Salty Dog Blues

Last updated

"Salty Dog Blues" is a folk song from the early 1900s. [1] Musicians have recorded it in a number of styles, including blues, jazz, country music, bluegrass. Papa Charlie Jackson recorded an adaptation for Paramount and Broadway in 1924. [2] According to Jas Obrecht, "Old-time New Orleans musicians from Buddy Bolden’s era recalled hearing far filthier versions of 'Salty Dog Blues' long before Papa Charlie’s recording." [3] Similar versions were recorded by Mississippi John Hurt and Lead Belly. [2]

Contents

The Morris Brothers version includes "Let me be your Salty Dog, Or I won't be your man at all, Honey let me be your salty dog." [2] According to Richard Matteson:

The Morris chord progression for Salty Dog was also used by other performers, leaving the Morris version as an arrangement at best. During the 1920s and 30s, many country performers claimed they wrote any song that they copyrighted. This was a customary practice because the royalties meant big money in some cases. [2]

Music Services, an administrator for music publishers, identifies the song as "Public Domain", [4] while the performing rights organizations American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) [5] and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) [6] list songwriters and composers of over 10 works titled "Salty Dog Blues".

History

In his Library of Congress interviews, Jelly Roll Morton recalled a three-piece string band led by Bill Johnson playing the number to great acclaim. [7] Interviewed in the documentary Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends, Zeke Morris, of the Morris Brothers, claimed to have written the song, although the song had been recorded before the Morris Brothers began performing as a group. [8]

Curly Seckler, who played with Flatt and Scruggs and with Charlie Monroe, was interviewed by Frank Stasio on the December 26, 2008 edition of The State of Things . Seckler was asked about the origin of the name "Salty Dog" and replied that he had been told that it was the name of a locally produced soft drink. [9]

Lyrics

As with many folk songs, the lyrics can vary substantially. Some of the lyrics were published as early as 1911 by Howard Odum [2] [ verification needed ] in his article "Folk-Song and Folk-Poetry as Found in the Secular Songs of the Southern Negroes" in The Journal of American Folklore . [10]

One of the older versions runs: [2] [3]

Oh won’t you let me be your salty dog,
I don’t want to be your man at all,
You salty dog, you salty dog.

Oh honey baby, let me be your salty dog,
Salty dog, oh you salty dog.

There's just one thing that worries my mind,
All of these browns and none is mine,
You salty dog, you salty dog.

The scaredest I've been in my life
Was when Uncle Bud nearly saw me kiss his wife,
You salty dog, you salty dog.

Lil' fish big fish swimmin' in the water,
Come on here and give me my quarter,
You salty dog, you salty dog.

Like lookin' for a needle in the sand,
Tryin' to find a gal that ain't got no man,
You salty dog, you salty dog.

God made a woman and he made her funny,
Lips 'round her mouth sweeter than honey,
You salty dog, you salty dog.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Monroe</span> American bluegrass musician, songwriter

William Smith Monroe was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the "Father of Bluegrass".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluegrass music</span> Genre of American roots music and sub-genre of country music

Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Like mainstream country music, it largely developed out of old-time string music, though in contrast, bluegrass is traditionally played exclusively on acoustic instruments and also has roots in traditional English, Scottish, and Irish ballads and dance tunes as well as in blues and jazz. Bluegrass was further developed by musicians who played with Monroe, including 5-string banjo player Earl Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt. Monroe characterized the genre as, "Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It's a part of Methodist, Holiness and Baptist traditions. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Scruggs</span> American musician (1924–2012)

Earl Eugene Scruggs was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finger style of playing was radically different from the traditional way the five-string banjo had previously been played. This new style of playing became popular and elevated the banjo from its previous role as a background rhythm instrument to featured solo status. He popularized the instrument across several genres of music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papa Charlie Jackson</span> Musical artist

Papa Charlie Jackson was an early American bluesman and songster who accompanied himself with a banjo guitar, a guitar, or a ukulele. His recording career began in 1924. Much of his life remains a mystery, but his draft card lists his birthplace as New Orleans, Louisiana, and his death certificate states that he died in Chicago, Illinois, on May 7, 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitty Gritty Dirt Band</span> American band

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Dagger (song)</span> Traditional song performed by Joan Baez

"Silver Dagger", with variants such as "Katy Dear", "Molly Dear", "The Green Fields and Meadows", "Awake, Awake, Ye Drowsy Sleepers" and others, is an American folk ballad, whose origins lie possibly in Britain. These songs of different titles are closely related, and two strands in particular became popular in commercial Country music and Folk music recordings of the twentieth century: the "Silver Dagger" version popularised by Joan Baez, and the "Katy Dear" versions popularised by close harmony brother duets such as The Callahan Brothers, The Blue Sky Boys and The Louvin Brothers.

