Hi neighbors and fellow strummers. These “musings” are intended to share some of the things I have learned over the years of banjo and ukulele history and lore, as well as some of the songs we find, listen to, and play. My goal is to both educate and enlighten by sharing what I have learned within the broader musical and historical context—with honesty and, at times, a bit of humor. Needless to say, your thoughts and comments are, as always, welcome.
Most of us who have heard the song “Second Hand Rose” over the years probably associate it with Barbra Streisand in the 1968 film “Funny Girl.” Interestingly, the song was not part of the original 1964 Broadway musical by the same name but was added for the film. Go figure.
FUNNY GIRL, Barbra Streisand, 1968
The song bemoans (with tongue in cheek) the sad-to-her life of the daughter of a second-hand dealer—her home, her clothes, and even her boyfriend. Ah, woe is she!
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look at the film version and listen to the great Barbra!
Those of us with a grey hair or two might recall, however, the performer who originated the song and on whose story the musical and film was based, Fanny Brice.
The song was written by Grant Clarke and James F. Hanley, Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songwriters, specifically for Brice’s appearance in the “Ziegfeld Follies” of 1921.
A critic at the time describing Brice wrote: “This inimitable artist chalked up one of the few high marks of the evening with this song. For clarity of utterance, economy of means and a highly developed comic sense, Miss Brice has no peer on our stage.” A pretty good review!
Here she is in costume and makeup for the role.Not much like Barbra!
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear the way SHE sang it.
Brice (nee Fiania Borach, 1891- 1951) was born into a Hungarian-Jewish family in Manhattan. Her father ran a saloon and she became an entertainer first in Burlesque and then in the Follies. In all, she was a model, comedienne, singer, recording artist, and stage as well as film actress.
She became the star of many Broadway musicals and shows during her career and her good looks, comedic personality, and brassy but beautiful Broadway voice made her a popular headliner of the ever-renewing Follies in the teens, 20s, and 30s.
Here’s another from the Follies of 1921.
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for Brice’s original take on what has become a jazz standard of today.
Through the 1950s, Brice’s persona and rubber-faced looks became cemented in comedy. The medium of radio gave her another broad audience with her most memorable role as the creator and star of the top-rated radio series “The Baby Snooks Show.”
Needless to say, a rather broad range of talent—from burlesque girl to bratty toddler! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to see two “child stars” play with each other!
Interestingly, Bruce always performed as Baby Snooks in costume even though it was a radio show with no studio audience! Go figure.
For her contributions to the
film and radio industries, Brice was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood
Walk of Fame with two stars, one for radio and one for film.
And, of course, the ultimate American honor!
As to our songwriters, Grant Clarke (1891-1931) was a prolific contributor to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway of the era and wrote hits like “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” and “Oogie, Oogie, Wa Wa.”
Albeit a bit off theme, this song is too much fun to leave out of our story! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a laugh and listen. But, you really don’t have to!
James F. Hanley (1892-1942), also of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway, wrote such standards as “Back Home Again in Indiana” and “Zing Went the Stings of My Heart.”
Those were the days! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen to this pop oldie.
So, we have another song—“Second Hand Rose”—of more than one generation, the Streisand latter paying homage to the Brice former. Both renditions live on.
So, gentle readers, let’s end with a quiz! Can you name the four most popular character dolls of the early 1940s?
I’ve been doing these “Musical Musings” for a bit over a year now. Since many are based on recurring holidays or other events, it’s not improbable that a few past but still timely muses of mine might live to see another day. Here’s one of my favorites from a year ago–a “veteran,” you might say!
Here we go again!
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 is Mahalia Jackson’s interpretation of this well-known spiritual. Click or tap on triangle in the next image for a look and listen!
Needless to say, a more modern brass bugle has been used by military forces since the 17th 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 19th 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 the triangle in the next image or link to rise up with this one.
One of the more musically intriguing versions of this song 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.
Or, how about a five-string banjo version? Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear the next generation of picking fingers at work!
The popularity–and utility–of the bugle 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!
There were other songs, a tad more sophisticated of course.
Here’s an orchestral 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 calls 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, give a toot and a salute to all those veterans out there and remember: There’s no substitute for the real thing!
Reading today’s newspapers or watching today’s TV news, most of us note an aura of divisiveness and discomfort that pervades our country—Urban vs. Rural, City vs. Suburb, Haves vs. Haven’ts, Immigrant vs. Native, Old vs. Young, and, simply, Us vs. Them. Whew! Game on, heavy duty stuff!
Time to DUEL!
To start thing off, click or tap on the triangle in the next image to see and hear what is probably the most famous musical “duel” ever.
