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Friday, April 25, 2025

Ten Examples Of Caribbean-Canadian Singer, Songwriter, & Banjoist Kaïa Kater's Roots Music And Her Natural Hairstyles


Kaïa Kater,  Feb 21, 2024

Live video for "Fédon" from 'Strange Medicine' ...

Mason Jar Music - video

Kaïa Kater - vocals and banjo

Andrew Ryan - upright bass and harmony vocals

Alec Spiegelman - clarinet and effects

Jackson Hillmer - drums

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post combines my interest in documenting banjo music-particularly contemporary banjo music performed by people of Black ancestry- with my interest in documenting contemporary natural hairstyles that are worn by females of Black ancestry.

This pancocojams post presents information about Caribbean-Canadian singer, songwriter, and banjo player/guitar player Kai Kater.

 This post also presents ten* YouTube videos that showcase Kaia Kater's musical artistry and also showcase 
some of the natural hairstyles that she has worn for her performances and/or hairstyles that are shown on her album covers and for her acceptance of her 2025 Juno award.

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Kaia Kater for her roots music and thanks to her (or her hair stylist/s) for her various natural hairstyles. Thanks to all those who are also featured in these showcased videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.   
-snip-
*I started this post by planning on focusing on five different natural hairstyles that Kaia Kater has worn in YouTube videos or sound files of her music. I raised that number to seven, then eight, and I now am highlighting ten different hairstyles that Kaia wore in those videos/sound files. I know that there are hairstyles that aren't included in this post. Thanks, Kaia, for the expressions of creativity that you share through your music as well as through your hairstyles.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT KAIA KATER

https://www.kaiakater.com/about About Kaia Kater

" Bio

2025 JUNOS Contemporary Roots Album of the Year Nominee

2025 International Folk Music Awards Nominated

Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian Kaia's jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR's Tiny Desk, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and No Depression. Through her artful banjo playing and lush songwriting, Kaia draws on influences rooted in Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia, all of which reflect the diversity of her background; her ties to the Canadian folk music scene; her college years spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia, her father’s experience growing up in Grenada, and her recent work in film composition.

Kaia Kater’s new album, Strange Medicine (coming May 2024 on Free Dirt Records/ acrönym in Canada) was created during a period of deep self-reflection and reinvention.  Taking the helm as co-producer, alongside Joe Grass (Elisapie, Barr Brothers), the album finds Kater expanding her creative scope with cinematic arrangements, and working with guest artists such as Taj Mahal, Allison Russell and Aoife O’Donovan. The album celebrates the power of women and oppressed people throughout history, while also sharing meditations on her own life.

Kaia released her first EP Old Soul (2013) when she was just out of high school. Since then, she’s gone on to release several albums, Sorrow Bound (2015), Nine Pin (2016) and Grenades (2018) and Strange Medicine (May 2024).  For the JUNO-nominated and Polaris Music Prize long-listed Grenades, Kaia leaned into a wide array of sounds and styles in order to convey a broad range of emotions and topics, most notably her Caribbean ancestry and her father’s experience as a refugee in Canada.

In 2020, Kaia took part in the Slaight Music Residency at the Canadian Film Center, leading her to write original music for The Porter (BET+ 2022), for which she garnered a Canadian Screen Award.  She also wrote and performed music for the new film, My Dead Friend Zoe (March 2024).

 [...]

“...One of the most remarkable Canadian folk records in some time...Kater's music is somehow ancient and brand new at the same time.”

-Tom Power, CBC Radio 2

SHORT BIO 

Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater's jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR’s Tiny Desk, Rolling Stone and The Guardian. Her new album, Strange Medicine (May 2024), celebrates the power of women and oppressed people, while also sharing meditations on her own life. Kaia is equally recognized for her film work, winning a Canadian Screen Award for 'The Porter' (CBC/BET+), and contributing to the new film, My Dead Friend Zoe (March 2024) as a songwriter and singer.

[...]

“...plaintive, mesmerizing ... writes and performs with the skill of a folk-circuit veteran...”

— Rolling Stone"...

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS OF KAIA KATER'S MUSIC THAT ALSO FEATURE EXAMPLES OF HER NATURAL HAIRSTYLES 

With the exception of Video #1 that is embedded at the top of this post, all of these videos are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube.

SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Sun to Sun


Kaïa Kater, Jul 31, 2015

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

Sun to Sun · Kaia Kater

Sorrow Bound

℗ 2015 Kingswood Records

Released on: 2015-06-16

Music  Publisher: Kaia Hurst Kater (BMI)

Auto-generated by YouTube.

****

SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - Kaia Kater - En Filant Ma Quenouille

 

Beehive Productions, Nov 10, 2015

Kaia Kater - En Filant Ma Quenouille

Filmed and multi-tracked by Beehive Productions in Saranac Lake, NY,  July 2015

Captured with Peluso Microphones

Part of the "Ear to the Ground" series featuring sessions and interviews exploring the artists and places that make up Roots Music Culture

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #4-Saint Elizabeth · Kaia Kater


Kaïa Kater, May 12, 2016

Saint Elizabeth · Kaia Kater

Nine Pin

℗ 2016 Kingswood Records

Released on: 2016-05-13

Music Publisher: Kaia Kater

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #5 -Nine Pin


Kaïa Kater, Aug 23, 2016

From the album "'Nine Pin" (May 2016)  more info: www.kaiakater.com

Kaia Kater - Banjo, vocals

Chris Bartos - Electric guitar

Brian Kobayakawa - Upright bass

 

USA - Kingswood Records  UK - Proper Distribution

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #6 - Grenades


Kaïa Kater, Oct 19, 2018

From Kaia Kater's album Grenades (Smithsonian Folkways/acronym Records) on 10/26/2018 and 1/11/2019 (Europe).

