vrijdag 8 augustus 2014

Come All Ye Tramps And Hawkers (1870's) / Faughan Side (1935) / Davie Faa (1951) / Paddy West (1951) / Homes Of Donegal (1955) / Come, Me Little Son (1960) / Peter Amberley (1880's / 1962) / Ballad of Donald White (1962) / I Pity The Poor Immigrant (1967)


"Come All Ye Tramps And Hawkers" is a Scottish Ballad, written around 1870/1880 by an Angus hawker by-named 'Brechin Jimmy' and 'Besom Jimmy' - his real name was Jimmy Henderson, born in 1850 in Brechin (county Angus) in Scotland.
Jimmy used a tune from an air, which might be more than 150 years old, and which was used in many songs around: a.o.: "The Faughan Side", "The Homes of Donegal", "Davie Faa" and "Paddy West".


On August 31, 1909 Gavin Greig collected a version in Scotland as sung by James Morrison
That version was titled "The Jolly Beggars".


Greig also collected a version titled "Come All Ye Tramps And Hawkers" as sung by James Angus.



Between 1928-1935 James Madison Carpenter collected a version of "Tramps and Hawkers" in Hassiewells, Aberdeenshire, Scotland from Alexander B Campbell.





Carpenter collected another version in Dunlugas, Banffshire, Scotland from William Mathieson




You can listen to a cylinder containing Tramps and Hawkers as collected and sung by William Mathieson here---> https://media.vwml.org//audio//JMC//sr227.sr227sl.mp3


NB:  From 03:14, this cylinder should be slowed down to around 70% speed.


Bob Dylan used the melody of "(Come All Ye) Tramps And Hawkers" for at least 2 songs: "The Ballad Of Donald White" and "I Pity The Poor Immigrant".


And we can add Dylan's "Huck's Tune", written for the movie "Lucky You" (2006), as a 3rd one using the "Tramps And Hawkers" melody.





Hamish Henderson in Alias MacAlias says that he and American collector Alan Lomax discovered Jimmy when he was living in a model lodging-house in Elgin and brought him to Turriff for recording –“an appropriate venue for Jimmy had for many years been a kenspeckle figure at Porter Fair, the Turra feeing-market.”
So on July 17, 1951 Alan Lomax recorded Jimmy MacBeath singing a version of "Come All Ye Tramps And Hawkers".

But the tune is certainly a bit older as is said in Hamish Henderson's book "Alias MacAlias":
Towards the end of the 19th century an Angus hawker by-named 'Brechin Jimmy' and 'Besom Jimmy' - his real name was Jimmy Henderson - composed a song called Come A' Ye Tramps and Hawkers. It rapidly became popular among the fraternity, and in recent years it has been carried (in Jimmy MacBeath's version) to every corner of the English- and Scots-speaking world. (Hamish Henderson in "Alias MacAlias" page 170).

That it is reputed to have been composed by "Besom Jimmy" is also mentioned on the back-sleeve of this Jimmy MacBeath EP from 1960.



Jimmy recorded the above version in September 1959 at Linburn (Scottish National Institution for War Blinded)

The version Jimmy recorded in 1951 was originally released in 1955 on the album "The Columbia World Library of Folk and Primitive Music - Volume VI: Scotland" (Columbia Masterworks SL-209) It is track #16 on side 1 (The Lowlands Side) of this album.
Recorded on July 17, 1951 in the Commercial Hotel in Turriff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.












The melody of "Come All Ye Tramps And Hawkers" was also used for "The Faughan Side", a song first collected in Sam Henry's Song Of The People (1938) (originally published in tonic sol-fa notation in his regular column in the Northern constitution, of Coleraine, Northern Ireland in 1935).





Here's a version recorded in 1959 by Eileen Donaghy





The melody of "Come All Ye Tramps And Hawkers" was also used for The Homes of Donegal, written by songwriter Seán McBride in 1955.
Seán only wrote the lyrics, and as I said on top of this post, the actual air itself may be 150 or more years old, many songs around using the same melody, the closest one is a song called "The Faughan Side". This song was part of the Curriculum in national schools in East Donegal and, as Seán was a Teacher in the "Laggan Valley" (East Donegal), it seems prudent to many people to assume he got his inspiration for the "Homes of Donegal" from "The Faughan Side".



