, has long been a favorite marching group genre. 

Alas, not so with the ukulele, even a nice loud banjolele!

And that, gentle readers, is what we are going to explore in this week’s musing.

Ancestors of the modern bugle were made of animal horns and have been used for communication and signaling since ancient times. 

And, remember what the biblical Joshua did to the walls of Jericho with those animal horns!

Here’s a quite youthful take on the old, old Jericho spiritual on the ukulele, no less. Click or tap on triangle in the next image for a listen!

Needless to say, a more modern brass bugle has been used by military forces since the 17^th century and most countries developed a series of standard bugle “calls” that could direct and regulate military life and actions. 

After World War I . . .

. . . the bugle also became a standard part of the camp routine of the Boy Scouts of America.  In fact, I even earned a merit badge for it!  Toot, toot, tah! 

American and British music publishers touched on bugle themes in the 19^th century and early 1900s.

Even the suffragettes joined in!

But, particularly during World War I, the bugle became a rallying trope! 

This one was written by Irving Berlin as part of a World War I era musical review for troops returning from France. Tap or click on triangle in the next image or link to rise up with this one.

Here’s a Ted Lewis rendition of this swing favorite of the 1920s. Click or tap on the next image or link to start to swing and sway

One of the more musically intriguing versions of this one is by the Mills Brothers. All of the “instruments”–including the bugle and other horns being “played” are actually vocal sound effects. What fun! Tap or click on the triangle in the next image or link for this really different sound.

The popularity lasted through the World War II era . . .

with, probably, the most well-known “bugle song” ever! 

Here we have the Andrews sisters with this one. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image or link to hear their lively version!

Since this is the 21st Century, why not a Zoom/Ukulele version of this old chestnut–one singer, three screens. Wow! Click or tap on the next image for this high-tech treat!

There were other songs, of course.

Now here’s an rchestral version of this classic along with some really nice graphics! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link to watch and listen.

Back to basics!  The three or four best known bugle call that most of us know and relate to today seem to be:

First, the good old “wake up” call of “Reveille.” So as to not jar you awake with this one, here it is on a ukulele! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link to see the simplicity of fingering for this one.

Then there is the “Call to Post” that brings horses and riders to the gate in the Kentucky Derby. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image or link to thrill to this one!

Omnipresent at any sporting event where the stadium organist has the stage is the good old cavalry bugle call “Charge.” Here’s a musically augmented take on this simplest of bugle calls. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link to be taken out to the ball park. How many times have you heard this one?

And, probably, the most moving five note melody ever composed—“Taps,” as played at the end of the camp day or at military funerals. Click or tap on the next image to hear this tearjerker clip from the movie “From Here to Eternity.”

The British Commonwealth’s equivalent to “Taps” is “Last Post.” Tap or click on the next image or link to listen to this poignant call of remembrance.

So, while we contemplate the hundreds of combinations of notes and chords we have available to us as we strum on our favorite little musical instrument, the ukulele, let’s appreciate what can be done with only five single notes!

So, stay safe and stay as masked as neede to protect your lungs and embrouchure,

and STAY TUNED!

So, give a salute to all those veterans out there and remember: There’s no substitute for the real thing!