Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the cheerleader cheer "Brrr It's Cold In Here".
Part II features selected text examples and videos of that children and teenagers performing versions of the "Brrr! It's Cold in here" cheer.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-real-origins-meanings-of-brrr-its.html for the post entitled "The REAL Origins & Meanings Of The "Brrr! It's Cold In Here" Cheerleader Cheer (Updated 2024 version)"
The content of this post is presented for cultural, linguistic, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who are featured in this embedded video. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT "BRRR! IT'S COLD IN HERE"
"Brrr It's Cold In Here" is a cheerleader cheer which was popularized by its inclusion in the first film in the Bring It On cheerleader series of movies (2000). The title of that cheer and the lines "ice ice ice/ too cold too cold" were popularized earlier by the 1989 hit record "Ice Ice Baby" by the White American rapper Vanilla Ice. However, "ice ice baby" as well as the lines "ooh it's cold in here" and "ice ice ice too cold too cold" were coined by the Black Greek lettered fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. Members of that international, but USA based fraternity still perform several step chants that include those phrases.
"Brrr" is an onomatopoeic word for the sound people make when they are shivering from cold weather. The word "bur" (and less frequently "burn") can be found as the title of some examples of this cheer. Both words are folk etymology forms of the word "brrr".
The letters "O E O E O" and the phrase "owee owee o" (or similarly spelled phrases) in the cheer "Brrr It's Cold In Here" comes from the refrain "Oh-wee-oh-wee-oh!" in the 1984 R&B record "Jungle Love" by Morris Day & The Time.
Some commenters on a Bring It On Movie viewer comment thread posted comments about the difference between the way the mostly White cheerleading squad, The Toros, and the mostly African American cheerleading squad, The Clovers pronounced that phrase. Several of those comments are found toward the end of this post.
-snip-
Here's an excerpt of an Editor's note that I wrote for a 2014 cocojams2* post entitled "The Influence Of "Bring It On" Movies On Children's Cheerleading"
From http://cocojams2.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-influence-of-bring-it-on-movies-on.html
..."Bring It On" is the title of or part of the title of five American produced teenage cheerleader movies. The first movie in that series, produced in 2000, is highly acclaimed in the teenage cheerleader movie genre... As a result of that movie, according to a 2008 Wall Street Journal article that is cited in "Bring It On"'s Wikipedia page, "Outside of the United States, American-style cheerleading is sometimes referred to as Bring It On-style cheerleading."
-end of quote-
Referring to cheers as being in the "Bring It On" style isn't always considered something positive. Around 2011 I read an online statement that prefaced a list of children's cheers in which an adult criticized the fact that many children's cheer squads were promoting hip shaking. That writer indicated that prior to the "Bring It On" movie, "hip shaking" wasn't even considered, let alone, allowed in children's cheerleading squads. Of course, cheerleader squads that are auxiliaries of professional football squads do a lot of hip shaking and other dance moves. And there's no doubt that the popularity of those professional cheerleader squads have influenced children's ideas and the rest of the general public's ideas of how cheerleaders are supposed to perform."...
-snip-
*cocojams2 is another blog that I voluntarily curate. That blog presents many of the examples of children's rhymes, singing games, and cheers that were presented on my no longer active cultural website cocojams.com. Cocojams2 also includes other posts on children's rhymes, singing games, and cheers (without regard to race/ethncicity) although a focus is placed on examples from African American cultures and other Black cultures around the world.
****
SELECTED EXAMPLES OF "BRRR IT'S COLD IN HERE"
Posted in chronological order by year, with the earliest examples given posted first.
These examples are from the children's cheerleading page of no longer active cocojams.com website. A number of children and teens wrote examples of cheers on that easy to use comment page which didn't require an email address. Only first names of commenters were used.
Example #1
brrrrrr its cold in here,
There must be some (team name) in the atmosphere
I said brrrrrrr its cold in here,
There must be some (team name) in the atmosphere,
row me o me o ice ice ice
break it down
-Kenisha and Paige (England); 7/16/2006
**
Example #2
here is a chant from the movie Bring It On (the clover's cheer) which my school has adapted:
brr (or ouch). i said it's cold (or hott) in here.
there must be some (mascots) in the atmosphere,
i said now [repeat as much as you want]
- Anna; 8/1/2007
**
Example #3
this is a cheer that my team does
"i said brrr..(clap clap) its cold in here
there must be some*rebels* in the atmosphere
i said bang(stomp) bang choo choo train
common' girls lets do our thang,
were gonna rock our bodies
and win the game
so you better back it up
back it up back it up
and bump it to the right! uh huh GO TEAM!
-rebel-ekaboo; 5/24/2007
****
EXAMPLES FROM YOUTUBE DISCUSSION THREADS
(Please be aware that YouTube discussion threads may include profanity and other language that is inappropriate for children.)
Example #1
http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZtxFp-wwSnw
the cheer is brrr its cold in here! there must be some______ in the atmosphere! and then there is some part in the cheer where u go oh eh oh eh oh ice ice ice! u do that three times!
-toontownfunatic; 2008
****
Example #2
http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZtxFp-wwSnw
that was nothing.
I did that cheer..
it was
"Ouhh!! Its hot in here! there must be some Stars in the Atmosphhere! O-eo-eooh!. Spice,Spice,Spice!"
It was a bit invetted, but yeah,.. same thing.
-SabakuRoro; 2008
****
Example #3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_BCOFXYtFA&feature=related "Brrr... its cold in here"
I said brrr it's cold in here.
There must be tornados in the atmosphere.
I said brrr it's cold in here.
There must be tornados in the atmosphere.
-transcription from video
****
Example #4
http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=QD-fAC5T3Qs "I said Brr, it's cold in here!" [sound file]
BRRRR! It's cold in here!!
There must a Viking in the Atmosphere!!
OhYEE! OhYEE! Ohhh!!! Vikes! Vikes! Vikes!!
Go Par Hills!!!!
Coolie61; December 2010
****
SELECTED VIDEOS OF "BRRR IT'S COLD IN HERE" CHEERLEADER CHEERS
Video Example #1
Brrr It's Cold in here
Uploaded by niiksvideos on Jan 1, 2007
Alyssa Alexa & Peggy..wow
Note this comment alleges to be from one of the girls featured on the video:
hahah were tottally just joking around before a game, making fun of bring it on..
-lyssababe714; 2008
****
Video Example #2
Kerynna "Bur... It's cold in here"
Uploaded by ramsandspurs2010 on May 21, 2008
Backyard
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Video Example #3
Brrr... its cold in here
Uploaded by tyfacheer on Jul 26, 2008
Brrr... its cold in here - For the TYFA Cheerleaders
****
Video Example #4
bring it on
Uploaded by seroloddd on Apr 20, 2008
WHAT DID U SAY ? I saaaaaaaid BRRR! IT'S COLD IN HERE
Editor: These three females spoke English with an accent. However, there's no indication what nation they are from.
This particular video provides an opportunity to point out that the continued popularity of the Bring It On movies have greatly contributed to confrontational "in your face", stomp and shake types of cheerleader cheers and (to a lesser extent) dance & step style routines being introduced worldwide. My guess is that the reason why foot stomping cheers or the stomp and shake movements don't appear to be performed as often by non-Black and non-Latina cheerleading squads is because, in general, members of those squads have less societal familiarity with those rhythmic movements than Black and Latina females (or males) do.