The Homes of Donegal was first recorded in 1955 by Charlie Magee (brother-in-law of the composer Sean McBride) for Waltons Piano and Musical Instrument Galleries in Dublin.

(c) Charlie McGee (1955) (as "Homes Of Donegal")


Listen here:



Covered by Joe Lynch in 1957.


Also recorded by Eileen Donaghy in 1959


And Bridie Gallagher made this song famous in 1960


Listen here:




(c) Ewan MacColl (1956) (as "Come All Ye Tramps And Hawkers")

Ewan learned it from Jimmy MacBeath.


Listen here:




(c) In the same year 1956 MacColl also recorded "Davie Faa"which uses the same melody.



Listen here:




Ewan MacColl had learned "Davie Faa" from the singing of Jeannie Robertson, who recorded a version in London in 1953 under the direction of Peter Kennedy.

(c) Jeannie Robertson (1953) (as "Davie Faa")




Listen here:



The daughter of Jeannie Robertson also recorded a version of "Davie Faa" in 1969

(c) Lizzie Higgins (1969) (as "Davie Faa")


Listen here:




(c) Ewan MacColl also used the "Tramps and Hawkers" tune for a song titled "Oh Well That's Just the Way It Is" in the Radio Ballad "Song of a Road" about the building of the M1 motorway (a major highway in the UK).





(c) Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger (1959) (as "Oh Well That's Just the Way It Is")

Listen to the complete Radio Ballad here ("Oh Well That's Just the Way It Is" starts at 41 minutes and 30 seconds):




In 1960 Ewan and Peggy recorded this song again for the album "New Briton Gazette, Vol 1", this time using a different title: "Come, Me Little Son".



Listen here:


or here to a version from 1983:


This version was also sung under yet another title "England's Motorway"



The "Tramps and Hawkers" tune was also used for the song "Paddy West", published in 1951 in Songs of the Sailor and Lumberman, by William Main Doerflinger.


But already mentioned in 1928 in James Madison Carpenter MSS Collection.
In that year Carpenter collected a version in Bristol, England by Thomas Ginovan.








(c) Ewan MacColl recorded a version of "Paddy West" in 1957



Listen here:





The tune also ended up on the other side of the ocean. In Canada is was used for the song "Peter Amberley". written by John Calhoun to commemorate his friend Peter Emberley, who was killed in the winter of 1880/1881 in a lumbering accident in the woods of New Brunwick.



(c) Bonnie Dobson (1962)  (as "Peter Amberley")
In the YT below Bonnie states: this song is from the East Coast of Canada and it goes back to the traditional Scots melody "Come All Ye Tramps and Hawkers".
When Bob Dylan wrote his song "Ballad of Donald White". he was most likely inspired by Bonnie's "Peter Amberley", as he states at the beginning of his vesion. (SEE FURTHER ON IN THIS POST)


Listen here:




(c) Bob Davenport (1962) (as "Tramps And Hawkers")





(c) Bob Dylan (1962)  (melody used in "Ballad of Donald White")
As I said on top of this page, Bob Dylan used the melody of "(Come All Ye) Tramps And Hawkers" for "The Ballad of Donald White".


But "The Ballad of Donald White" was also a little indebted to Bonnie Dobson's "Peter Amberley", as Dylan himself says so, before he starts singing.

Listen here:




A few years later Dylan also used the tune for another one of his songs:

(c) Bob Dylan (1967)  (as "I Pity The Poor Immigrant")
On the album John Wesley Harding.


Listen here:





(c) Joan Baez (1968)  (as "I Pity The Poor Immigrant")
Released on the album "Any Day Now", made up exclusively of Bob Dylan songs.


Listen here:





(c) Judy Collins (1968)  (as "Poor Immigrant")
Released on the album "Who Knows Where The Time Goes"



Listen here:




(c) Gene Clark (1998)  (as "I Pity The Poor Immigrant")
Recorded around 1968 and finally released in 1998 on the album "Flying High".

Listen here:





(c) Jim Ringer (1977)  (as "Tramps And Hawkers")

In 1977 Jim Ringer wrote a new set of lyrics for this traditional tune.