(Note: As a bit of musicological trivia, the little guy in the clip had never held a banjo before. His left hand and his “playing” were dubbed in by the late session player and arranger, Eric Weisberg, the first person to audition for the Julliard School with a banjo. The kid got the gig because of his face.)
Moving on . . . Once upon a time in America the country was similarly divided and those divisions warped it in ways unforeseen. There was, however, a prevailing presence–a saving grace, as it were–of music in the parlor, on the stage, on the radio, in the streets, and in the pubs and clubs of the day.
But, there’s way too musically much out there to muse upon, so I’m going to dwell on just one era of the American past. It’s one that is rich with musical lore–the once-upon-us, now-long-gone, divisive era of “PROHIBITION.”
As a bit of background for those of you not as long in the tooth as I, Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. Interesting, though, it was not a ban on consumption. Go figure! It lasted from 1920 to 1933 and, in the dialect of the day, it was “No booze fer youse.”
(Note: I was born a few years after Prohibition ended but one of my grandfathers was a union bartender, the other carried a beer bucket with him into the coal mines every day–give’s me some cred here!)
Needless to say the whole notion of Prohibition was divisive and the duelists’ wet or dry lines were marked in the sand.
Well-meaning Prohibitionists of the time—so-called “Drys”—first attempted to end the trade in alcoholic beverages during the late 1800s. Those who espoused this “temperance” movement aimed to heal what they saw as an ill society beset by alcohol-related problems such as alcoholism, family neglect, paychecks “thrown away,” self-inflicted bodily harm, and saloon-based political corruption.
As would be expected, in both Britain and America a lot of the early popular music of the era reflected this.
Here’s a version of this one from 1925. Click or tap on the Triangle in the next image to listen to this poignant tale of woe.
And then, a real topper from a child’s point of view.
Click or tap on the next triangle in the next image to hear a British (no Prohibition over there, however) version.
The movement was taken up by social progressives and gained a noisy, active grassroots base through the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the “WCTU.” To their credit, these women also played a major role in the Women’s Suffrage movement. But, that’s a musical tale for another time.
They, needless to say, had their share of music too.
How about a medley of good old temperance songs! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a dry, dry treat.
As might be expected, opposition to the erstwhile efforts of the “Drys” mushroomed as “Wets” mobilized. These were supporters ranging from those Martini-sipping, cosmopolitan city dwellers to the Irish, German, Italian, and other not-so-posh ethnic communities whose life styles and livelihoods were grounded in alcohol production, distribution, and–of course– consumption.
Songs of the day reflected this bleak (to many) situation.
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look at the words and music for this one.
Still, the brewing, wine making, and distilling industries were nailed shut by a succession of conservative state legislatures, and Prohibition became the law of the land. Alcohol consumption ended (Ha!) nationwide under the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified by 46 of 48 states—all but our next door neighbors Connecticut and Rhode Island!
Enabling legislation, known as the Volstead Act, set down the rules for enforcing the federal ban
and defined the types of intoxicating or “adult” beverages that were prohibited—except of course for medicinal purposes, only by a doctor’s prescription.
Of course, a song came out of this as folks flocked to their physicians with ailments only alleviated by, so they said, alcohol.And, many docs winked and complied.Alas, no YouTube but the cover says it all!
As hoarded supplies ran out, however, criminal gangs and syndicates quickly gained control of the illicit beer and liquor supply and distribution networks in many cities—“bootlegging,” and “speakeasies” were born and the 1920s began their roar.
Rumrunners went into business.
Folks made their own “bathtub gin” with grain alcohol and who knows whatever flavorings. Speakeasy patrons loved it, or at least tolerated it–no matter what it tasted like. It was booze!
And, needless to say, folks were sad, Sad, SAD!
Here’s a country version of what has become a jazz standard. Tap or click on the next image for a Jimmie Roger’s style interpretation.
Here’s a song from the pulpit, no less.
This is a novelty tune that is a bit of a different take on Prohibition. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image to listen and learn. Amen!
Other tunes, and laments, followed.
But,by the late 1920s, a new opposition to Prohibition had mobilized nationwide. Critics attacked the prohibition policy as causing crime, lowering local revenues, and imposing “rural” religious values on “urban” America.
And so, gentle readers, Prohibition ended with the ratification of the Twenty-First Amendment which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment in 1933. To date, this is the only time in American history in which a constitutional amendment was passed for the purpose of repealing another.
The Prohibition Era paralleled the jazz and ragtime ages of the “Roaring Twenties.” The music embraced by the flappers and their sheiks and their wide-open consumption of those illegal products of grape and grain.
And, of course, there were a lot of thirsty folks who looked across borders to Canada or even New Jersey (they sold so-called “near-beer” there) for refreshment.
Here’s a lively foxtrot version of this one. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to take a ride on this train.