Kaia Kater - vocals

Alyson McNamara - organ

Aaron Goldstein - pedal steel

Anna Ruddick - electric bass

Brad Kilpatrick - drums

 

Mitch Fillion (Southern Souls) - video

Aaron Goldstein (Baldwin Street Studio) - mixing & audio engineer

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #7 - The Internet


Free Dirt Records, Jan 12, 2024

"The Internet" is Kaia Kater's new single out now on Free Dirt ~ https://lnk.to/kaia-kater-internet

"This was a quick write, a couple of verses in a notebook over a glass of wine during the pandemic about how weird it is to talk to people through a screen. I was listening to Kate Bush’s 'Hounds of Love' on repeat at the time and was heavily inspired by her song “Watching You Without Me” about the qualities of being an observer. I took the bridge of the song in a similar direction as her song, full of barely intelligible words, like the ones you might hear when you’re losing your internet connection with someone: Can you hear me? Can you see me? Don’t ignore me." - Kaia


Produced by Kaïa Kater and Joe Grass
Engineered by Gautier Marinof
Mixed by Ryan Freeland at Stampede Origin
Mastered by Richard Addison at Trillium Sound
Recorded at Studio Mixart


Written by Kaïa Kater-Hurst (SOCAN)


I can only talk to you

through the Internet

In bits and in bytes and right angles

Carved up my life just for the Internet

You take the leg, the wing, the shoulder and sing:

“All Hail To Our God The Internet”

 

I spilled my drink onto the Internet

Everything twitched and was gone

Who am I now without the Internet?

I’m not the saint, the fiend

the stupid machine

“Liking” likes, like I should like the Internet

 

I spy the satellites of the Internet

Above me like human-made stars

Concentrically circling the internet

But never enough

To touch

To feel any rush

Out beyond the pull of The Internet

 

Oh how I long

to just

feel any rush

Out beyond the pull of The Internet


****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #8 - Kaia Kater covers "Undone in Sorrow"


Salt Lick Sessions, Jan 14, 2024

"Undone in Sorrow" written by Ola Belle Reed (popularized by Crooked Still)

Kaia Kater, vocals and banjo with Andrew Donavan Ryan, bass.

 Recorded September 24, 2023 at Studio 9 at Porches Inn during the FreshGrass Festival  @MASSM0CA in North Adams, Massachusetts.  @FreshGrassFoundation  

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #9 -The Witch 


Kaïa Kater, May 1, 2024

Live video for "The Witch" from 'Strange Medicine' coming May 17 on Free Dirt / acronym: https://lnk.to/kaia-kater-strange-med...

Mason Jar Music - video

Kaïa Kater - vocals and banjo

Andrew Ryan - upright bass and harmony vocals

Alec Spiegelman - saxophone and effects

Jackson Hillmer - drums

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #10 -  Kaia Kater wins Contemporary Roots Album of the Year | 2025 JUNO Awards Gala


The JUNO Awards, Apr 8, 2025  #JUNOS #roots #Kaiakater

Kaia Kater wins Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at The 2025 JUNO Awards Gala Presented by Music Canada

 #JUNOS

#Kaiakater

#roots

 Photo: CARAS/Ryan Bolton Photography

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Examples Of "Hop High My Lulu Girl" (also known as "Lulu Gal" and other titles)



DrQuickbeam, October 10, 2009
-snip-
The lyrics for this version are given as Lyrics #1 below.

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents some information, YouTube video examples, and lyrics for the Old Time Music/Bluegrass song "Hop High My Lulu Gal" (also known as "Lulu Gal" & "Lula Gal" and other titles).

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and  aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the singers and musicians who are featured in the YouTube video that is embedded in this post. 

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS OF THIS SONG
These examples are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

SHOWCASE VIDEO #1
This video is embedded at the top of this post.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Hop High Lulu Girl (Roustabout)


Steve Allerton, Sep 26, 2022

Inspired by Dirk Powell, with a nod to Riley Baugus and Fred Cockerham.  Bottle Gourd banjo built by the wonderful Noah Cline.  Tuning here is e-A-E-Ab-B.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 -
Kaia Kater - "Lulu Gal"


World One Video, Jun 9, 2015

Kaia Kater performing a new song not yet recorded on cd called Lulu Gal.  With Scotty Leach on fiddle and vocals.

Recorded 'In The Moment' on Friday May 15, 2015 at the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference near Asheville, North Carolina.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SONG
From https://secondhandsongs.com/work/238564/all 

Added by mduval32323

Hop High My Lulu Gal

..."Originally written by [Traditional]

Language English

Adapted from Miss McLeod's / Hop Light Ladies / Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe written by [Traditional] – Lyricization

[...]

Adaptations

An adaptation is a musical work, which uses elements (music or lyrics) from another musical work.