Listen here:





(c) Tom Russell (1995)  (as "Tramps & Hawkers")

This is a cover of the Jim Ringer-version. The Jim Ringer version here above, also contains the words: "The Rose Of The San Joaquin". This became the title for the 1995 Tom Russell album.


Listen here:




(c) Dave Alvin (2006)  (as "Tramps & Hawkers")

This is also a cover of the Jim Ringer-version.






Part of the tune and the lyrics of "(Come All Ye) Tramps And Hawkers" may have been derived from the traditional song: "(Come All You) Texas Rangers"  

zaterdag 2 augustus 2014

You Can't Come In (1921) / I'm Busy And You Can't Come In (1924) / Bucket's Got a Hole in It (1927) / Keep a Knockin' an You Can't Get In (1928) / Keep A-Knockin' (1939)


"Keep A-Knockin" was a R&B/Pop hit for Little Richard in 1957. It's become a Rock classic.


The origin and history of the song is fascinating. On Little Richard's recording, composer credit was given to R. Penniman (Little Richard). But in an interview, Little Richard credited Perry Bradford as the author of the song: “Everything happens for a reason. Who knew that the style Perry was developing in the twenties would lead to Rock and Roll?”
And indeed, Bradford did copyright the song in 1940. At least, he copyrighted his version of an existing song.




When Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five recorded the song as "Keep A-Knockin" in 1939 (Decca 7609) (SEE FURTHER ON IN THIS POST) the single's credits listed "Mays-Bradford" (Bert Mays and Perry Bradford).

There were several versions of "Keep A-Knockin" prior to 1940 — in many genres, including Barrelhouse, Blues, Jazz, Hokum, Western Swing, and Jump Blues.
Several artists claimed authorship to this song (at least to the words) when new lyrics were added or modified. This practise was undoubtedly encouraged (if not instigated) by their publishers, who would share equally in the royalties.


The origin of the lyrics of "Keep A-Knockin" is possibly Howard Odum, who collected this song before 1909 as "I Couldn't Git In", with lyrics including "I Keep A Rappin' On My Woman's Do'" and "I got my all-night trick, baby, An' you can't git in";


See also the 1911 article in the Journal Of American Folk-Lore.
Song #34 on page #283-284




Another origin was "Bawdyhouse Blues" written in New Orleans about 1912.

I hear you knockin', but you can't come in
I got an all-night trick again
I'm busy grindin' so you can't come in


The original melody of "Keep A-Knockin" evolved from second theme of "Long Lost  Blues" published in 1914 by J. Paul Wyer and H. Alf Kelley.

After J Paul Wyer had moved to Chicago in 1913, he and H. Alf Kelley started writing songs together. Their first collaborative effort, "The Long Lost Blues", was arranged by Will Dorsey and published by the Chicago Musical Bureau in 1914. Included on the cover was an inset photograph of Ben Harney, by whom the song was said to have been "Successfully Introduced" in mainstream vaudeville.

The second theme (the "Keep A-Knockin" theme) starts starts halfway through page 4 of the sheet music pictured below ("Oh he has taken all I had from me, And left me drooping like a willow tree, I'm just as lonesome as a girl can be, No one but him and his sweet melody could amuse" etc etc)




In 1929 Alura Mack recorded a version of "Long Lost Blues".
Released on Gennett 6964 and Supertone 9530.

(c) Alura Mack (1929) (as "Long Lost Blues")
Recorded May 17, 1929 in Richmond, IND
Released on Gennett 6964

Listen here: (the "Keep A-Knockin" theme begins at 53 seconds)




But a few months earlier Alura had recorded her version of "I'm Busy, You Can't Come In".

(c) Alura Mack (as "I'm Busy, You Can't Come In")
Herve Duerson, acc. piano
Recorded on February 28, 1929 in Richmond, IND.
Released on Gennett 6813 and Supertone 9426 (as by Sallie Taylor)

Listen here:




In 1915, Wyer and Kelley published their second composition, an instrumental medley entitled "A Bunch of Blues". It strung the chorus of "String Beans Blues" and "Ship Wreck Blues" together with “The Long Lost Blues" (with the "Keep A Knockin" theme).