Needless to say, the songwriters of Tin Pan Alley had a way of distilling (ahem) all of this into the music of the day.
Here’s a contemporary take on this old chestnut. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen.
Here’s an up-to-date version of this ragtime tune. Click or tap to join in.
Most of these tunes fell into the comic or novelty category as folks around the country—and a lot of law enforcement types–winked at the law as they blew the foam off their beer or sipped their bootleg booze out of teacups.
Needless to say, trouble was fermenting (ahem, again), but America survived as the country transitioned through Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover on to Roosevelt—sad days then to happy days again!
Well, I could go on and on with tunes from the Prohibition era as there seems to be a lot of them out there–way too many, probably. Anyway, here’s one to end on–a great pub version of this one!
Click or tap on the next image to help me down the road a bit!
But, I can’t leave without a nostalgic reminder of those divisive good old days, . . .
Oh yes. I think I’ll finish the day not with whiskey but with a Martini. Dry, not Wet.
We associate the song “Ain’t Misbehavin‘” with the jazz pianist Thomas “Fats” Waller (1904-1943) but forget that the lyrics were by one Andy Razaf (1895-1973) who gives us a musically more interesting back-story.
Razaf was born in Washington, D.C. His birth name was Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo. His father, part of the royal family of Madagascar was killed during the French invasion of that country and his pregnant mother, the 15-year old daughter of a black American diplomat, was forced to escape to the United States.
He and his mother moved to Harlem, and at the age of 16 Andy quit school and took a job as an elevator operator at a Tin Pan Alley office building.
A year later he penned his first song text, embarking on his career as a lyricist. Swept up by the Harlem Renaissance, Razaf published poems in the emerging black press and soon was working with several Harlem composers.
Collaborating with Waller, they wrote—along with “Ain’t Misbehavin’”—many now-classic songs including “Honeysuckle Rose,” “The Joint is Jumpin’,” and ”Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now.” In 1972, Razaf was recognized by his Tin Pan Alley peers in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
“Fats” Waller was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem “stride” style laid the groundwork for modern jazz piano. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen to Fats himself.
His best-known composition is our song, “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” and it was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1984. Waller copyrighted over 400 songs, many of them co-written with his closest collaborator, Razaf,
who described his partner as “the soul of melody… a man who made the piano sing… both big in body and in mind… known for his generosity… a bubbling bundle of joy.” It’s possible he composed many more popular songs and sold or gave them to other performers when times were tough. Who knows?
How about some jazz organ? Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for something a bit different.
Meanwhile, back to our song!
“Ain’t Misbehavin’” was written in 1929 for the Harlem and Broadway musical comedy “Connie’s Hot Chocolates”—a revue featuring black artists that, because of its popularity, was one of the earliest Harlem musicals to move to Broadway and play for predominantly white audiences.
Girls from the 1929 show:
It is said that Waller had the idea for the song while “lodging” in prison (for an alimony violation), and that is why he was not “misbehaving!” Razaf picked up the theme and ran with it.
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a listen to our song from the distaff side.
Now , here’s Another back-story that has to do with, of all folks, Louis Armstrong.
Armstrong made his Broadway debut as part of the pit band for the “Hot Chocolates” show. His cornet solo on opening night was such a hit with the audience that he was asked to perform it on stage for the rest of the show’s run. Another musical tidbit!
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a listen. The earworm starts to take hold!
Our song has been around a long, long time and has been covered by nearly everyone in nearly every genre. It was the theme of a movie, with an all-white cast.
It was also a popular Broadway Musical based on the works of Waller/Razaf with an all-black cast.
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen to bits of this musical biography.
Here are a few other interpretations—choose your
earworm of the day!
We can acknowledge the fact that none of we are “misbehavin’.” Or are we?
“Freight Train” is an American folk song written in the early 1900s by Elisabeth “Libba” Cotten (1893-1987) and popularized during the American folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s.
Cotten said that, as a teenager, she would sit outside her home in Carrboro, North Carolina, and watch trains roll by on the Norfolk Southern Line. Inspired by this sight, she penned a simple, albeit a bit morbid song—”Freight Train.” She marvels at the speed of the train and asks to be buried near the tracks when she dies so she “can hear old ‘Number Nine’ as it comes rolling by.”
For all you pickers and strummers out there, this is a tale to tell. A self-taught guitarist, Cotten developed her own original style. Being left-handed, she played a guitar strung for a right-handed player, but played it backwards and upside down.
This position required her to play the bass lines with her fingers and the melody with her thumb. Her signature alternating bass style has become known among folk guitarists as “Cotten Picking”—right- OR left-handed.
For a really good look at her “upside down and backwards” technique click or tap on the triangle in the next image and listen to her play another of her songs: “Washington Blues.“
Now, click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear Cotten playing and singing her song “Freight Train“–in her nineties!