[Some early recording dates for this song]


Titles                                         Performers                                Release Dates

Miss McLeod's Reel                  Victor Dance Orchestra              December 1906         

Miss McLeod's Reel                  Prince's Orchestra                      March 1914    

Hop Out Ladies
and Shortenin' Bread  Medley   Henry Whitter                             May 1924        

Hop Light, Lady                          Fiddlin' John Carson and His Virginia
                                                   Reelers                                     December 2025                                     
                                

Hop About Ladies                      Oliver Sims                                December 1926                                                                                                                    

Hop High Ladies,
the Cake's All Dough                  Uncle Dave Macon and
                                                   His Fruit-Jar Drinkers                May 1927       

Did You Ever See
the Devil, Uncle Joe?                  Fiddlin' Powers & Family         1928 "...   

****
LYRICS FOR VERSIONS OF THIS SONG
These examples of lyrics for this song are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.


VERSION  #1
HOP HIGH, MY LULU GIRL
(traditional; composers unknown/ performed by Dirk Powell in Hand Me Down; released in 1999)

Where did you get those high top shoes And the dress that you wear so fine I got my shoes from a railroading man And the dress is from a driver in the mine

CHORUS Oh hop high, hop high Hop high, my Lulu girl Oh hop high, hop high Hop high, my Lulu girl I'll pawn you my watch and I'll pawn you my chain I'll pawn you my gold wedding ring To pay my little Lulu's fine I'll pawn you my wagon and my team CHORUS Where have you been my pretty little girl Where have you been so long I've been in the pen with them rough and rowdy men And honey I'm goin' back again CHORUS -snip- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyuojxLhCy8 This example is given as Showcase video #1 in this pancocojams post.
Here are two comments about Dirk Powell's version of "Hop High Lulu Girl"
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=41680

1.
Subject: RE: Help: Say, Darlin', Say
From: GLoux
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 08:00 AM

"The liner notes to Dirk's recording of 'Hop High My Lulu Gal' say that it is known to come from Fred Cockerham. I don't have a recording of Fred doing it, though...

-Greg"

**
2. 

Subject: RE: Origins: Say, Darlin', Say
From: GUEST,peter beck
Date: 07 Jul 11 - 04:23 PM

"In re: "Hop High My Lulu Gal," the song is also (better) known as "Roustabout."...

****
VERSION #2
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=142687
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Time Roustabout
From: GUEST,BanjoRay
Date: 16 Jan 12 - 11:53 AM

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

The 19th Century United States Minstrel Song "Miss Lucy Long" (YouTube Sound File, Information & Comments)


David Culgan, Aug 28, 2015

Provided to YouTube by CDBaby

Miss Lucy Long · Camptown Shakers

Shakedown

℗ 2006 Camptown Shakers

Released on: 2006-01-01

Auto-generated by YouTube.
-snip-
The lyrics for this example doesn't include "the n word".

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents some information and comments about the 19th century United States minstrel song "Miss Lucy Long" (also known as "Lucy Long" and "Lucy Neal").

A sound file of a 2006 recording of that song is embedded in this post.

This post only includes a sample of lyrics for "Miss Lucy Long".  However, "complete" lyrics for certain examples of "Miss Lucy Long" can be found on some of the online sources whose links that are included in this post.

WARNING- "Miss Lucy Long"songs, like many minstrel songs, often include the derogatory referent that is usually given nowadays as "th n word". 

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the group that is featured in the YouTube sound file that is embedded in this post. 
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/11/information-about-examples-of-19th.html for the pancocojams post entitled "
Information About & Examples Of The 19th Century Minstrel Song "Miss Lucy Long", The Source Of "Miss Lucy" In The Rhyme "Miss Lucy Had A Baby".

That pancocojams is on the same subject as this 2025 post but includes some different content.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT MINSTREL SONGS
Since this pancocojams blog focuses on African American culture and other Black cultures throughout the world, I would like to share the reason why I'm publishing posts on 19th century minstrel songs.
 
My focus on 19th century minstrel songs in this pancocojams blog shouldn't be interpreted to mean that I believe that Black Americans composed these songs. 

However, I believe that some themes, terms, and some previously existing floating verses that Black Americans did compose (largely as Southern plantation secular dance/work songs) were taken from those sources by White composers and used in a number of minstrel songs. White men are named as the composers of those songs without any acknowledgement of those Black sources. 

I recognize those Black contributions through these posts and I also recognize that some blackfaced minstrels were Black Americans. The influence of Black Americans in minstrelsy extends from the United States South to music traditions in other parts of the world including Great Britain and South Africa. 

****
INFORMATION AND COMMENTS ABOUT THE MINSTREL SONG "MISS LUCY LONG"
These online sources are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

ONLINE SOURCE #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Lucy_Long
"Miss Lucy Long", also known as "Lucy Long" as well as by other variants, is an American song that was popularized in the blackface minstrel show.

After its introduction to the stage by the Virginia Minstrels in 1843, "Miss Lucy Long" was adopted by rival troupes. George Christy's cross-dressed interpretation standardized the portrayal of the title character and made the song a hit in the United States. "Miss Lucy Long" became the standard closing number for the minstrel show, where it was regularly expanded into a comic skit complete with dialogue.

Versions were printed in more songsters and performed in more minstrel shows than any other popular song in the antebellum period.

In blackface minstrelsy, the name Lucy came to signify any sexually promiscuous woman.