Complete sheet here: SMUS 204.pdf


When W.C. Handy's band made its first commercial recordings in New York City during the fall of 1917, "A Bunch Of Blues" was one of the featured compositions.

(c) Handy's Orchestra (1917) (as "A Bunch Of Blues")
Recorded September 24, 1917 in New York
Released on Columbia A2418




Listen here: (the "Keep A Knockin" theme begins at 2 min and 37 sec in the Youtube below)


Or here: (the "Keep A Knockin" theme begins at 2 min and 44 sec in the soundfile below)




In 1916 the "Bunch Of Blues" medley was recorded by pianist W.G. Haenschen and drummer T.T. Schiffer, but their medley didn't contain the "Keep A Knockin" theme.



The "Long Lost Blues" theme was a variation of "Bucket's Got a Hole in It", a motif that also appears in several versions of "Keep A-Knockin'".

"The Bucket's Got a Hole in It" was initially recorded as such on June 25, 1927 by a white Minneapolis band led by saxophonist Tom Gates.


(o) Tom Gates Orchestra (1927) (as "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It")
Recorded June 25, 1927 in St. Paul, Minnesota
Released on Gennett 6184, Champion 15305 and Challenge 355.




This version credits Lee N. Blevins and Victor Sells (resp. trombone and trumpetplayer in the Tom Gates Orchestra


Listen here:




But a black New Orleans band led by cornetist Louis Dumaine had recorded a jazzier version of the same tune on March 7, 1927 under the title “To-Wa-Bac-A-Wa", on Victor 20723.

(o) Louis Dumaine's Jazzola Eight ‎(1927) (as "To-Wa-Bac-A-Wa")
Recorded March 7, 1927 in New Orleans
Released on Victor 20723





Listen here:





A similar melody is heard on "She's Crying for Me (Blues)"
Recorded twice in early 1925 by the (Original) New Orleans Rhythm Kings.
First on January 23, 1925 (released on Okeh 40327)



Listen here:





Then on March 26, 1925 as by New Orleans Rhythm Kings.
Released on Victor 19645



Listen here:





As I said above, J. Paul Wyer and H. Alf Kelley first used the “Bucket's Got a Hole in It”/"Keep A-Knockin" melody as part of their 1914 published composition “The Long Lost Blues.”


There are 3 known piano rolls in existance, which were most likely recorded before 1921.
Long Lost Blues (The) (Kelley/Wyer)

Auto A-661/3 Performer unknown
QRS 100256 Performer: Harold Weber
QRS 32353Performer unknownarranged by W. H. Dorsey





"Bucket's Got a Hole in It" has also been attributed to Buddy Bolden, which if true would date it to before 1906.



Some of the earliest recordings of this song-cluster were entitled "You Can't Come In".
In 1921, comic vaudevillians Miller and Lyles recorded "You Can't Come In" on the OKeh label (4428-B). Although a traditional song, composer credit was given to Miller-Lyles.

(o) (Flournoy) Miller and (Aubrey) Lyles (1921)  (as "You Can't Come In")
Recorded August 29, 1921 in NYC
Released on Okeh 4428





WANTED: A SOUNDFILE FOR MILLER AND LYLES' "YOU CAN'T COME IN"



(c) Sylvester Weaver (1924)  (as "I'm Busy And You Can't Come In")
Recorded June 1, 1924 in New York City
Released on Okeh 8152
He was credited as the composer on this instrumental version



Listen here:




There are several recordings from 1928, beginning with James "Boodle It" Wiggins.
This version doesn't have the familiar "Bucket's Got a Hole In It" melody.

(c) James "Boodle It" Wiggins (1928)  (as "Keep a Knockin' an You Can't Get In")
Recorded c. February 1928 in Chicago.
Released on Paramount 12662 and Broadway 5086 (as by "Boodle It" Williams)



Listen here:




(c) Irene Gibbons and Clarence Williams Jazz Band (1928)  (as "I'm Busy And You Can't Come In")
Irene Gibbons (aka Eva Taylor) (vocal), Joe "King" Oliver (trumpet), Omer Simeon (clarinet), Clarence Williams (piano), Eddie Lang (guitar).
Recorded on September 18, 1928 in New York City .
Released on Columbia 14362-D




Listen here:




Bert Mays's record seems to have been the first to marry the melody of “Bucket's Got a Hole in It” to the lyrics of “You Can't Come In”. 
It is Bert Mays' version that was covered by Louis Jordan in 1939 and on his turn Jordan's version inspired Little Richard to record the song.