The following comment is probably documentation that this movie has been watched outside of the English speaking USA:
"lol i'm watching the movie in french . the clovers made it up but the toros stole it from them .
-DeeDaangeer; 2011; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=F26eQaqwBdg Bring It On 2000
****
INTONATION AND DANCE STYLES IN THE PERFORMANCE OF STOMP AND SHAKE CHEERS
The Clovers' performance of "Brrr It's Cold In Here" can be considered a form of stomp and shake cheerleading. And the way The Toros performed that cheer is a less successful approximation of relatively new cheerleading style. Stomp and shake cheerleading, which originated with African Americans in the early to mid 1970s, emphasizes hip movements much more than traditional cheerleading. In addition, the ideal way cheerleaders chant a stomp and shake cheer is almost totally different than the ideal way that traditional cheers are chanted. One big difference is that stomp and shake cheerleaders rarely smile as the goal is for them to be intimidating.
Here are a few comments about the way that the majority White, suburban squad The Toros, and the majority Black, urban squad The Clovers chanted "Brrr It's Cold In Here":
From http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=F26eQaqwBdg "BRR IT'S COLD IN HERE 2000" [Bring It On movie]
the dance looks like hip hop dance not cheer :/ just some movements
-jessybell000; 2009
**
It is a cheer its just that in urban areas we just have a little bit more dance moves and everything in our cheers. Well mostly crowd pumping cheers are more dance like and when we have to cheer its more technical and precise in movement.
-bigboib456; 2009
**
I like the Clovers better the toros sound a little too prissy and the Clovers have more dance moves
-bxlaura15 ; August 2011
**
I love how when the Tauros girls say O.E.O.E.O its so proper, but when the clovers do it its like they are sayin OWEE OWEE O! lol
**
the toros dont have the volume and power hat the clovers do
-95snazzy; 2011
**
The black girl's deeper voice suits this better
-lollsazz ; 2011
[Note that this comment had 164 likes as of 1/11/2011, which is very rare for YouTube. The comment assumes that all black girls have deep voices, which isn't true. But I wonder if "deep voices" have more authority and are considered to be more intimidating in American society because their sound is closer to that of males. Remember, cheerleaders doing stomp and shake cheers are supposed to exude confidence and are supposed to act intimidating.]
**
lmao: OH EE OH EE OH!
instead of: Oheeoheeeohhh
-Egirl01; 2011
**
"oo-ee-oo-ee-oo-ice-ice-ice"...LOL Torros sound do standard
-natosthan; January 2012
RELATED LINKS
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bring_It_On_(film) for information on the first Bring it On movie, and information about the release dates of each of the movies in that "Bring It On" cheerleader series.
Click http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/BringItOn?from=Main.BringItOn for a synopsis of each of the five movies in that series, and information about specific cultural tropes including in those movies (including racist tropes).
**
Also, for information about the rapper Vanilla Ice, his song "Ice Ice Baby", and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. origin of that "ice ice baby" title/refrain, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Ice_Baby.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label Rhythm and Blues music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rhythm and Blues music. Show all posts
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Friday, April 5, 2013
Soulful Struts (Definition & Examples Of Strutting)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides definitions of the word "strut" and four video examples of different ways that Black people strut their stuff.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
DEFINITIONS OF "STRUT" & "STRUTTIN" (strutting)
From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strut
"strut – to walk with a proud gait"
-snip-
Additional definitions of "struttin'"
walking with attitude [self-confidence, pride]
**
walking with lots of "swag" [swagger], walking like you just KNOW you bad [with "bad" here meaning “very good”]
**
a type of hip-hop dance
-snip-
The phrase "strut your stuff" usually refers to walking with a swaying gait so that your butt shakes.
The phrase "struttin down the alley" is found in the Black children's singing games "Zoodio" and "Strut Miss Lucy" (also known as "Thisa Way Valerie"). In both of those games, at a certain part of the song, a person or a couple are supposed to strut down (later, dance down) the aisle made by people standing facing each other in two lines. Because of its popularity on that television dance show, this formation is now commonly known in the United States as a "Soul Train line". Click http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-stroll-model-for-soul-train-line.html for a post on my zumalayah blog that provides a video example of Zoodio and a video of an early Soul Train line formation on the television show of that name.
**
FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Uncle Tom's Cabin - Cakewalk - 1903 Edison Version
uncletomscabindvd, From Uncle Tom's Cabin Reconsidered - http://www.uncletomscabindvd.com
****
Example #2: Jsu exit again! MSU 2009
Patrick Pettaway, Uploaded on Sep 15, 2009
The whole vid
-snip-
This video shows the JSU band (Jackson State University (located in Jackson, Mississippi) exiting the stadium area after their team played a football game with MSU (Mississippi State University).
****
Example #3: Joint Usher Board Anniversary Pt 1
smartvids09, Uploaded on Sep 30, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010 TheFBCD Washington DC
-snip-
I'm not sure what the letters "FBCD" stands for. I think the "FBC" stands for "First Baptist Church", but I don't know what the "D" stands for.
This video shows the ushers struttin (marching) into their "Ushers Day" anniversary with a single person in the lead. It's likely that another type of church processional would be used for an actual church services.
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu_LdVjIPjk for Part 2 of this video.
Click http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/03/african-american-church-processionals.html for a post on my zumalayah blog that features more Black church processions.
****
Example #4: Roots New Years Day Junkanoo 2010 [Bahamas]
Uploaded by hugomanager on Jan 6, 2010
****
Example #5: Strutting | Popping Basics
grygorenko1, Uploaded on Nov 9, 2011
Проводится набор в школу танцев
DANCE PROJECT TRICK!
****
BONUS SOUND FILE - Soulful Strut/Young-Holt Unlimited [1968]
oldies55, Uploaded on Aug 22, 2008
put your soul in a groove
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those who are featured in this post. My thanks also to the producers and the publishers on YouTube of these videos and this sound file.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post provides definitions of the word "strut" and four video examples of different ways that Black people strut their stuff.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
DEFINITIONS OF "STRUT" & "STRUTTIN" (strutting)
From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strut
"strut – to walk with a proud gait"
-snip-
Additional definitions of "struttin'"
walking with attitude [self-confidence, pride]
**
walking with lots of "swag" [swagger], walking like you just KNOW you bad [with "bad" here meaning “very good”]
**
a type of hip-hop dance
-snip-
The phrase "strut your stuff" usually refers to walking with a swaying gait so that your butt shakes.
The phrase "struttin down the alley" is found in the Black children's singing games "Zoodio" and "Strut Miss Lucy" (also known as "Thisa Way Valerie"). In both of those games, at a certain part of the song, a person or a couple are supposed to strut down (later, dance down) the aisle made by people standing facing each other in two lines. Because of its popularity on that television dance show, this formation is now commonly known in the United States as a "Soul Train line". Click http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-stroll-model-for-soul-train-line.html for a post on my zumalayah blog that provides a video example of Zoodio and a video of an early Soul Train line formation on the television show of that name.
**
FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Uncle Tom's Cabin - Cakewalk - 1903 Edison Version
uncletomscabindvd, From Uncle Tom's Cabin Reconsidered - http://www.uncletomscabindvd.com
****
Example #2: Jsu exit again! MSU 2009
Patrick Pettaway, Uploaded on Sep 15, 2009
The whole vid
-snip-
This video shows the JSU band (Jackson State University (located in Jackson, Mississippi) exiting the stadium area after their team played a football game with MSU (Mississippi State University).