History

The first published edition of "Miss Lucy Long" is uncredited in an 1842 songster called Old American Songs. Billy Whitlock of the Virginia Minstrels later claimed the song in his autobiography: "I composed ... 'Miss Lucy Long' (the words by T. G. Booth) in 1838."[1]

Despite predating the minstrel show, "Miss Lucy Long" gained its fame there.[2] The song was the first wench role in minstrelsy. The Virginia Minstrels performed it as their closing number from their earliest performances. Dan Gardner introduced what would become the standard Lucy Long costume, skirts and pantalettes.[3] George Christy's interpretation for the Christy Minstrels became the standard for other troupes to follow.[4] The New York Clipper ignored Gardner completely and wrote "George [Christy] was the first to do the wench business; he was the original Lucy Long."[5]

By 1845, the song had become the standard minstrel show closing number,[6] and it remained so through the antebellum period.[7] Programs regularly ended with the note that "The concert will conclude with the Boston Favorite Extravaganza of LUCY LONG."[8] The name Lucy came to signify a woman who was "sexy, somewhat grotesque, and of suspect virtue" in minstrelsy. Similar songs appeared, including "Lucy Neal".[9] In the late 1920s, a dance called the Sally Long became popular; the name may derive from the minstrel song.[10]

Musicologist Robert B. Winans found versions of "Miss Lucy Long" in 34% of minstrel show programs he examined from the 1843–52 period and in 55% from 1843 to 1847, more than any other song.[11] Mahar's research found that "Miss Lucy Long" is the second most frequent song in popular songsters from this period, behind only "Mary Blane".[12] The song enjoyed a resurgence in popularity from 1855 to 1860, when minstrelsy entered a nostalgic phase under some companies.[13]

[…]

For nineteenth-century audiences, the comedy of "Lucy Long" came from several different quarters. Eric Lott argues that race is paramount. The lyrics are in an exaggerated form of Black Vernacular English, and the degrading and racist depictions of Lucy—often described as having "huge feet" or "corncob teeth"—make the male singer the butt of the joke for desiring someone whom white audiences would find so unattractive.[17] However, in many variants, Lucy is desirable—tall, with good teeth and "winning eyes".[18] Musicologist William J. Mahar thus argues that, while the song does address race, its misogyny is in fact more important. "Miss Lucy Long" is a "'public expressions of male resentment toward a spouse or lover who will not be subservient, a woman's indecision, and the real or imagined constraints placed on male behaviors by law, custom, and religion."[19] The song reaffirms a man's supposed right to sexual freedom[20] and satirizes courtship and marriage.[21] Still, the fact that the minstrel on stage would desire someone the audience knew to be another man was a source of comic dramatic irony.[20]

[…]

"Miss Lucy Long and Her Answer", a version published in 1843 by the Charles H. Keith company of Boston, Massachusetts, separates the song into four stanzas from the point of view of Lucy's lover and four from Lucy herself. She ultimately shuns "de gemman Dat wrote dat little song, Who dare to make so public De name ob Lucy Long" and claims to prefer "De 'stinguished Jimmy Crow."[26]

Structure and performance

"Miss Lucy Long" is a comic banjo tune,[9] and there is little melodic variation between published versions.[12] Nevertheless, the tune is well-suited to embellishment and improvisation. The verses and refrain use almost identical music, which enabled troupes to vary the verse/chorus structure and to add play-like segments.[9] A repeated couplet binds the piece together and gives it a musical center around which these embellishments can occur.[27] 

The lyrics of the comic banjo tune, are written in exaggerated African American Vernacular English and tell of the courtship or marriage of the male singer and the title character. "Miss Lucy Long" satirizes black concepts of beauty and courtship and American views of marriage in general. The song is misogynistic; the male character dominates Lucy and continues his sexually promiscuous lifestyle despite his relationship with her.

Minstrels usually performed the song as part of a sketch in which one minstrel cross dressed to play Lucy Long. The blackface players danced[9] and sang with regular interruptions of comic dialogue. The part of Lucy was probably not a speaking role and relied entirely on pantomime.[21]”…

****
ONLINE SOURCE #2
From https://motoole.omeka.net/exhibits/show/u-s--mexico-war-songs-and-musi/-miss-lucy-long--1842 "Miss Lucy Long" 1842 [This is a complete reprint of this page except for a small drawing of a musical score for this song with lyrics that are indecipherable.]

"Miss Lucy Long," published in 1842 by George Willig, was the primary source for all "Lucy Neal" minstrel songs. The song details the relationship between the singer and the character of the song. Misogynistic and satirical, this song represents American perceptions of black sexuality, beauty, and relationships. The lyrics suggests casual and dominant sexual promiscuity between the assumed white male singer and Lucy. “Lucy” is a commonly racist name given to blackface performers that stereotypes a woman who was sexy and of questionable virtue. This song not only narrates white male-black female slave sexual fantasies, but celebrates the blatant misogyny and perverted sexual dominance found in minstrel versions of “Lucy Long/Neal.”
-snip-
The next page in that website is for the song “Miss Lucy Neal” which was published in 1846.