Hot Buttered Rum is an American five-piece progressive bluegrass act based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Poole</span> American musician

Charles Cleveland Poole was an American musician, singer, banjo player, and leader of the North Carolina Ramblers, which was a string band that recorded many popular songs between 1925 and 1930.

"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The song refers to the passenger train Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light".

"Cocaine Blues" is a Western swing song written by Troy Junius Arnall, a reworking of the traditional song "Little Sadie." Roy Hogsed recorded a well known version of the song in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Home Chicago</span> Blues standard first recorded by Robert Johnson

"Sweet Home Chicago" is a blues standard first recorded by Robert Johnson in 1936. Although he is often credited as the songwriter, several songs have been identified as precedents. The song has become a popular anthem for the city of Chicago despite ambiguity in Johnson's original lyrics. Numerous artists have interpreted the song in a variety of styles.

<i>Aereo-Plain</i> 1971 studio album by John Hartford

Aereo-Plain is a 1971 studio album by American bluegrass singer-songwriter and instrumentalist John Hartford. It reached number 193 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance" is a song recorded by blues musician Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas in 1927, under the title "Honey, Won't You Allow Me One More Chance". It was covered by Bob Dylan on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, which came out on May 27, 1963.

"Take This Hammer" is a prison, logging, and railroad work song, which has the same Roud number as another song, "Nine Pound Hammer", with which it shares verses. "Swannanoa Tunnel" and "Asheville Junction" are similar. Together, this group of songs are referred to as "hammer songs" or "roll songs". Numerous bluegrass bands and singers like Scott McGill and Mississippi John Hurt also recorded commercial versions of this song, nearly all of them containing verses about the legendary railroad worker, John Henry; and even when they do not, writes folklorist Kip Lornell, "one feels his strong and valorous presence in the song".

Benny Sims was a bluegrass and country musician who played with Flatt and Scruggs, Roy Acuff and Bill Monroe.

Chris Jones is an American bluegrass singer, guitarist, songwriter, and broadcaster, singing in a baritone voice. He fronts the Night Drivers.

Ron Stewart is an American multi-instrumentalist in the bluegrass tradition. He plays fiddle, guitar, banjo, and mandolin, and has won the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for Fiddle Player of the Year in 2000 and Banjo Player of the Year in 2011.

<i>Before the Dead</i> 2018 live album by Jerry Garcia

Before the Dead is an album by Jerry Garcia. It is a compilation of early recordings of Garcia playing folk and bluegrass music with various other musicians. The recordings were made from 1961 to 1964, before Garcia co-founded the rock band the Grateful Dead. Produced as a four-CD box set, and also as a five-LP limited edition box set, it was released on May 11, 2018.

<i>Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall!</i> 1963 live album by Flatt and Scruggs

Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall! is a live album by bluegrass artists Flatt and Scruggs. It was recorded on December 8, 1962, at the first bluegrass concert ever performed at Carnegie Hall. It was released in 1963 by Columbia Records.

<i>Songs of Glory</i> 1960 studio album by Flatt and Scruggs

Songs of Glory is a studio album by bluegrass artists Flatt and Scruggs with the Foggy Mountain Boys. It was released in 1960 by Columbia Records, catalog numbers CL 1424 (mono) and CS 8221 (stereo).

References

  1. ↑ Richard Matteson Jr. (2006). Bluegrass Picker's Tune Book. Mel Bay Publications. p. 200. ISBN   978-0-7866-7160-1.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Matteson, Richard. "History of 'Salty Dog Blues'". Matteson Art. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Obrecht, Jas (June 23, 2011). "Papa Charlie Jackson: The First Popular Male Blues Singer". Jas Obrecht Music Archive. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Salty Dog Blues". musicservices.org. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  5. ↑ "ACE Repertory: Salty Dog Blues". ASCAP . Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  6. ↑ "BMI Repertoire: Salty Dog Blues". BMI . Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Jelly Roll Morton - Library of Congress Narrative 2" . Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  8. ↑ Hoffman, David (March 11, 2017). "1972 –Earl Scruggs: OldTime Music At Its Greatest" . Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  9. ↑ Stasio, Frank; Barron, Katy (December 26, 2008). "Bluegrass Legend Curly Seckler". wunc.org. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  10. ↑ Odum, Howard W. (1911). "Folk-Song and Folk-Poetry as Found in the Secular Songs of the Southern Negroes". The Journal of American Folklore . 24 (93–94).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.