****
Example #3: Joint Usher Board Anniversary Pt 1
smartvids09, Uploaded on Sep 30, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010 TheFBCD Washington DC
-snip-
I'm not sure what the letters "FBCD" stands for. I think the "FBC" stands for "First Baptist Church", but I don't know what the "D" stands for.
This video shows the ushers struttin (marching) into their "Ushers Day" anniversary with a single person in the lead. It's likely that another type of church processional would be used for an actual church services.
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu_LdVjIPjk for Part 2 of this video.
Click http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/03/african-american-church-processionals.html for a post on my zumalayah blog that features more Black church processions.
****
Example #4: Roots New Years Day Junkanoo 2010 [Bahamas]
Uploaded by hugomanager on Jan 6, 2010
****
Example #5: Strutting | Popping Basics
grygorenko1, Uploaded on Nov 9, 2011
Проводится набор в школу танцев
DANCE PROJECT TRICK!
****
BONUS SOUND FILE - Soulful Strut/Young-Holt Unlimited [1968]
oldies55, Uploaded on Aug 22, 2008
put your soul in a groove
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those who are featured in this post. My thanks also to the producers and the publishers on YouTube of these videos and this sound file.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Friday, March 1, 2013
A White & A Black Version of The Song "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post is Part II of a two part series on two versions of song that are known as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown". Part II features the lyrics of and sound files of these two songs.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-textual-analysis-of-two-versions-of.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents my textual analysis of the original 1905 lyrics of "What You Goin' Do When the Rent Comes 'Round?" (Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown) and the 1969 Rufus Thomas version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and sociological purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
FEATURED SOUND FILE AND LYRICS
"Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown" (Von Tilzer) Ragtime song by Arthur Collins Victor 4432 C 1905
EMGColone, Published on Jun 3, 2012
"What you going to do when the Rent comes 'Round " Ragtime Song sung by Arthur Collins Victor 4432 [song starts at .31]
-snip-
LYRICS:
What You Goin' To Do When the Rent Comes 'Round? (Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown)
music by Harry von Tilzer; words by Andrew B. Sterling
First verse:
Who dat a knockin' at the door below,
Who dat a shivrin' in the hail and snow,
I can hear you grumblin' Mister Rufus Brown,
Just keep on a knockin' babe, I won't come down,
I wants to tell you that you can't get in,
Have you been a gamblin'
Honey, did you win?
what's that you tell me,
coon you lost your breath?
I hopes you freezes to death
(Chorus)
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round,
What you goin' to say,
how you goin' to pay,
You'll never have a bit of sense till judgement day;
You know, I know, rent means dough,
Landlord's goin' to put us out in the snow,
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round.
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round,
What you goin' to say,
how you goin' to pay,
You'll never have a bit of sense till judgement day;
You know, I know, rent means dough,
Landlord's goin' to put us out in the snow,
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin’ to do when the rent comes ‘round.
Second verse:
Keep on a bangin’ on the old front door,
In just a minute babe you’ll hear me snore,
If I goes to bed without a bite or sup,
You will be an icicle when I wakes up,
Where’s all the money that you said you’d bring,
Melted all away just like the snow last Spring,
Rufus I loves you, but this serves you right,
Guess that’s sufficient, “goodnight.”
(Chorus)
Disclaimer:
The derogatory terms, images, and ideas that appear in some of this sheet music are not condoned by the University of Mississippi. They do represent the attitudes of a number of Americans at the times the songs were published. As such, it is hoped that the sheet music in this collection can aid students of music, history, and other disciplines to better understand popular American music and racial stereotypes from the 19th- and early 20th-centuries.
http://clio.lib.olemiss.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/sharris/id/1645/rec/6
item date 1905
-snip-
Click http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/levy-cgi/display.cgi?id=150a.018.000;pages=4;range=0-3 for a larger image of this song's cover. The cover shows a drawing of an urban, middle age Black couple standing outside a house. The couple are wearing what I would call "dress up" clothes. Both the man & the woman are drawn with large, red lips, and the man has a cigar in his mouth.
****
Rufus Thomas -- Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown
HoYeahcorp, Published on Oct 13, 2012
"Do The Funky Chicken"Album.
1969.
-snip-
LYRICS: RUFUS RASTUS JOHNSON BROWN
(Rufus Thomas)
Background singers -Oh! Rastas! [with additional words ???]
Lead Singer: Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Second Male voice: “I don’t know. I don’t know”.
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgement day.
Second male voice: I’m broke. I’m broke.
Lead:Way down yonder about a mile and a half
I can see ole Rastus comin down the path.
He’s runnin, and skippin, and a-jumpin, and a yellin.
He got a pot full of chitlins and they are smellin.
Background singers – Pot!
Lead: Oh, Rufus!
What you been doin ole Rufus
Oh, Rufus,
What in the world do you want from me.
Lead Singer & background singers
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day.
Lead: Oh, Rufus!
Oh, Rufus!
Oh, Rufus,
What in the world do you want from me?
Lead Singer & background singers
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day.
Lead singer,
Oh, baby!
I gotta get a movin
Oh, baby!
I gotta get a movin
Rufus Rastus
Johnson Brown,
Rufus Rastus
Johnson Brown
[The Lead singer begins to scat while the background singers continue to sing the words “Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown”]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file. The words in brackets with question marks mean that I was unable to decipher what was sung. The words in italics mean that I'm not sure about what I transcribed. Additions & corrections are very welcome.
ADDENDUM
I want to be clear that these two versions of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" aren't the only two versions of that song that exists. Some people are very familiar with versions of "Rufus Rastus etc" that ends with a portion of a song called "C. H. I. C. K. E. N." Here's a comment from the Mudcat Cafe discussion thread on "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" about those versions:
-snip-
That comment & both the Mudcat threads cited contain examples of the 1902 song "C-H-I-C-K-E-N".
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the transcriber who is quoted in this post. Thanks also to the uploaders of these sound files.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post is Part II of a two part series on two versions of song that are known as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown". Part II features the lyrics of and sound files of these two songs.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-textual-analysis-of-two-versions-of.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents my textual analysis of the original 1905 lyrics of "What You Goin' Do When the Rent Comes 'Round?" (Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown) and the 1969 Rufus Thomas version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and sociological purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
FEATURED SOUND FILE AND LYRICS
"Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown" (Von Tilzer) Ragtime song by Arthur Collins Victor 4432 C 1905
EMGColone, Published on Jun 3, 2012
"What you going to do when the Rent comes 'Round " Ragtime Song sung by Arthur Collins Victor 4432 [song starts at .31]
-snip-
LYRICS:
What You Goin' To Do When the Rent Comes 'Round? (Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown)
music by Harry von Tilzer; words by Andrew B. Sterling
First verse:
Who dat a knockin' at the door below,
Who dat a shivrin' in the hail and snow,
I can hear you grumblin' Mister Rufus Brown,
Just keep on a knockin' babe, I won't come down,
I wants to tell you that you can't get in,
Have you been a gamblin'
Honey, did you win?
what's that you tell me,
coon you lost your breath?