****
ONLINE SOURCE #3
From https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Miss_Lucy_Long The Traditional Tune Archive- Miss Lucy Long
…”MISS LUCY LONG. AKA - "Lucy Long (1)." American, Air (2/4 time). C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. A minstrel-era comic love song popular in the mid-19th century composed in 1842 by William M. "Billy" Whitlock [1] (1813–1878), an American blackface performer. Biography:Billy Whitlock was a member of the earliest minstrel troupes, the Virginia Minstrels (with fiddler Dan Emmett, Frank Bower nd Richard Pelham), formed in 1843. Prior to that Whitlock had a solo blackface and duet acts that he performed at various venues, including P.T. Barnum's circus. After the breakup of the Virginia Minstrels, Whitlock performed with a variety of troupes, many of which were put together for a traveling season or two, only to recombine with different personnel and different names for the next season. His last public blackface performance was at a circus in 1855.

Whitlock's song "Lucy Long" was a hit for both the Virginia Minstrels and the Christy Minstrels in the first decade of minstrel performances. It acquired many sets of words, and entered oral tradition.

The Virginia Minstrels, 1843

Now I am come afore you

To sing a littel song

I play upon de banjo,

An' dey call it Lucy Long.

Chorus:

Oh, take time, said Lucy,

Oh, Miss Lucy Long;

Den take time, said Lucy,

Oh, Miss Lucy Long.

The tune is printed in one of the earliest surviving collections of minstrel tunes, an 1848 banjo tutor written by Boston publisher Elias Howe, whose pseudonym Gumbo Chaff, a name taken from Thomas Dartmouth Rice's 1834 blackface character. The tutor was republished in 1851 in Boston by Oliver Ditson who, in 1850, had purchased the rights to several of Howe's publications, on the condition that Howe not publish any similar works for ten years.”…

****
ONLINE SOURCE #4

http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/miss-lucy-long--version-1-also-rock-the-cradle.aspx Rock the Cradle Lucy- Two Versions from 1844

“Rock the Cradle Lucy/Lucy Long/Miss Lucy Long/Rock The Cradle Joe

Bluegrass and Old-Time Breakdown; Galax Area, North Carolina and Virginia; “Miss Lucy Long/Lucy Long” Widely Known Minstrel Song

ARTIST: Billy Whitlock of the Virginia Minstrels; Two versions

CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes

DATE: 1844 The first published edition of "Miss Lucy Long" is uncredited in a 1842 songster called Old American Songs. Billy Whitlock of the Virginia Minstrels later claimed the song in his autobiography: "I composed . . . 'Miss Lucy Long' (with words by T. G. Booth) in 1838." “Rock The Cradle Lucy” Songs appear in the early 1900’s recorded by the Cofer Brothers in 1929.

[…]

OTHER NAMES: Miss Lucy Long; Lucy Long; Rock That/The Cradle Lucy

[…]

From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia: Miss Lucy Long is a comic banjo tune, the lyrics, written in exaggerated Black Vernacular English, tell of the courtship or marriage of the male singer and the title character. The song is highly misogynistic; the male character dominates Lucy and continues his sexually promiscuous lifestyle despite his relationship with her. "Miss Lucy Long" thus satirizes black concepts of beauty and courtship and American views of marriage in general.

After its introduction to the stage by the Virginia Minstrels in 1843, "Miss Lucy Long" was adopted by rival troupes. George Christy's cross-dressed interpretation standardized the portrayal of the title character and made the song a hit in the United States. "Miss Lucy Long" became the standard closing number for the minstrel show, where it was regularly expanded into a comic skit complete with dialogue. Versions were printed in more songsters and performed in more minstrel shows than any other popular song in the antebellum period. In blackface minstrelsy, the name Lucy came to signify any sexually promiscuous woman.

[…]

For Ninteenth-century audiences, the comedy of "Lucy Long" came from several different quarters. Eric Lott argues that race is paramount. The lyrics are in an exaggerated form of Black Vernacular English, and the degrading and racist depictions of Lucy—often described as having "huge feet" or "corncob teeth"—make the male singer the butt of the joke for desiring someone whom white audiences would find so unattractive. However, in many variants, Lucy is desirable—tall, with good teeth and "winning eyes".

Musicologist William J. Mahar thus argues that, while the song does address race, its misogyny is in fact more important. "Miss Lucy Long" is a "'public expressions of male ressentment toward a spouse or lover who will not be subservient, a woman's indecision, and the real or imagined constraints placed on male behaviors by law, custom, and religion." The song reaffirms a man's supposed right to sexual freedom and satirizes courtship and marriage.[9] Still, the fact that the minstrel on stage would desire someone the audience knew to be another man was a source of comic dramatic irony.

[…]

The first published edition of "Miss Lucy Long" is uncredited in a 1842 songster called Old American Songs. Billy Whitlock of the Virginia Minstrels later claimed the song in his autobiography: "I composed . . . 'Miss Lucy Long' (the words by T. G. Booth) in 1838."

Despite predating the minstrel show, "Miss Lucy Long" gained its fame there. The song was the first wench role in minstrelsy. The Virginia Minstrels performed it as their closing number from their earliest performances. Dan Gardner introduced what would become the standard Lucy Long costume, skirts and pantalettes. George Christy's interpretation for the Christy Minstrels became the standard for other troupes to follow. The New York Clipper ignored Gardner completely and wrote "George [Christy] was the first to do the wench business; he was the original Lucy Long."