Elizabeth was the youngest of five children. At age seven, she began to play her older brother’s banjo. “From that day on,” she said, “nobody had no peace in that house.”
By the age of eight, she was playing songs. By her early teens she was writing her own including “Freight Train.” About that same time, she began working as a maid. By her late teens she was married and had given up her music for, as she said: “family and church.” She and her family eventually settled in Washington, DC.
Cotten “retired” from playing the guitar for 25 years, except for occasional church performances. She was then “discovered” by the musical family of Ruth and Charles Seeger while she was working for them as a housekeeper. She also cared for their children, including the young singers Mike and Peggy who grew up as mainstays of the folk music revival.
Charles (by the way, the father of Pete Seeger by a previous marriage) encouraged her. She remembered her guitar playing from her teenage years, picked up the instrument again, and relearned to play it. She did not begin performing publicly and recording until she was in her 60s.
In the latter half of the 1950s, Mike Seeger, both a musician and a musicologist, began making reel-to-reel recordings of Cotten’s songs in her home that later became the album “Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar,” released by Folkways Records.
Since the release of that album, her songs, especially her signature song, “Freight Train” have been covered by—it’s safe to say—nearly every folk singer in America.
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear a young Joan Baez:
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear their spin on this tune by Peter, Paul, and Mary:
With the profits from her recordings and concerts, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York. In 1984, she won a Grammy for “Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording” for the album “Elizabeth Cotten Live.” She died at the age of 94.
So, we have a simple tune from humble beginnings, rediscovered and made available to we pickers and strummers today. A simple tune, a simple gift—not so simple backwards and upside down, however!
Finally, a final tune. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen.
So, play your guitar, ukulele, or banjo anyway you like–upside down or backwards. Not a piano, however!
Well, I guess that’s OK too! Just play anything anyway, but STAY TUNED.
Well friends and neighbors, it’s still September and—to my wonderment—I just learned that this is “National Chicken Month!” Just the theme for another musical musing! Well, why not? There are some fun old tunes out there to explore. Who knew?
Let’s start with one of the most often played old, old fiddle tunes: “Cluck Old Hen.” Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link for a lively ukulele/ clawhammer banjo rendition of this oldie.
Moving on, it is said that chicken, as well as onions, are part of nearly every ethnic cuisine—Kosher, Halal, Asian, Hispanic, as well as good old American Country.
I remember those homey all-you-can-eat fried chicken restaurants in the Midwest,
beer can chicken on the grill,
and even a rare bucket from Colonel Sanders in my impecunious student days!
My favorite treat, however, was my grandmother’s chicken and noodles served (how else?) over mashed potatoes—about 400 calories per forkful!
But, oh so good! But, alas, I digress . . .
Now, to begin our journey through the musicological chicken yard, I would be remiss, however, not to point out a few potential pedagogical pitfalls of what some might call the teaching of “critical musical theory.”
For example, in my scholarly explorations on the web, there seem to be three major themes relative to today’s theme of “chicken music.” First, of course, are sweet songs about the good old days of raising chickens back on the farm, and those simple but savory Sunday (or church basement) dishes served by our mothers and grandmothers.
Then there are bouncy and (ever so slightly) bawdy tunes using the ubiquitous Tin Pan Alley slang of the day when “chick” and “chicken” referred to all those pretty young girls out there capturing the attention of a flirting “rooster” or two.
Click (cluck?) or tap on the triangle in the next image for a listen to this one.
Alas, in the last but not least category, are all those songs of chicken chasing, eating, stealing, and whatnot tainted by the graphic and lyrical racial caricatures way too common at the time.
That said, in this musing I’ll only focus on the first two categories and let the third remain buried in the depths of the internet.
Moving on, here are just a couple of sweet and homey “chicken” tunes: “The Chicken Reel” and “Cock-A-Doodle, I’m Off My Noodle.” Click or tap on the triangles in the next couple of images or links to hear some good bowing, strumming, and singing on these two oldies.
So much for chickens in the coop or on the plate; now the bouncy, Tin Pan Alley stuff. Here is a use of “chicken” slang that Eddie “Banjo Eyes” Cantor performed way back in the days of World War One.
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link and listen carefully to the vaudevillian lyrics of “Would You Rather be a Colonel with an Eagle on Your Collar or a Private with a Chicken on Your Knee? Whew!
Here’s another in this classical category.
Now, click or tap on the triangle in the next image or link for another of this genre with another convoluted title: “There’s a Trick in Pickin’ a Chick, Chick, Chicken,” another slangy Tin Pan Alley fox trot take on today’s theme.
Ah yes, one more in the cinematic “country comic” mode . . .