I hopes you freezes to death
(Chorus)
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round,
What you goin' to say,
how you goin' to pay,
You'll never have a bit of sense till judgement day;
You know, I know, rent means dough,
Landlord's goin' to put us out in the snow,
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round.
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round,
What you goin' to say,
how you goin' to pay,
You'll never have a bit of sense till judgement day;
You know, I know, rent means dough,
Landlord's goin' to put us out in the snow,
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin’ to do when the rent comes ‘round.
Second verse:
Keep on a bangin’ on the old front door,
In just a minute babe you’ll hear me snore,
If I goes to bed without a bite or sup,
You will be an icicle when I wakes up,
Where’s all the money that you said you’d bring,
Melted all away just like the snow last Spring,
Rufus I loves you, but this serves you right,
Guess that’s sufficient, “goodnight.”
(Chorus)
Disclaimer:
The derogatory terms, images, and ideas that appear in some of this sheet music are not condoned by the University of Mississippi. They do represent the attitudes of a number of Americans at the times the songs were published. As such, it is hoped that the sheet music in this collection can aid students of music, history, and other disciplines to better understand popular American music and racial stereotypes from the 19th- and early 20th-centuries.
http://clio.lib.olemiss.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/sharris/id/1645/rec/6
item date 1905
-snip-
Click http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/levy-cgi/display.cgi?id=150a.018.000;pages=4;range=0-3 for a larger image of this song's cover. The cover shows a drawing of an urban, middle age Black couple standing outside a house. The couple are wearing what I would call "dress up" clothes. Both the man & the woman are drawn with large, red lips, and the man has a cigar in his mouth.
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Rufus Thomas -- Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown
HoYeahcorp, Published on Oct 13, 2012
"Do The Funky Chicken"Album.
1969.
-snip-
LYRICS: RUFUS RASTUS JOHNSON BROWN
(Rufus Thomas)
Background singers -Oh! Rastas! [with additional words ???]
Lead Singer: Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Second Male voice: “I don’t know. I don’t know”.
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgement day.
Second male voice: I’m broke. I’m broke.
Lead:Way down yonder about a mile and a half
I can see ole Rastus comin down the path.
He’s runnin, and skippin, and a-jumpin, and a yellin.
He got a pot full of chitlins and they are smellin.
Background singers – Pot!
Lead: Oh, Rufus!
What you been doin ole Rufus
Oh, Rufus,
What in the world do you want from me.
Lead Singer & background singers
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day.
Lead: Oh, Rufus!
Oh, Rufus!
Oh, Rufus,
What in the world do you want from me?
Lead Singer & background singers
Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
what you goin' to do when the rent come around,
Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay.
Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day.
Lead singer,
Oh, baby!
I gotta get a movin
Oh, baby!
I gotta get a movin
Rufus Rastus
Johnson Brown,
Rufus Rastus
Johnson Brown
[The Lead singer begins to scat while the background singers continue to sing the words “Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown”]
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell from the sound file. The words in brackets with question marks mean that I was unable to decipher what was sung. The words in italics mean that I'm not sure about what I transcribed. Additions & corrections are very welcome.
ADDENDUM
I want to be clear that these two versions of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" aren't the only two versions of that song that exists. Some people are very familiar with versions of "Rufus Rastus etc" that ends with a portion of a song called "C. H. I. C. K. E. N." Here's a comment from the Mudcat Cafe discussion thread on "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" about those versions:
In case anyone is still confused about why some versions of RUFUS RASTUS… have verses about chickens and some don't—it's because two different Tin-Pan-Alley songs somehow got blended together by the folk process. The songs are:
DAT'S DE WAY TO SPELL CHICKEN by Sidney L. Perrin and Bob Slater, 1902;
and
WHAT YOU GOIN' TO DO WHEN THE RENT COMES 'ROUND? by Andrew B. Sterling and Harry Von Tilzer, 1905
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=50037#1451385 Origins: C-H-I-C-K-E-N. [Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Jim Dixon, Date: 04 Apr 05 - 12:15 AM]
-snip-
That comment & both the Mudcat threads cited contain examples of the 1902 song "C-H-I-C-K-E-N".
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the transcriber who is quoted in this post. Thanks also to the uploaders of these sound files.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
A Textual Analysis Of Two Versions Of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post is Part I of a two part series on two versions of the song that are known as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
Part II features lyrics and sound files of the original 1905 version of this song and of Rufus Thomas' 1969 version of this song.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-white-black-version-of-song-rufus.html for Part II of this series.
****
PART I
I first heard about the 1905 Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown in 2007 when I read about him on this Mudcat Cafe discussion thread: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=37834 "What You Goin' Do When the Rent Comes 'Round?" [hereafter given as Mudcat: Rufus Rastus].
I confess that I really don't like the image of Rufus Rastus that was drawn by Andrew B. Sterling, that song's lyricist. Sterling's description of Rufus Rastus fits the stereotype of a Negro coon, only he-Von Tilzer-following the customs of his time-would have written "Negro" with a small "n". Sterling's caricature of Rufus Rastus was that of a good for nothing man who stayed out late, and didn't have the sense to not gamble away his rent money. Von Tilzer's Rufus Rastus also fit the stereotype of a coon in that he was dominated by his wife - or at least his woman- who is actually the one who speaks in that 1905 song. The reason why I'm not sure if that was his wife or not was that Rufus Rastus didn't have a key to his own home. But maybe in the beginning 20th century USA folks, or just struggling poor folks didn't have keys to their homes. Maybe they secured the door with some kind of latch, and that is why that 1905 Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown couldn't get in to his house unless someone from the inside let him in.
And it seems to me that Rufus Rastus must have stayed out late more than just that one time that is recorded in that song. And it seems to me that he must have done some other real triflin things for his wife -or his woman- to have such a strong reaction to him staying out late that time. Maybe Rufus Rastus had a habit of gamblin away his money, even down to the rent money. Otherwise why did she jump to that conclusion that Rufus had been gambling just because he stayed out real late that night? But am I right in detecting some acceptance of Rufus Rastus gambling since she asked him "Did you win?" and "Where’s all the money that you said you’d bring"? Isn't that enabling Rufus Rastus' gambling habit? Hmmm.
Yet, according to how Andrew B. Sterling tells it, even before she asked if Rufus Rastus had won any money from his gamblin, his wife or woman- who was given no name in that song- was clearly not happy with Rufus Rastus. She called him out of his name (by calling him a coon), and she said that he didn't have any sense, and he wouldn't have sense to judgment day-which after all, is probably still a long time coming. And Rufus Rastus' wife (I'll give her that benefit of the doubt) called her husband "Honey" and "babe" and said she loved him. But she also said that she wished that he would freeze out in the snow. That was some strange kinda love...
While Andrew B. Sterling's depicted the silent Rufus Rastus as a coon, and even has Rufus Rastus' wife referring to him as such, Sterling's characterization of Rufus Rastus also has elements of the pretentious, living above his means, urban Zip Coon. It seems to me that the main thing in the song that implies that Sterling pictured Rufus Rastus as a Zip Coon was the fact that he gave that character four names instead of a total of three names that most Americans have. Three names - regular. Four names - pretentious. Not only that, I'm sure that it was no accident that Andrew B. Sterling gave that character the names "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
It's possible that in 1905 the name "Rufus" didn't bring to mind a picture of a poor, country Black man. However, although I only have anecdotal proof to back up this assertion, I believe that the name "Rufus" has carried those connotations for some time. My claim that the name "Rufus" is largely associated with Black males is supported by this comment by a blogger on that Mudcat Folk & Blues discussion thread that I referred to earlier:
"In _A Death in the Family_ by James Agee, a little white boy whose name happens to be Rufus is taunted by the neighborhood bullies for having a "n****r name"*, and they use that song. That would have been about 1915.