By 1845, the song had became the standard minstrel show closing number, and it remained so through the antebellum period. Programs regularly ended with the note that "The concert will conclude with the Boston Favorite Extravaganza of LUCY LONG." The name Lucy came to signify a woman who was "sexy, somewhat grotesque, and of suspect virtue" in minstrelsy. Similar songs appeared, including "Lucy Neal". In the late 1920s, a dance called the Sally Long became popular; the name may derive from the minstrel song.

Musicologist Robert B. Winans found versions of "Miss Lucy Long" in 34% of minstrel show programs he examined from the 1843–52 period and in 55% from 1843–47, more than any other song. Mahar's research found that "Miss Lucy Long" is the second most frequent song in popular songsters from this period, behind only "Mary Blane".The song enjoyed a resurgence in popularity from 1855–60, when minstrelsy entered a nostalgic phase under some companies.

[...]

Miss Lucy Long has been collected in West Indian Islands by Stan Hugill and blues/jazz versions with the Lucy Long name were popular in the 1920’s-30’s. The Rock the Cradle Lucy fiddle breakdown is different song that the Miss Lucy Long versions sharing the title and some lyrics.”…

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ONLINE SOURCE #5
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=119975

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Miss Lucy Long (minstrel)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 Apr 09 - 05:17 PM

"This minstrel song is mentioned in chanteys and was revised in presentations by several minstrel groups. It has persisted in folk use, and was collected in the John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip (collected in Texas, recording at American Memory).

Lucy Long is included in the Fiddlers Companion."

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ONLINE SOURCE #6
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=66828
Subject: RE: Origins: Lucy Neale
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Jul 05 - 10:23 PM

"The tune is memorable; in 1844 several claimants published music.

(The details below I wanted for my notes, I apologise for adding volume to this thread).

James Sanford is accepted by most writers as the composer. A midi to his sheet music is at pdmusic, linked by Masato, 08 Feb. 04. In the sheet music published by Fiot, Sanford is called "The celebrated NEGRO singer and dancer." He was a blackface minstrel. Pdmusic took the midi from sheet music in a London edition, "Lucy Neal," also pub. in 1844, but apparently Sanford is credited.

In the Fiot copy, the master's name was 'Meal,' in the English copy it was 'Beal.' This is the tune usu. associated with the "Song of Texas."

Also in 1844:

"Miss Lucy Neale or the Yellow Gal" was pub. by Geo. Willig, arr. for piano by James W. Porter. Here, the master's name is 'Deal.' The music is somewhat different. "Philadelphis concerts." Lyrics different from those of Sanford.

"Miss Lucy Neale or the Yellow Gal" pub. Atwill, NY, arr. for piano by N. Barckley. From the Congo Melodists. Master's name is 'Deal.' Music differs slightly from Sanford's and Porter's sheet music.

"Lucy Neale," pub. J. G. Osbourne, Philadelphia, arr by banjoist Charles Von Bonnhorst. Master's name Beale. Music seems closer to Sanford's. Lyrics different from those of Sanford, and Porter. American Memory have a copy they date later.

"Oh Poor Miss Lucy Neale," pub. Oliver Ditson, Quickstep by Edward L. White. Catalogued as 1844, but deposited Feb., 1845. Seems more akin to the Porter arrangement; combined with "Dandy Jim."

"Miss Lucy Neale," pub. Firth and Hall, 1845, arr. piano by W. R. Coppock. These are variations, departing from the usual melody.

"Miss Lucy Neale and Dandy Jim," 1846, Quickstep, pub. F. D. Benteen, arr. D. Tucker.

"Miss Lucy Neale," pub. Saml. Carusi, Baltimore, n. d., music similar to Porter. (Levy Sheet Music)

"Miss Lucy Neale," E. Ferrett & Co., Phila., n. d., The Virginia Minstrels Cotillions (Boatman's Dance, Dandy Jim, Lucy Long, Dan Tucker (jig), with dance instructions). Ethiopian Serenaders, arr. by Old Dan Tucker."...
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Pancocojams Editor's Note: In this comment, "Negro singer and dancer" doesn't mean a person who was Black American. Instead, this comment refers to a White man who performed minstrel songs which focused on Black Americans.  

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Early Sources & Early Versions Of The Song "Turkey In The Straw" (YouTube videos & song lyrics) 2025 reprint

turkey in the straw (first version 1942)

bloodboiler666, Uploaded on Oct 26, 2007

old time folk music
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Pancocojams Editor's Note: This actually isn't the first version of "Turkey In The Straw".

Read information about this song that is presented below.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Update- April 23, 2025

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the song "Old Zip Coon" and the song "Turkey In The Straw". Both of these songs use the same tune.

This post provides information about early sources of the song "Turkey In The Straw". This post also include lyrics & videos of versions of the song "Turkey In The Straw".

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/two-versions-of-song-old-zip-coon-sound.html for Part I of this post. That 2013 post showcases the United States Old time music song "Old Zip Coon". 

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composers of this song and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who are featured in these showcased videos. 
-snip-
This is an April 23, 2025 reprint of a 2013 pancocojams post with some additional content. That 2013 post is still published in this blog with some added content. As of April 23, 2025 there are no comments for that 2013 post.
  

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT MINSTREL SONGS
Since this pancocojams blog focuses on African American culture and other Black cultures throughout the world, I would like to share the reason why I'm publishing posts on 19th century minstrel songs.
 