Click or tap on the next image or link to listen to an early movie version of this one!
And, probably one of the most bouncy chicken related tunes of the swing era!
If your brain isn’t, um, fried, you can click or tap on the next image or link for for the wind up. Anyone out there remember this one?
And, let’s not forget the poultrified banjo ukuleles out there!
So, remember the theme of the month and, hopefully, have a taste soon of healthy skinless broiled chicken or deep-fat fried extra crispy—your choice!
Now it’s time to dance your way to the chicken dinner table. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to learn how. (Sorry in advance for this one!)
and, of course, STAY TUNED! And listen to the chick, chick, chicken . . .
I’m old enough to remember that traveling from place to place by passenger train was “the glamorous” way to go.
Sleepers, dining cars, porters, grand “central” stations were all a part of the fun. The top-of-the-line were the “express trains”—”The 20th Century Limited,”
“The Super Chief,” and a couple of others that have achieved musical fame such as “The City of New Orleans,” . . .
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for this classic American train tune. Have a look and listen!Alas, the Arlo Guthrie version of this song he wrote is blocked from use by our friends at YouTube. Willie Nelson’s cover–with some nice illustrations–will do just fine!
. . . and “The Orange Blossom Special.”
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to be blown away down the track with this bluegrass classic!
I just had to put those great train tunes in, but the most famous—albeit mythological—of the musical express train songs was “The Wabash Cannonball.” Lookout earworm; hear we come!
Sources vary on this, but the Wabash Railroad (not Cannonball!) ran on the Great Rock Island Route through the middle and western United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. “The Great Rock Island Route,” the grandfather of our song, was published in 1882; the “reimagined” grandchild, “The Wabash Cannonball” was published in 1904. A bit of musical genealogy!
Click or tap on the triangle in the following image to begin this week’s earworm with the 1882 original!
No “Cannonball” here!
Now listen to the jingle, and the rumble, and the roar, As she dashes thro’ the woodland, and speeds along the shore, See the mighty rushing engine, hear her merry bell ring out, As they speed along in safety, on the Great Rock Island Route.
There are many theories about the origin of the name “Wabash Cannonball” and most predate the use of the name for an actual express train. Some scholars say that hobos—those infamous “riders of the rails”—imagined a mythical train by that name that appeared at the death of one of their own to carry his soul to its reward.
Another theory states that the song is based on a tall tale in which Paul Bunyan’s little brother (who knew?) constructed a railroad line known as the “Ireland, Jerusalem, Australian, & Southern Michigan Line.” It was said that, after two months of service, this 700-car train was traveling so fast that it arrived at its destination an hour before its departure! When the hobos learned the tale of this train, they called that one the “Wabash Cannonball.”
Tall tales from around the hobo campfire! But aren’t those what folk songs are all about?
Historical veracity aside, the later edition stuck as of one of the most enduring “railroad songs” in American folk and country music.
The lilting melody of this song has remained unchanged while the verses have been updated by singers over the years including the Carter Family, Roy Acuff, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Bing Crosby, Chuck Berry, and Woody Guthrie. Guthrie, in fact, borrowed the melody for his depression era song, “Grand Coulee Dam.” Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to listen to a real hobo’s take on this one!
The name lived on through World War II, albeit on a plane not a train.
After World War II, in the wake of the song’s popularity, the Wabash Railroad named its express run between Detroit and St. Louis the “Wabash Cannon Ball”–the only actual train to bear the name and well AFTER the song was written, not the other way around. Go figure!
For you Rock and Roll fans, “The Wabash Cannonball” was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 songs that shaped that musical genre. In fact, it’s the oldest song on the list! How’s that for a musicological bit of trivia?
So, sit back in the club car, or hop a freight, get that penny-a-point card game going, but, stay tuned! Even our favorite little instrument can capture this one! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen.
I’m sure this is a baritone ukulele!The case seems to be held together with what is affectionately known as “West Virginia chrome.”
Just to help erase the “Cannonball earworm”,let’s end up this musing with one of the greatest train ride musical/theatrical interpretations out there. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to “ride” along with the traveling salesmen on the train with the infamous traveling salesman Harold Hill–“The Music Man.”
Did that get rid of the “Wabash Cannonball” earworm? No? Sorry. But, STAY TUNED and travel by train whenever you can and make the experience as glamourous as you can!
Having “retired” from posting my weekly “Musical Musings,” I do plan on continuing in a less complicated and less time consuming manner. Some may call this a “lazy man’s way of working.” I’ll just call it “recycling.” So, here is a timely musing from last year. Enjoy and STAY TUNED!
This is the time of the year here in western Massachusetts when home and farm gardens, as well as farm stands and markets, are filled with the bountiful produce of the year. Spring planting, summer tilling, and fall harvesting make the cycle from garden to table that we all look forward to.