Then there was
"What does you lahk bestes', Rastus?"
"Ah lahks asbestos, Rufus."
So, yes, the names carry some baggage. Maybe they will manage to shed it by & by." "[Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Joe_F, Date: 11 Sep 07 - 09:21 PM]
-snip-
* The "n word" is fully spelled out in this comment.
The name "Rastus" has a long tradition of being associated with Black males. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastus:
" "Rastus" has been used as a generic, often derogatory, name for black men at least since 1880, when Joel Chandler Harris included a Black deacon named "Brer Rastus" in the first Uncle Remus book. However, "Rastus" has never been particularly popular as a Black name. For example, the 1870 census reported only 42 individuals named "Rastus" in the United States, of whom only four were Black or mulatto.[2]
Rastus—as a stereotypically happy black man, not as a particular person—became a familiar character in minstrel shows. This is documented in Every Time I Turn Around: Rite, Reversal, and the End of Blackface Minstrelsy,[3] and Racism and Poverty in Ford City, PA, 1959: Minstrel Show,[4] and in fiction such as Adventures of Rufus Rastus Brown in Darktown (1906)[5] and Rastus Comes to the Point: A Negro Farce,[6] and in popular songs such as Rastus, Take Me Back (1909)[7] and (Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown) What You Going to Do When the Rent Comes 'Round (1905),[8] on radio,[9] and in films, most notably the Rastus series of short films,[10] with titles that included How Rastus Got His Chicken[11] and Rastus Runs Amuck.[12]"
I'm not sure whether in the late 19th century and the early 20th century the surnames "Johnson" and "Brown" were associated with Black Americans more than with Americans of any other race or ethnicity. However, if people make that connection now they might be surprised to know that, according to the 1990 United States census, "Johnson" is the second most common last name, and "Brown" is the fifth most common last name in that nation ("Smith" is the #2 most common last name in the USA).
http://names.mongabay.com/most_common_surnames.htm. Yet, however many White "Browns" there are, I've no doubt that Sterling selected the last name "Brown" for Rufus Rastus as a reference to that character's race. The name "Rufus Rastus Johnson Smith" doesn't have the same connotations as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
By the way, in one line of that song, another way that Rufus Rastus' wife showed her disrespect for her man was by sneeringly referring to him as "Mister Rufus Brown", and not by his full name. I read the use of the title "Mister" as a taunt, as if Rufus Rastus' wife was implying that he really wasn't man enough to use the title "Mister". And, indeed, the use of "titles" for Black Americans was a new custom, particularly in the South, where before the end of slavery, the only "honorific" that could be used for a Black adult was "auntie" or "uncle".
Before I turn to Rufus Thomas' 1969 version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown", I feel compelled to note the 19th century, early 20th century stereotypical "Negro" dialect that Andrew B. Sterling used in his lyrics to that song. Sure, some poor Black folks then said "dat" instead of "that". And some Black folks - then and now-incorrectly use incorrect grammar such as "I hopes you freezes to death", "If I goes to bed without a bite or sup", and what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round". But non-Black Americans also use such incorrect standard Emglish grammar. Nevertheless, that dialect is associated with negative stereotypes of Black folks. And because of the negative stereotypes associated with the depiction of Rufus Rastas & his wife, including the dialectic English, I believe that it would be very problematic if this 1905 version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" were to be sung to the general public nowadays in any way except a part of an educational historical presentation.
Also, before turning to my briefer analysis of Rufus Thomas' Rufus Rastus song, here's an interesting comment from another Mudcat blogger which provides some background about how Harry Von Tilzer came up with the idea for this song:
"This rent lament is a classic from the late 19th century minstrel song school, and is also known by the compound name of its protagonist, Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown. Music historian Sigmund Spaeth describes how the author became inspired to write this song:
Harry Von Tilzer was standing on the platform of the railway station at Miami listening to the conversation of two negroes. The woman was berating the man, and after using every possible adjective to describe his low-down shiftlessness, she worked up to a climax with the question, "What you goin' to do when de rent comes 'round?" The rest was easy."" [Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Charley Noble, Date: 01 Sep 01 - 03:25 PM]
In contrast to that 1905 depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown, Rufus Thomas' 1969 character of the same name is much more sympathetically drawn. In that 1969 song there is no mention of Rufus Rastus gambling, nor is there any wife taunting him- callin him out of his name- and refusing to let him in out of the cold. Unlike that earlier song, in Rufus Thomas' record, Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown actually says something. He says "I'm broke. I'm broke". And as any American of any race or ethnicity could tell you, there's more ways of being broke in the US of A then gambling. However, I get the impression from that R&B song that Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown must have been broke quite often, and that the lead singer is used to him coming to him to give him some money to help him pay his rent and his other bills. Yet, the picture I get from this song is that the lead singer is shaking his head and saying to himself or to Rufus Rastus "What am I going to do with you". He's not taunting Rufus Rastus, refusing to help him, or wishing that Rufus Rastus were dead.
Rufus Thomas' song is written in a form of African American vernacular English, for example the lines "Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay/Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day." Then again, the Rufus Rastus character in that 1969 song says "I'm broke" and not "I'se broke". And the lead singer says "what you goin' to do when the rent come around" and not "what youse gwine do when the rent come 'round". As a 20th/21st century African American, that latter pronuciation and the rest of that 19th century/early 20th century "Negro dialect" associated with that 1905 "Rufus Rastas" song isn't at all funny to me.
I don't think that Rufus Thomas' depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown has any elements of Zip Coon. Those four names & some of the lyrics are lifted from that earlier song, and those names don't appear to be meant to convey pretentiousness as I believe they are meant to convey in that 1905 song. But, while I wouldn't say that Rufus Thomas' depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown is that of a coon, I believe that that 1969 depiction definitely has some coonish elements. Notice that the 1969 Rufus Rastus isn't described as a hard-working man or a man who has tried to find work and for some reason is down on his luck. Instead, Rufus Thomas says that "I can see ole Rastus comin down the path/He’s runnin, and skippin, and a-jumpin, and a yellin/He got a pot full of chitlins and they are smellin." That description fits the happy-go-lucky, irresponsible coon stereotype. However, when Rufus Thomas refers to Rufus Rastus as "ole Rufus", I think that word "ole" softens that description, and shows that singer has some affection for that man. (Of course, that may be an incorrect transcription of that word, and Rufus Thomas may have said "old" instead of "ole". Even so, I think that word also conveys some affection toward Rufus Rastus".)