My focus on 19th century minstrel songs in this pancocojams blog shouldn't be interpreted to mean that I believe that Black Americans composed these songs. 

However, I believe that some themes, terms, and some previously existing floating verses that Black Americans did compose (largely as Southern plantation secular dance/work songs) were taken from those sources by White composers and used in a number of minstrel songs. White men are named as the composers of those songs without any acknowledgement of those Black sources. 

I recognize those Black contributions through these posts and I also recognize that some blackfaced minstrels were Black Americans. The influence of Black Americans in minstrelsy extends from the United States South to music traditions in other parts of the world including Great Britain and South Africa. 

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INFORMATION ABOUT & EARLY LYRICS FOR THE SONG "TURKEY IN THE STRAW"
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
"Turkey In The Straw" is a very well known American fiddle tune (instrumental). "Turkey In The Straw" used to be a dance song for people of all ages. However, it now is mostly considered to be a children's song.

"Turkey In The Straw" 's lyrics can be rightly considered to be "nonsense" verses. While the tune for "Turkey In The Straw" is the same as that used by a song which originally had racist lyrics, it appears that the early & the later lyrics for "Turkey In The Straw" weren't and aren't racist.

Like other songs of that era, it's difficult to determine how much of the early versions of "Turkey In The Straw" originated with African Americans or with White Americans. However, it's clear from documentation that early versions of "Turkey In The Straw" contain floating verses that are found in a number of songs that were sung by (Southern) Black Americans.

Here's a lengthy quote about "Turkey In The Straw" from http://www.contemplator.com/america/turkeyis.html
"Turkey In the Straw was one of the earliest American minstrel songs. It was a fiddle tune named Natchez Under the Hill befoe [sic] it was published with words in 1834 as Old Zip Coon. It was very popular during Andrew Jackson's presidency.

The first verse of Old Zip Coon is:
There once was a man with a double chin
Who performed with skill on the violin,
And he played in time and he played in tune,
But he wouldn't play anything but Old Zip Coon.

According to Linscott, the tune is derived from the ballad My Grandmother Lived on Yonder Little Green which in turn derived from the Irish ballad The Old Rose Tree

[LYRICS]

As I was a-gwine down the road,
With a tired team and a heavy load,
I crack'd my whip and the leader sprung,
I says day-day to the wagon tongue.
Turkey in the straw, turkey in the hay,
Roll 'em up and twist 'em up a high tuckahaw
And twist 'em up a tune called Turkey in the Straw.


[The words in italics are henceforth given "Chorus"]

Went out to milk, and I didn't know how,
I milked the goat instead of the cow.
A monkey sittin' on a pile of straw,
A-winkin' at his mother-in-law.

Chorus

Met Mr. Catfish comin' down stream.
Says Mr. Catfish, "What does you mean?"
Caught Mr. Catfish by the snout,
And turned Mr. Catfish wrong side out.

Chorus

Came to a river and I couldn't get across,
Paid five dollars for a blind old hoss;
Wouldn't go ahead, nor he wouldn't stand still,
So he went up and down like an old saw mill.

Chorus

As I came down the new cut road,
Met Mr. Bullfrog, met Miss Toad
And every time Miss Toad would sing,
Old Bullfrog cut a pigeon wing.

Chorus

Oh I jumped in the seat and I gave a little yell
The horses ran away, broke the wagon all to hell
Sugar in the gourd and honey in the horn

Chorus"
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Click http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27195/27195-h/27195-h.htm for song examples from Thomas W. Talley's 1922 collection Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise & Otherwise [henceforth referred to as "Talley: Negro Folk Rhymes"] that refer to going down a new cut road, "went to a river" etc, "milking a goat instead of a cow" etc, and dancing the pigeon wing.
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[Note added April 23, 2025- 
From https://englishteststore.net/lesson/english-idioms/cut-the-pigeon-wing-idiom-meaning-and-example-usage-in-sentences/ "Idioms often have intriguing origins, and this one is no exception. ‘Cut the Pigeon" " Wing’ finds its roots in the world of dance. In the 18th century, dancers would perform intricate moves, and one of them was the ‘Pigeon Wing.’ It was a swift, elegant motion, symbolizing grace and precision.

Meaning: Beyond Literal Interpretation

While the literal meaning of ‘Cut the Pigeon Wing’ refers to the dance move, its figurative interpretation is quite different. It signifies someone showing off or flaunting their skills or abilities, often in an ostentatious manner. It’s like a peacock spreading its feathers to attract attention."...

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ADDITIONAL EARLY SOURCES FOR SOME VERSIONS OF "TURKEY IN THE STRAW"
From http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/turkey-in-the-straw--version-9-old-zip-coon.aspx
"Turkey in the Straw/Old Zip Coon/Natchez Under the Hill/Old Bog Hole

Bluegrass and old-time song and breakdown. Very widely known

ARTIST: by either? George Washington Dixon, George Nichols, or Bob Farrell- Old Zip Coon (1834) CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1834 (Five publications) as “Old Zip Coon;” Fuld reports the title "Turkey in de Straw" appeared in 1861; Earliest recording c. 1901 Silas Leachman;
RECORDING INFO “Old Zip Coon”: Arkansas Charlie [pseud. for Charlie Craver], "Old Zip Coon (Vocalion 5384, c. 1930); Hindermyer & Tuckerman [Goldy & Dusty], "Zip Coon" (Edison 51830, 1926)...
SOURCES “Turkey in the Straw”: Ceolas; Digital Tradition; Folk Index; Traditional Ballad Index; Randolph 274, "Turkey in the Straw" (2 texts plus a fragment, 1 tune); Randolph/Cohen, pp. 234-237, "Turkey in the Straw" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 274A); BrownIII 94, "Turkey in the Straw" (1 fragment); also 511, "The Preacher Song" (1 text, a complex mix of verses from "Turkey in the Stray" and "Some Folks Say that a Preacher Won't Steal" with the "Uncle Eph" chorus)"...
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My focus is on the songs "Some Folks Say that a Preacher Won't Steal" with the "Uncle Eph [Got A Coon & Gone].