As an example, here’s the haul from one of Alison’s and my Sunday “farm market” drives here in our “Happy Valley.”
Garden produce has been a common theme for writers of both prose and poetry and, not to be left out, for musicians as well. Needless to say, there are many examples of so-called “fruit and vegetable” songs out there from the early days and also quite a few about the folks who plant, harvest, and sell these. So, gentle readers, let’s take a look out there to see what we can gather and, of course, take a musical taste.
But first, it should be noted that many of the early tunes that fit within this “fruit and vegetable” musing were written as “rags,” that is to say in “ragtime.”
As a too brief intro to this historical musical form, ragtime originated in African-American music in the late 19th century and descended from the lively dance and march music played by Black piano players and bands.
By the start of the 20th century, ragtime music became widely popular throughout North America and was listened and danced to, performed, and written by people of many different subcultures, particularly those Tin Pan Alley sheet music publishers.
Needless to say, there were controversies of taste!Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for the argument.
A distinctly American musical style, ragtime is considered a synthesis of African syncopation and European classical form. Just for fun, as a real “crossover style,” consider the marches made popular by John Philip Sousa . . .
. . . who would often rearrange and perform his more formal compositions in ragtime, particularly as audience-pleasing encore pieces. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image to hear “Stars and Stripes Forever” played in ragtime, Sousa style!
Ragtime is usually written in 4/4 or 2/4 time and sometimes in 3/4 time as a “waltz rag.” If you listen carefully to the piano part of a ragtime song, you’ll hear a left-hand pattern of strong bass notes on beats 1 and 3, with chords on 2 and 4. Meanwhile the right hand plays a syncopated, often called “ragged” melody. Hence the name.
Ragtime music had a resurgence in the 1970s when the movie “The Sting” won seven Oscars including “Best Picture.” Because of this, many performers and listeners rediscovered the music of composer and pianist Scott Joplin–considered the “King of Ragtime Composers.”
Many of the earliest ragtime tunes–such as Joplin’s–were written for solo piano or as instrumental dance band music without lyrics. Composers gave them fanciful “rag” titles more to differentiate between tunes in their portfolios rather than to provide some sort of musical description of their subject matter. Here’s a good example of a lyric-less, musically generic “vegetable rag” from 1910. It could just as easily have been called “The Happy Valley Rag” or “The Ukulele Rag” or whatever. It would still sound the same!
Here’s a simple version of this tune with an adjacent piano score that you can follow and see just how the basic ragtime style is played. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen.
A lot of our “fruit and vegetable” tunes fit into that ragtime, no-lyrics category. To me, the sheet music cover graphics are often as much fun as the music! See what I mean?
Later, more “fruit and vegetable” songs were published with lyrics and most were quite danceable one- and two-steps as well as rags. Needless to say, novelty songs both in ragtime and other forms were the rage.
Here’s a delightful, albeit contemporary, take on this Irving Berlin “fruit” song. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for some fun!
Now let’s take a look at a few more of these tunes starting with gardens themselves. Not only did these fill the family larders but they often seemed like favorite trysting spots too. Ah youth!
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to hear one of the earliest recordings of this Golden Delicious tune, with the verse as well as the more familiar chorus..
And there are a few vegetables that we left out but must not be forgotten!
And, here’s one of the best of the old vegetable tunes.
The phrase “she knows her onions” is a down-home term for “one smart cookie” who “knows her stuff.” So much for roaring twenties slang! Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for a “vegetable” singing and dancing treat.
And, let’s not forget all of those “spuds” or “taters” songs out there.
Here’s a version of one of these with some nice strumming on a six-string ukulele–a variation on that little musical instrument not seen that often! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for another down-home treat!
Now I searched high and low (quite low may be a tad obvious . . .) to find a performer with a “vegetable name.” Needless to say, a rare breed! But, never fear. I remembered that late, well-dressed (well?) Grand Ole Opry clown and great old-time clawhammer banjo picker–“Stringbean!” Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for something a bit different. Not a “fruit and vegetable song” but his name (and physique) fits into our musical market basket!
Moving on, we can’t leave fruit out of our musical mix, now can we?
And, there are a few rather suggestive, if not quite X-rated, songs out there!
And, one of the great fruit songs of the 1920s.
Tap or click on the triangle in the next image to listen in on this overly popular ( to some) oldie. This certainly is a modern take on this fruity concoction!
The over-popularity of that song led to the writing of this one!
And, of course, many others.Some sweet, some sour!
This one is not about a specific fruit. Rather, it’s about a fruit “product.” Worthy of inclusion as far as I’m concerned.
And, to end on a decidedly anti-vegetable note for those few of you unwilling to embrace the vegan or even vegetarian lifestyle, click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a bluegrassy take on vegetables.
