Pattin Juba, Hambone, And The Bo Diddley Beat

Edited by Azizi Powell
[Revised 5/21/2013]

Derique McGhee @ Lincoln Center 8-12-10



Uploaded by newsriffs on Aug 13, 2010

"The International Body Music Festival, offered this performance of traditional African American Hambone. When the man takes your drums away, this is the alternative."

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AFRICAN ROOTS OF BODY PATTING - Traditional Jola dancing. Video 1. July 2006



Ulf Jägfors, Uploaded on Sep 29, 2006

This video shows traditional Jola body patting and dances by girls from Mlomp, Casamance region, Southern Senegal. It was recorded at The Akonting Center for Senegambian folkmusic, Mandinari, Gambia July 2006

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INFORMATION ABOUT PATTIN JUBA
From http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/1835818#cite_note-0
"The Juba dance or hambone, originally known as Pattin' Juba (Giouba, Haiti: Djouba), is a style of dance that involves stomping as well as slapping and patting the arms, legs, chest, and cheeks. "Pattin' Juba" would be used to keep time for other dances during a walkaround. A Juba Dance performance could include:
•counter-clockwise turning, often with one leg raised
•stomping and slapping
•steps such as "the Jubal Jew," "Yaller Cat," "Pigeon Wing" and "Blow That Candle Out."

The dance traditionally ends with a step called "the Long Dog Scratch". Modern variations on the dance include Bo Diddley's "Bo Diddley Beat" and the step-shows of African American and Latino Greek organizations."
-snip-
The reference given for the statement about step shows including body patting is an old link to a page of my Cocojams website. The correct link is http://cocojams.com/content/fraternity-sorority-step-stroll-related-videos. A video of a steppin routine that includes body pattin is found below.

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HOW TO "HAMBONE"
Here's a description of how to perform hambone patting from the 1972 book Step It Down, edited by Bessie Jones and Bess Lomax Hawes:
"Hambone may be performed alone or with a group all jiving together. While the rhyme is being said, the players slap their thighs lightly on the off-beat, After each line of the poem, they "pat"...

The "patting" may be done on one side of the body only, using the right hand and thigh, or on both sides at the same time in parallel motion. The triplet phrase is done as follows:

1.Slap the side of the thigh with the palm of the hand in an upward brushing motion.
2. Continuing the upward brushing; strike the side or the chest with the palm of the hand.
3. Strike the thigh downward with the back if the hand.

Do this series twice, then slap your thigh three times. The entire pattern is repeated after each line of the rhyme."

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THE BO DIDDLEY BEAT
The rock & roll singer/musician Bo Diddley used this beat so much in his records that it became known as the "Bo Diddley" beat. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley to read more about Blues and R&B singer, musician, song writer Bo Diddley. Here's an excerpt from that Wikipedia page:
"He [Bo Diddley] recorded for Chicago's Chess Records subsidiary label Checker. Bo Diddley is best known for the "Bo Diddley beat", a rhumba-based beat (see clave) also influenced by what is known as "hambone", a style used by street performers who play out the beat by slapping and patting their arms, legs, chest, and cheeks while chanting rhymes.

In its simplest form, the Bo Diddley beat can be counted out as a two-bar phrase:

One and two and three and four and one and two and three and four" etc."
-snip-
Bo Diddley used the "Hambone" beat in so many of his songs that the beat was referred to as the "Bo Diddley Beat". Here's a video of one of his hit songs "Bo Diddley":

BO DIDDLEY 1965



SURFSTYLEY4, Uploaded on Mar 20, 2011
-snip-
Here are the lyrics to that song:

Bo Diddley
(Ellas McDaniel) 1955

Bo Diddley bought his babe a diamond ring,
If that diamond ring don't shine,
He gonna take it to a private eye,
If that private eye can't see
He'd better not take the ring from me.

Bo Diddley caught a nanny goat,
To make his pretty baby a Sunday coat,
Bo Diddley caught a bear cat,
To make his pretty baby a Sunday hat.

Mojo come to my house, ya black cat bone,
Take my baby away from home,
Ugly ole mojo, where ya bin,
Up your house, and gone again.

Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley have you heard?
My pretty baby said she wasn't for it.
From www.stlyrics.com/songs/b/bodiddley598/bodiddley335168.html

-snip-
Ellas McDaniel is Bo Diddley's real name.

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LYRICS - HAMBONE
(Like other folk songs, there are multiple versions of the song "Hambone". Here are two of those versions. These versions aren't presented in any particular order. Notice the similarities between example #2 and Bo Diddley's song.)

HAMBONE (Example #1)
Hambone Hambone pat him on the shoulder
If you get a pretty girl, I'll show you how to hold her.

Hambone, Hambone, where have you been?
All 'round the world and back again.
Hambone, Hambone, what did you do?
I got a train and I fairly flew.

Hambone, Hambone where did you go?
I hopped up to Miss Lucy's door.
I asked Miss Lucy would she marry me.
(in falsetto) "Well I don't care if Papa don't care!"
First come in was Mister Snake,
He crawled all over that wedding cake.
Next walked in was Mister Tick,
He ate so much it made him sick.
Next walked in was Mister Coon,
We asked him to sing us a wedding tune,
Now Ham-....
Now Ham....
-Bessie Jones and Bess Lomax Hawes, "Step It Down, Games, Plays, Songs & Stories From The Afro-American Heritage (Athens, Ga; University of Georgia Press, 1972, pps 34-36)
-snip-
Notice the similarities between this song and the song "Frog Went A Courtin."

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HAMBONE (Example #2)
Hambone! Hambone!

Hambone, hambone
Where you been?
Round the world and I'm going again
What you gonna do when you come back?
Take a little walk by the railroad track
Hambone

Hambone, hambone
Have you heard?
Papa's gonna buy me a mocking bird
And if that mocking bird don't sing
Papa's gonna buy me a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring don't shine
Papa's gonna take it to the five and dime
Hambone

Hambone, hambone
Where you been?
Round the world and I'm going again
I just skinned an alley cat
To make my wife a Sunday hat
Took the hide right off a goat
To make my wife a Sunday coat

Hambone, hambone
Where's your wife
Out to the kitchen, cooking beans and rice
Hambone
Hambone

Hambone, hambone
Trying to eat
Ketchup on his elbow, pickle on his feet
Bread in the basket
Chicken in the stew
Supper on the fire for me and you

Look at him holler, look at him moan
That hambone just can't hambone
Hambone
Hambone

Hambone Lyrics
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
PERKINS, CARL / WALKER, WAYNE P.

Source: http://www.cduniverse.com/tennessee-ernie-ford-hambone-lyrics-6008330.htm
-snip-
Notice the similarities between this song and the song "Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry".

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VIDEOS OF PATTIN JUBA (HAMBONE)

Video #1: Derique McGhee @ Lincoln Center 8-12-10
This video is found at the top of this page.

Uploaded by newsriffs on Aug 13, 2010

"The International Body Music Festival, offered this performance of traditional African American Hambone. When the man takes your drums away, this is the alternative."

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Example #2: Traditional Hambone



Uploaded by atn151 on Aug 28, 2008

Dry Branch Fire Squad founding member Ron Thomason performs traditional Hambone at the Gettysburg Bluegrass festival, 2008.

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hambone - Steve McCraven



mycompasstv, Uploaded on Oct 26, 2011

Great hambone technique from Archie Shepp's drummer Steve McCraven.

Recorded in Tunisia at the Tabarka International Jazz Festival.

video: Stephen Smith

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INFORMATION ABOUT STEPPIN & A VIDEO OF STEPPIN
"Steppin" is an African American movement art. When other American groups (including Latino/a groups) perform steppin, they are basing their performance on a tradition that originated with African Americans. That said, steppin could also be influenced by various African dance traditions, particularly the traditions of South African gum boot dancing.

Here's one example of a steppin routine that includes body patting that is performed by a historical Black Greek lettered fraternity:

Alpha Phi Alpha Steps



Willy R·Uploaded on Nov 2, 2006

DI Step Show

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RELATED LINK
Click http://www.cocojams.com/content/african-american-secular-slave-songs for more text examples of Hambone.

Also, click this page of my jambalayah website for more videos of foot stomping and body patting worldwide: http://www.jambalayah.com/node/1150

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