I wonder whether the lead voice in that 1969 song was supposed to be a friend of Rufus Rastus or if he was supposed to be kin to Rufus Rastus. If that lead voice and Rufus Rastus were related, then the implication that Rufus Rastus hoped to get help from that lead voice fits the findings in one recent study that one reason why the household wealth of middle class Black American families is so much lower than the household wealth of middle class White American families is that Black American families give more money to assist their poor relatives. [http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/02/18/family-members-in-need/ Family Members in Need: Why Some Middle Class Blacks Can’t Get Ahead, Lisa Wade, Feb 18, 2013, at 12:00 pm]
There are many causes for poverty besides people gambling their money and otherwise being irresponsible. That brings me to my first reaction to the 1905 song "What You Goin' To Do When the Rent Comes 'Round? (Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown)" when I first read about it on that Mudcat Cafe discussion thread that I've previously cited:
..."Fwiw, I've never heard this song or the chicken song. And I doubt very much that many contemporary African Americans sing this song as the name "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" is quite stereotypical and the names "Rufus" and "Rastus" in particular remind folks of what weren't good ole days for many people. Maybe Rufus Rastus would have been able to pay his rent if there wasn't so much institutional and personal racism around.
And yes, I know this song is to be sung just for fun. But still."...
[Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Azizi, Date: 11 Sep 07 - 02:39 PM]
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RELATED LINKS
Information about the coon and Zip Coon stereotypes are given in these articles http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/coon/ and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/deconstructing-caricature-of-zip-coon.html "Deconstructing The Caricature of Zip Coon & Other Minstrel Black Dandies"
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ACKNOWLEGEMENT AND THANKS
I can't bring myself to thank the composer & lyricists of that 1905 song. Yet, I recognize that in the early 20th century, the characterizations of Black people found in that song may have even been thought to be progressive. At least, the n word wasn't used in that Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown song.
I do acknowlege Rufus Thomas' writing and performance & I thank him for his musical legacy. I also thank each of the commenters and authors who are quoted in this post.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post is Part I of a two part series on two versions of the song that are known as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
Part II features lyrics and sound files of the original 1905 version of this song and of Rufus Thomas' 1969 version of this song.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-white-black-version-of-song-rufus.html for Part II of this series.
****
PART I
I first heard about the 1905 Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown in 2007 when I read about him on this Mudcat Cafe discussion thread: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=37834 "What You Goin' Do When the Rent Comes 'Round?" [hereafter given as Mudcat: Rufus Rastus].
I confess that I really don't like the image of Rufus Rastus that was drawn by Andrew B. Sterling, that song's lyricist. Sterling's description of Rufus Rastus fits the stereotype of a Negro coon, only he-Von Tilzer-following the customs of his time-would have written "Negro" with a small "n". Sterling's caricature of Rufus Rastus was that of a good for nothing man who stayed out late, and didn't have the sense to not gamble away his rent money. Von Tilzer's Rufus Rastus also fit the stereotype of a coon in that he was dominated by his wife - or at least his woman- who is actually the one who speaks in that 1905 song. The reason why I'm not sure if that was his wife or not was that Rufus Rastus didn't have a key to his own home. But maybe in the beginning 20th century USA folks, or just struggling poor folks didn't have keys to their homes. Maybe they secured the door with some kind of latch, and that is why that 1905 Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown couldn't get in to his house unless someone from the inside let him in.
And it seems to me that Rufus Rastus must have stayed out late more than just that one time that is recorded in that song. And it seems to me that he must have done some other real triflin things for his wife -or his woman- to have such a strong reaction to him staying out late that time. Maybe Rufus Rastus had a habit of gamblin away his money, even down to the rent money. Otherwise why did she jump to that conclusion that Rufus had been gambling just because he stayed out real late that night? But am I right in detecting some acceptance of Rufus Rastus gambling since she asked him "Did you win?" and "Where’s all the money that you said you’d bring"? Isn't that enabling Rufus Rastus' gambling habit? Hmmm.
Yet, according to how Andrew B. Sterling tells it, even before she asked if Rufus Rastus had won any money from his gamblin, his wife or woman- who was given no name in that song- was clearly not happy with Rufus Rastus. She called him out of his name (by calling him a coon), and she said that he didn't have any sense, and he wouldn't have sense to judgment day-which after all, is probably still a long time coming. And Rufus Rastus' wife (I'll give her that benefit of the doubt) called her husband "Honey" and "babe" and said she loved him. But she also said that she wished that he would freeze out in the snow. That was some strange kinda love...
While Andrew B. Sterling's depicted the silent Rufus Rastus as a coon, and even has Rufus Rastus' wife referring to him as such, Sterling's characterization of Rufus Rastus also has elements of the pretentious, living above his means, urban Zip Coon. It seems to me that the main thing in the song that implies that Sterling pictured Rufus Rastus as a Zip Coon was the fact that he gave that character four names instead of a total of three names that most Americans have. Three names - regular. Four names - pretentious. Not only that, I'm sure that it was no accident that Andrew B. Sterling gave that character the names "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
It's possible that in 1905 the name "Rufus" didn't bring to mind a picture of a poor, country Black man. However, although I only have anecdotal proof to back up this assertion, I believe that the name "Rufus" has carried those connotations for some time. My claim that the name "Rufus" is largely associated with Black males is supported by this comment by a blogger on that Mudcat Folk & Blues discussion thread that I referred to earlier:
"In _A Death in the Family_ by James Agee, a little white boy whose name happens to be Rufus is taunted by the neighborhood bullies for having a "n****r name"*, and they use that song. That would have been about 1915.
Then there was
"What does you lahk bestes', Rastus?"
"Ah lahks asbestos, Rufus."
So, yes, the names carry some baggage. Maybe they will manage to shed it by & by." "[Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Joe_F, Date: 11 Sep 07 - 09:21 PM]
-snip-
* The "n word" is fully spelled out in this comment.
The name "Rastus" has a long tradition of being associated with Black males. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastus:
" "Rastus" has been used as a generic, often derogatory, name for black men at least since 1880, when Joel Chandler Harris included a Black deacon named "Brer Rastus" in the first Uncle Remus book. However, "Rastus" has never been particularly popular as a Black name. For example, the 1870 census reported only 42 individuals named "Rastus" in the United States, of whom only four were Black or mulatto.[2]
Rastus—as a stereotypically happy black man, not as a particular person—became a familiar character in minstrel shows. This is documented in Every Time I Turn Around: Rite, Reversal, and the End of Blackface Minstrelsy,[3] and Racism and Poverty in Ford City, PA, 1959: Minstrel Show,[4] and in fiction such as Adventures of Rufus Rastus Brown in Darktown (1906)[5] and Rastus Comes to the Point: A Negro Farce,[6] and in popular songs such as Rastus, Take Me Back (1909)[7] and (Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown) What You Going to Do When the Rent Comes 'Round (1905),[8] on radio,[9] and in films, most notably the Rastus series of short films,[10] with titles that included How Rastus Got His Chicken[11] and Rastus Runs Amuck.[12]"
I'm not sure whether in the late 19th century and the early 20th century the surnames "Johnson" and "Brown" were associated with Black Americans more than with Americans of any other race or ethnicity. However, if people make that connection now they might be surprised to know that, according to the 1990 United States census, "Johnson" is the second most common last name, and "Brown" is the fifth most common last name in that nation ("Smith" is the #2 most common last name in the USA).
http://names.mongabay.com/most_common_surnames.htm. Yet, however many White "Browns" there are, I've no doubt that Sterling selected the last name "Brown" for Rufus Rastus as a reference to that character's race. The name "Rufus Rastus Johnson Smith" doesn't have the same connotations as "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown".