So, gentle readers, as we sit down to the table for homemade pie, fruit salad, or vegetable soup,remember to laugh in our gardens as well as enjoy the harvest.
Growing up in the 1940s and 50s, one of my favorite summertime experiences was “going to camp.” For me, this was Boy Scout Camp with all the fun of archery, Indian lore, crafts, canoeing, swimming, and outdoor adventures. I did this for several years both as a camper and as staff.
Each evening, just after dark and before “lights out,” all we campers would assemble at the camp’s lakeside mini-amphitheater to end the day with what was simply called “Campfire.” The big bonfire was lit “miraculously” by the camp “spirit” and, after announcements, demonstrations, and—from time to time—a skit or story, it ended with the camp “Sing.”
We were all young enough and innocent enough in those days to join in with singing those good old camp favorites that had been around for years and, indeed, for generations.
We could even hear the Girl Scouts from their camp across the lake but, as would be expected with the youth of those days, we were too young and naive to notice. Sort of . . .
When I was on staff, I was honored to be assigned the daily task of “fire spirit” and charged with setting the tinder, kindling, and wood for the evening’s fire. Secretly, at the mysteriously correct time, I would stealthily pull the hidden cord that dragged the weighted wood block studded with “strike-anywhere” matches over the sheet of coarse sandpaper hidden beneath the tinder. Spark, flame, then fire, then the magic CAMPFIRE! Hey, it was the 1950s! Times were simpler then.
Those so-called campfire songs—sometimes published with appropriate ukulele or guitar accompaniment chords—have been around for years. Songbooks for boys, girls, and grownups filled with these were readily available but seldom needed. We already knew almost all of them.
And, of course, this was the most popular songbook of all for campfires or anywhere! But most songs were too well known to really need a book.
The songs were familiar and, usually, more than three chords were all that were necessary. How’s this for a favorite oldie? Only two chords!Don’t tell me you have never sung all eleven of the verses around a campfire or somewhere else. No need for a YouTube here; just remember and sing as silently as you can to yourself. Don’t cheat! Sing it all.
How about another old chestnut (peanut?) of a campfire song? This is one of the oldest out there.
Earworm alert! Tap or click on the triangle in the next image and listen for as long as you can stand it!
Moving on from kiddie-camp songs. Quickly!
One of the better known musicological genres of campfire songs are those of the cowboys and the West.
I’m sure that there were plenty of bawdy songs sung around these big-boy campfires (unlike we Boy Scouts, of course!), but we won’t go there with this simple musing. Nostalgia for the good old things are a tad more PG!
Take this oldie for instance. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen to this poetry in music– lit, of course, by many a campfire Western or not.
Click or tap on the next image for a listen to some good baritone uke strumming on this other campfire favorite.
Even Manhattan’s Cole Porter found a niche here. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image to see and hear Roy Rogers have a go at this Porter tune in a “modern campfire”–a stage in a nightclub!
Moving on, here is another musicological campfire genre–songs of soldiers, sailors too. Needless to say some of these go way, way back. Here’s one from the Civil War.
Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for a simple version of this Civil War campground song.
There were campfire songs back in days of World War I when singalongs were a popular form of entertainment both in camp and in the field.
The “Yanks” did a take on the old “Tenting Tonight” and dozens of other musical chestnuts. The “Tommies” had their campfire version of “Annie Laurie.
Tap or click on the triangle in the next image and grab a seat by the fire as it burns in wartime France.
Even during World War II there were singalongs and what could easily pass as campfire songs.
And, of course a bit of singalong trench humor!
Moving on, other campfire songs are, shall we say, a bit more modern.
Tap or click on the triangle in the next block for the late Allan Sherman’s performance of this ultimate camp song!
There was also a style of ukulele specifically called a “Camp Uke.”
This was soprano scale with a circular body almost like a wood-topped banjo uke. Lyon & Healy of Chicago pioneered these but , as would be expected, a lot of folks copied the style and the name. Here’s one from my collection.
Of course, most other ukes work just fine around a campfire–in the woods, on the beach, or in the backyard. Especially to serenade your sweetie!
Just keep those ukes out of the kindling pile!
Now another musicological campfire genre (usually called a “bonfire,” however) was on a beach somewhere and usually were more coed than the Boy Scout variety. This allowed a bit more harmony, however, with those sopranos and altos joining the tenors and baritones.
Here’s a great bonfire song that we all know! Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a quintessential reminder. Another earworm alert!
And, of course, the ideal ukulele for those beach bonfire parties. Just stick it into the sand between tunes!
So, lets end this musical musing with the way we always ended “Campfire” back in the sweet old summer days by the lake. Oh yes, the Girl Scouts sang it too!