Click http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/Br3423.html for information about & some lyrics of the song "Some Folks Say that a Preacher Won't Steal". Warning: What is now known as the n word is fully spelled out on that page.

A version of that song is also found in "Talley: Negro Folk Rhymes" under the name "They Steal Gossip". There’s an ongoing debate as to whether the word “preacher” was a substitution for the "n word" or vice versa.

Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=9197#1003259 for information about "Uncle Eph Got A Coon And Gone". That link is just one of the comments on that discussion thread about that song. Warning: What is now known as the n word is fully spelled out in that discussion thread.

The word "coon" in this song rerfers to "racoon". That said, it should be remembered that "coon" also was a 19th century referent for Black people that was used by some Black Americans & some White Americans, particularly in the South.

A YouTube video of "Uncle Eph Got A Coon And Gone" can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acle20uGn1E

Floating verses found in "Uncle Eph Got A Coon" are also found in "Old Dan Tucker", "Possum Up A Gum Stump", "Liza Jane", "Shake Them 'Simmons" and a parody of Golden Slippers also have contributed. [from cited Mudcat link posted by Q, 2003]

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QUOTES FROM  WIKIPEDIA [added April 23, 2025]
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_in_the_Straw
" "Turkey in the Straw" is an American folk song that first gained popularity in the 19th century. Early versions of the song were titled "Zip Coon", which were first published around 1834 and performed in minstrel shows, with different people claiming authorship of the song. The melody of "Zip Coon" later became known as "Turkey in the Straw"; a song titled "Turkey in de Straw" with different music and lyrics was published in 1861 together with the wordless music of "Zip Coon" added at the end, and the title "Turkey in the Straw" then became linked to the tune of "Zip Coon".[1][2]

The song is related to a number of tunes of the 19th century and the origin of these songs has been widely debated.[3][4] Links to older Irish/Scottish/English ballads have been proposed, such as "The Old Rose Tree". The song became highly popular and many variations of the song exist. It was also frequently adapted and used in popular media.

Origin

"Turkey in the Straw" is thought to be originally a tune from 19th century minstrel shows, "Zip Coon" or "Old Zip Coon", published around 1834. The authorship of the song has been claimed by George Washington Dixon who popularized the song, as well as Bob Farrell and George Nicholls.[2] "Zip Coon" in turn has been linked to a number of 19th century folk songs believed to have older antecedents in Irish/Scottish/English folk songs. Songs proposed it has links to include "Natchez Under the Hill", "The Old Bog Hole", "The Rose Tree", "Sugar in the Gourd", "The Black Eagle", "Glasgow Hornpipe", "Haymaker's Dance", "The Post Office", "Old Mother Oxford", "Kinnegad Slasher" and others.[5][6]

Eloise Hubbard Linscott believes the first part of the song is a contrafactum of the ballad "My Grandmother Lived on Yonder Little Green", published in 1857 by Horace Waters, which is in turn said to be a contrafactum of the Irish/Scottish/English ballad "The Old Rose Tree" published by at least 1795 in Great Britain.[7] The link to "The Old Rose Tree" has been questioned,[4] but a number of musicologists suggest that it may be a composite of "The Rose Tree" and "The (Bonny) Black Eagle".[6] Similar tune was popular with fiddle players as early as 1820, and the tune of "Turkey in the Straw"/"Zip Coon" may have come from the fiddle tune "Natchez Under the Hill" believed to have been derived from "Rose Tree".[8][9]

The title "Turkey in the Straw" later became associated with the tune of "Zip Coon" in an unusual way. According to James J. Fuld, Dan Bryant copyrighted a song with new lyrics and music titled "Turkey in the Straw" on July 12, 1861, but with the wordless music of "Zip Coon" (titled "Old Melody") attached at the end. The tune of "Zip Coon" then became known as "Turkey in the Straw".[2]"...

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ADDITIONAL FEATURED VIDEOS & SOUND FILES OF "TURKEY IN THE STRAW"

Example #1:- 
RARE 1945 FOOTAGE! Callahan Brothers - TURKEY IN THE STRAW



OldTimeMusic, Feb 23, 2009

Callahan Brothers perform Turkey In the Straw in the 1945 Jimmy Wakely western "Springtime in Texas".

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Example #2 - Merry Singers-Turkey In The Straw



KiddieRecordKrazy, Uploaded on Mar 26, 2010

Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Merry Records

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Example #3: The Skillet Lickers-Turkey In The Straw



BBYMRLCCOTN, Uploaded on Feb 3, 2010

The Skillet Lickers-Turkey In The Straw

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