By the way, in one line of that song, another way that Rufus Rastus' wife showed her disrespect for her man was by sneeringly referring to him as "Mister Rufus Brown", and not by his full name. I read the use of the title "Mister" as a taunt, as if Rufus Rastus' wife was implying that he really wasn't man enough to use the title "Mister". And, indeed, the use of "titles" for Black Americans was a new custom, particularly in the South, where before the end of slavery, the only "honorific" that could be used for a Black adult was "auntie" or "uncle".
Before I turn to Rufus Thomas' 1969 version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown", I feel compelled to note the 19th century, early 20th century stereotypical "Negro" dialect that Andrew B. Sterling used in his lyrics to that song. Sure, some poor Black folks then said "dat" instead of "that". And some Black folks - then and now-incorrectly use incorrect grammar such as "I hopes you freezes to death", "If I goes to bed without a bite or sup", and what you goin' to do when the rent comes ‘round". But non-Black Americans also use such incorrect standard Emglish grammar. Nevertheless, that dialect is associated with negative stereotypes of Black folks. And because of the negative stereotypes associated with the depiction of Rufus Rastas & his wife, including the dialectic English, I believe that it would be very problematic if this 1905 version of "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" were to be sung to the general public nowadays in any way except a part of an educational historical presentation.
Also, before turning to my briefer analysis of Rufus Thomas' Rufus Rastus song, here's an interesting comment from another Mudcat blogger which provides some background about how Harry Von Tilzer came up with the idea for this song:
"This rent lament is a classic from the late 19th century minstrel song school, and is also known by the compound name of its protagonist, Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown. Music historian Sigmund Spaeth describes how the author became inspired to write this song:
Harry Von Tilzer was standing on the platform of the railway station at Miami listening to the conversation of two negroes. The woman was berating the man, and after using every possible adjective to describe his low-down shiftlessness, she worked up to a climax with the question, "What you goin' to do when de rent comes 'round?" The rest was easy."" [Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Charley Noble, Date: 01 Sep 01 - 03:25 PM]
In contrast to that 1905 depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown, Rufus Thomas' 1969 character of the same name is much more sympathetically drawn. In that 1969 song there is no mention of Rufus Rastus gambling, nor is there any wife taunting him- callin him out of his name- and refusing to let him in out of the cold. Unlike that earlier song, in Rufus Thomas' record, Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown actually says something. He says "I'm broke. I'm broke". And as any American of any race or ethnicity could tell you, there's more ways of being broke in the US of A then gambling. However, I get the impression from that R&B song that Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown must have been broke quite often, and that the lead singer is used to him coming to him to give him some money to help him pay his rent and his other bills. Yet, the picture I get from this song is that the lead singer is shaking his head and saying to himself or to Rufus Rastus "What am I going to do with you". He's not taunting Rufus Rastus, refusing to help him, or wishing that Rufus Rastus were dead.
Rufus Thomas' song is written in a form of African American vernacular English, for example the lines "Ain’t got no money, you can’t pay/Ain’t gonna have no money till judgment day." Then again, the Rufus Rastus character in that 1969 song says "I'm broke" and not "I'se broke". And the lead singer says "what you goin' to do when the rent come around" and not "what youse gwine do when the rent come 'round". As a 20th/21st century African American, that latter pronuciation and the rest of that 19th century/early 20th century "Negro dialect" associated with that 1905 "Rufus Rastas" song isn't at all funny to me.
I don't think that Rufus Thomas' depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown has any elements of Zip Coon. Those four names & some of the lyrics are lifted from that earlier song, and those names don't appear to be meant to convey pretentiousness as I believe they are meant to convey in that 1905 song. But, while I wouldn't say that Rufus Thomas' depiction of Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown is that of a coon, I believe that that 1969 depiction definitely has some coonish elements. Notice that the 1969 Rufus Rastus isn't described as a hard-working man or a man who has tried to find work and for some reason is down on his luck. Instead, Rufus Thomas says that "I can see ole Rastus comin down the path/He’s runnin, and skippin, and a-jumpin, and a yellin/He got a pot full of chitlins and they are smellin." That description fits the happy-go-lucky, irresponsible coon stereotype. However, when Rufus Thomas refers to Rufus Rastus as "ole Rufus", I think that word "ole" softens that description, and shows that singer has some affection for that man. (Of course, that may be an incorrect transcription of that word, and Rufus Thomas may have said "old" instead of "ole". Even so, I think that word also conveys some affection toward Rufus Rastus".)
I wonder whether the lead voice in that 1969 song was supposed to be a friend of Rufus Rastus or if he was supposed to be kin to Rufus Rastus. If that lead voice and Rufus Rastus were related, then the implication that Rufus Rastus hoped to get help from that lead voice fits the findings in one recent study that one reason why the household wealth of middle class Black American families is so much lower than the household wealth of middle class White American families is that Black American families give more money to assist their poor relatives. [http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/02/18/family-members-in-need/ Family Members in Need: Why Some Middle Class Blacks Can’t Get Ahead, Lisa Wade, Feb 18, 2013, at 12:00 pm]
There are many causes for poverty besides people gambling their money and otherwise being irresponsible. That brings me to my first reaction to the 1905 song "What You Goin' To Do When the Rent Comes 'Round? (Rufus Rastas Johnson Brown)" when I first read about it on that Mudcat Cafe discussion thread that I've previously cited:
..."Fwiw, I've never heard this song or the chicken song. And I doubt very much that many contemporary African Americans sing this song as the name "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" is quite stereotypical and the names "Rufus" and "Rastus" in particular remind folks of what weren't good ole days for many people. Maybe Rufus Rastus would have been able to pay his rent if there wasn't so much institutional and personal racism around.
And yes, I know this song is to be sung just for fun. But still."...
[Mudcat: Rufus Rastus; Azizi, Date: 11 Sep 07 - 02:39 PM]
****
RELATED LINKS
Information about the coon and Zip Coon stereotypes are given in these articles http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/coon/ and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/deconstructing-caricature-of-zip-coon.html "Deconstructing The Caricature of Zip Coon & Other Minstrel Black Dandies"
****
ACKNOWLEGEMENT AND THANKS
I can't bring myself to thank the composer & lyricists of that 1905 song. Yet, I recognize that in the early 20th century, the characterizations of Black people found in that song may have even been thought to be progressive. At least, the n word wasn't used in that Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown song.
I do acknowlege Rufus Thomas' writing and performance & I thank him for his musical legacy. I also thank each of the commenters and authors who are quoted in this post.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Why “Brick House” Didn’t Become A Widely Accepted Slang Term
Written by Azizi Powell
“Brick house” is a complimentary descriptive referent for certain females which was coined by Shirley Hanna-King, the wife of a member of the R&B group “The Commodores”. According to that usage, "brick house" (also found as "brickhouse") [noun] is a curvaceous, "stacked", attractive female.
There are anecdotal statements on the Commodore's "Brick House" YouTube video viewer comment threads from women who remember being called a “brickhouse” after that record was released. There are also comments on those discussion threads from women who having heard that record, claim that they are a “brickhouse”. However, even in those discussion threads, it appears that a lot of viewers of the Commodores’ “Brick House” video, and/or listeners of the “Brick House” sound file aren’t sure what “brick house” (“brick house”) means in relation to females.
Clearly, “brick house” (or “brickhouse”) didn’t make into the A level of slang terms, that is - words or phrases that have been coined by African Americans relatively recently which have been quickly accepted by that population: words such as “old school”, “shout out”, and “bling” (or “bling bling”). Another A level slang category that “brick house”, “brickhouse” failed to achieve is words or phrases that were well known and have been used for a period of time by African Americans but have since largely been retired by that population: words such as “Yo!”, “Word up!”, and “out of sight”.