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image to listen to how we ended Campfire when I was “The Spirit.”
So, as this summer thinks about closing, and whatever camps and campgrounds that were open have closed their gates, hopefully you were able to enjoy an evening campfire in the great outdoors or, at least, remember those happy ones from years past.
Perhaps not . . .
Whether camping, glamping, RV-ing, or fire-pitting in your backyard or nearby woods, hopefully you were compelled (coerced?) to pull out that old uke or guitar, strum a three-chord progression intro, and launch into a few of those smokey old songs that everyone already knew from their campfire days.
But, let’s not let our campfire fun get too 2023-ish . . .
Or . . .
So, remember those campfires of yore, and have a great big . . .
For those of you gentle readers who may not be aware, we share (are dominated in?) our cozy home here on Huckleberry Lane with two siblings of the feline persuasion. I am reminded of our quest for kitty names a couple of years ago when Alison (our resident “cat whisperer”) and I brainstormed for appropriate names for these young sisters. Right after “adoption,” we tested out names. “Uke” and “Lele” . . .
. . . were immediately dismissed by the whisperer—as were “Noho” and “Hamp.”
These were seen as a tad too partisan or whatever the feline equivalent might be. On the other hand, perhaps “Banny” and “Joey.” Hmmm . . . Probably “no” said the whisperer in charge.
We of course settled on more conventional, alas non-musical names. Oh yes, “Sylvie” is the silver tabby and “Ashley” is the ash-grey, here seen helping Alison at her desk as only they can.
So much for family lore.
Let’s move on from musing about kitten names to focus on the musical “cat world.” Believe it or not, it’s a vast one out there! A feline adventure awaiting.
There must be something about cats that sheet music cover artists in the sweet old days were, shall we say, drawn to as there seem to be many, many delightful examples out there—particularly in the early days of ragtime and Tin Pan Alley.
I am studiously avoiding, however, the likes of the decidedly non-PG-rated Kit Kat Klub of the musical “Cabaret,” . . .
. . . or the over-the-top musical “Cats.”
Digressions in that direction would, in my humble opinion, be a bit too contemporary for one of my simple musings. I must suppose, however, that some of you gentle readers might opine otherwise! Still, to me, there’s nothing wrong with taking a good long look into the musical rearview mirror.So, let’s put it into reverse and GO!
Here’s one of the great cat-themed ragtime tunes with a piano score you can follow! Tap or click on the triangle in the next image to play along.
Most of these early tunes are instrumentals that composers believed musically evoked the proclivities, movements, or attitudes of a variety of cats. The songs seemed to be of little interest to lyricists except for the next tune–sort of. Go figure.
Tap or click on the triangle in the next image for an original recording of this one-step tune from 1918–with “Me-Ow” lyrics.
Or, how about a serious classical interpretation of this song? Click or tap on the triangle in the next image and listen carefully and reverently.
For some weird (macabre?) reason black cats seem to be the most musically prevalent. One can only guess at the reasons for their popularity.
Aside from Halloween, it’s probably just because of the cheap two- or three-color sheet music printing options available in the good old Tin Pan Alley days. Or, the Devil simply made black cats the musical critters of choice! Go figure.
While there seem to be a lot of venerable and, sometimes, singable songs out there about brave and loyal dogs and their devoted owners, this doesn’t seem to be the case with cats or kittens.
Cats are, some say, too aloof to fall into the trap of drooly devotion.
Hence, cats seem to populate the novelty song genre. Perhaps it’s in their open-mike stage presence. Worth a discussion here.
No one seems to have written anything like “How Much is That Kittie in the Window” or something like that. But, let’s see what we can find!
Here’s an original scratchy old recording of this one. Tap or click on the triangle in the next image to check it out.
This one’s a tad more recent–the 1950’s–but it does have a nice animated video to go with it. Enjoy by clicking or tapping on the triangle in the next image.
Here’s a nicely strummed, updated ukulele cover of this Gay-Nineties tune. The original lyrics, alas, are decidedly non-PC for this day and age, but they are out there for you dedicated musical scholars and historians to pursue on your own. I’ll stick with this sprightly version which you can give a listen to by clicking or tapping on the triangle in the next image.
And, of course, the perennial instrumental favorite!
Tap or click on the triangle in the next image to be reminded of this old ragtime chestnut!
So, make sure your pets have appropriate names, keep caring for your pets for ALL of their lives, and STAY TUNED!
Not an approved, N-95 facemask, per se–the beard doesn’t cover both nose and mouth– but too good a photo to not include!
.jpg?part=0.9&view=1&authuser=0)
NOHOBANJO OF NORTHAMPTON, AND NOW EASTHAMPTON, "MUSICAL MUSINGS" 