(c) Bert M. Mays (1928)  (as "You Can't Come In")
Bert Mays: vocal and piano
Recorded October 5, 1928 in Chicago.
Released on Vocalion 1223


Listen here:




(c) Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band (1928)  (as "You Can't Come In")
Recorded November 9, 1928 in Chicago.
Released on Vocalion 1237



Listen here:





(c) Kokomo Arnold (1935)  (as "Busy Bootin'")
Accompanying himself on slide guitar,
Recorded April 18, 1935 in Chicago.
Released on Decca 7139.




Listen here:

 


(c) Lil Johnson (1935)  (as "Keep On Knocking")
Lil Johnson recorded "Keep On Knocking" to the approximate tune of "Bucket's Got a Hole in It" on July 27, 1935, with Black Bob Hudson on piano and Big Bill Broonzy on guitar.
Hudson's introduction is based on the one Bob Call used with James "Boodle It" Wiggins, but on the second verse Johnson sings “Kinda busy and you can't come in,” indicating a familiarity with Eva Taylor's version.
Lil Johnson's version was released in 1935 on Bluebird B-6112.




Listen here:




In 1937, Lil Johnson would record the precursor of "Keep On Knocking":

(c) Lil Johnson (1937)  (as "Bucket's Got a Hole in It")
Recorded June 29, 1937 in Chicago
Released on Vocalion 03666
 

Listen here:





(c) Milton Brown & His Brownies (1936) (as "Keep a Knockin'")
Recorded March 5, 1936 Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans, LA -
Milton Brown [vcl], Derwood Brown [gt], Ocie Stockard [banjo], Bob Dunn [steel], Wanna Coffman [bass], Cecil Brower [fiddle], Cliff Bruner [fiddle], Fred Calhoun [piano])
Released on Decca 5251


Listen here:

 


(c) Bob Wills (1938)  (as "Keep Knocking (But You Can't Come In")
Bob Wills, f/sp; Jesse Ashlock, f; Charles Laughton, t/cl/s; Everett Stover, t; Zeb McNally, s; Leon McAuliffe, esg/ v; Al Stricklin, p; Sleepy Johnson, tbj; Eldon Shamblin, g; Joe Ferguson, sb/; Smokey Dacus, d;
Recorded in Dallas, TX on May 16, 1938
Released on Vocalion and Okeh 04184, Conqueror 9070.


Re-released in 1947 on Columbia 37629 and 20228

Listen here:




(c) Louie Jordan and his Tympany Five (1939)
On March 29, 1939, Louie Jordan and his Tympany Five recorded a Jump Blues version.
Released on Decca 7609.
Composer credit was assigned Bert Mays-Perry Bradford.



Listen here:




(c) Gene Austin with Les Paul and rhythm accompaniment (1948) (as "Keep A Knockin'")




Or on the next link:




(c) Little Richard (1957)  (as "Keep A Knockin'").
On January 16, 1957 Little Richard recorded the most famous version, an R&B version of "Keep A Knockin'", which reached he #2 spot on the R&B Charts.
Released on Specialty #611
Composer credit was given as R. Penniman (Little Richard).


Released on 78 RPM


And on 45 RPM


Listen here:


 

In the wake of Little Richard's version, "Keep A-Knockin'" has been recorded by many Rock 'n' Roll artists.

(c) Everly Brothers (1958)




(c) Johnny Rivers (1965)




(c) Fleetwood Mac (1970)





(c) Mott the Hoople (1971)




(c) Suzi Quatro (1974)




(c) Alan Price (1980)


Listen here:





The song was also performed by a group of artists including Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Tina Turner at the 1st International Rock Awards (1989) on May 31, 1989 in New York City



More versions here:



"Keep A-Knockin'" prompted an answer song: "I Hear You Knocking", recorded in many versions, including those of Smiley Lewis and Gale Storm, both in 1955 .





And the drum intro to Led Zeppelin's song "Rock and Roll" was based on Little Richard's version of "Keep A Knockin".