Of course, since “brick house” (or “brickhouse”) didn’t make it into the A level of slang terms, it certainly didn’t make it into the A+ level - slang terms that are well known by African Americans and are still used after a considerable amount of time; words and phrases like “jive”, “jam”, and “funky".
Many words from both of those A levels have been adopted by non-African Americans who may not use them correctly and may continue to use them long after African Americans have moved on to other slang terms – words like “dig”, “cool”, and “hip”. But “brick house” (“brickhouse”) doesn’t have anywhere near the status of any of those African American slang terms.
In this post, I attempt to delineate my thoughts on why “brick house”/”brickhouse” as a referent for curvaceous women has such a low score in the world of African American slang terms.
Point #1: “Brick house” already has a well known, firmly established meaning - a building for human habitation that is made out of - “bricks”.
Axiom #1: It’s not easy to supplant a well known, firmly established definition with a newly coined word, phrase, or idiom.
**
Point #2: Both “brick” and “house” have negative colloquial connotations.
Brick - an unintelligent person. Derived from "dumb as a brick."
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/brick
Also , “If you talk to someone and they do not listen to you, it is like talking to a brick wall”.
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/talking+to+a+brick+wall.html
-snip-
House – as in “big as a house”:
“now and days if you call a girl a brick howse lol she going think you calling her brickhouse lol aka look big or fat lol “
-Change- bostonguy, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrBx6mAWYPU Commodore’s – Brick House
Also, click http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/hello-house-too-big-nfl-200948099--nfl.htm for an article about a male football player whose nickname is “House” who has been determined to be too big to play in the NFL.
[And yes, I recognize the built in societal assumption that females don’t want to be considered described as being big or fat. But just because that assumption isn’t right, it still exists.]
Axiom #2: It’s not easy to give a positive connotation or connotations to words, phrases, or idioms that already have a negative connotation.
**
Point #3: “The term “brick house” and “bricks” are associated with excrement:
“solid as a sh&t brick house”, and “sh&&ting bricks”.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2458/how-did-the-phrase-built-like-a-brick-shithouse-get-to-be-a-compliment
Axiom #3 [which is related to Axiom #2] Unless they are pre-teens and teenagers, or acting as though they are pre-teens or teenagers, people don’t like to be described in terms that are associated with excrement.
**
Point #4: There’s already a positive colloquial definition for “brick”, and that definition has nothing whatsoever to do with a curvaceous, attractive woman:
...“'you're a real brick' is you're really dependable, i can rely on you. “ http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=87069
See Axiom #1.
**
Point #5: If there are already standard & colloquial terms whose meanings fit what you are trying to say, why would anyone use a term that has so much associated baggage?
See Axiom #1, #2, and #3
**
Point #6: There are numerous slang meanings for the word “house”, many of which are associated with the music genre “House” (which supposedly got its name because it first developed in the early 1980s- a few years after the Commodore’s “Brick House record - in a Chicago, Illinois (night)club named “The Warehouse”, and then in New York City, and elsewhere. For example, the saying “I’ll house you” comes from the title and lyrics of the now classic 1989 Jungle Brothers record. I gather that “I’ll house you” has both a sexual meaning and a meaning that threatens violence, and can also mean other things. But I’m not sure about that since I’m not well versed in House music vernacular. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music for information about House music.
If the term “brick house” was moving toward acceptance outside of that Commodore’s song, the arrival of stronger, more widely accepted colloquial usages of the word “house” sapped what was already a weakened acceptance (because of points I already made).
Axiom #4: When it comes to newly coined words or new meanings of already established words, it’s usually a matter of the survival of the fittest.
-snip-
So, there you have it. That’s my take on why “Brick house” is a pretty good dance song, but a rather lousy slang term.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Brick House - The Commodores
merlotje, Uploaded on Jan 21, 2008
The Commodores-Brick House 1977
-snip-
Here's information about this song - added June 11, 2016
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_House_(song)
" "Brick House" is a song from the Commodores' 1977 self-titled album (released as Zoom in the UK).[1] The single peaked at #5 in the U.S. and #32 in the UK pop charts.
Creation and recording
In 1977, the Commodores were in the studio recording when there was a problem with the equipment. While the tapes were being repaired and replaced, the group took a break. Ronald LaPread, the group's bass player, began jamming. Bit by bit the rest of the band joined in until they came up with a track and bass line. Upon returning, James Carmichael, the Commodores' producer, heard and recognized that this could be a song worth recording. He asked everyone to see if they could use the riff to come up with a song. Taking the tapes home, William King played them for his wife, Shirley Hanna-King. While he slept she was inspired to write lyrics for the riff, modifying the expression "built like a brick sh&thouse"* for the song.[2]
The following day King sang the lyrics to "Brick House" to the band, allowing them to think he had written it. They loved it and decided that drummer Walter "Clyde" Orange had the funky voice to sing lead vocals,(as opposed to Lionel Richie, who usually sang lead), and the song went on the new album.
It took several years before the other members of the group discovered that it was actually Shirley Hanna-King who had written the lyrics, and although she was not originally credited, the band has publicly acknowledged her as the song's writer."
-snip-
*That word is fully spelled out in that article.
-snip-
LYRICS - BRICK HOUSE [Added June 11, 2016]
(William King- publicly credited as writer; actual writer his wife Shirley Hanna-King)
[Chorus:]
She's a brick house
Mighty might just lettin' it all hang out
She's a brick house
The lady's stacked and that's a fact,
ain't holding nothing back.
She's a brick house
She's the one, the only one,
who's built like a amazon*
We're together everybody knows,
and here's how the story goes.
She knows she got everything
a woman needs to get a man, yeah.
How can she lose with what she use
36-24-36, what a winning hand!
[Chorus]
The clothes she wears, the sexy ways,
make an old man wish for younger days
She knows she's built and knows how to please
Sure enough to knock a man to his knees
[Chorus]
Shake it down, shake it down now (repeat)
-snip-
*pronounced am-a-ka-zawn
Source: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/commodores/brickhouse.html
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
The content of this post is presented for etymological and entertainment reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer of "Brick House" and thanks to the Commodores for their musical legacy. My thanks also to the authors & commenters who are quoted in this post, and to the uploader of this video.
Also, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome
“Brick house” is a complimentary descriptive referent for certain females which was coined by Shirley Hanna-King, the wife of a member of the R&B group “The Commodores”. According to that usage, "brick house" (also found as "brickhouse") [noun] is a curvaceous, "stacked", attractive female.
There are anecdotal statements on the Commodore's "Brick House" YouTube video viewer comment threads from women who remember being called a “brickhouse” after that record was released. There are also comments on those discussion threads from women who having heard that record, claim that they are a “brickhouse”. However, even in those discussion threads, it appears that a lot of viewers of the Commodores’ “Brick House” video, and/or listeners of the “Brick House” sound file aren’t sure what “brick house” (“brick house”) means in relation to females.
Clearly, “brick house” (or “brickhouse”) didn’t make into the A level of slang terms, that is - words or phrases that have been coined by African Americans relatively recently which have been quickly accepted by that population: words such as “old school”, “shout out”, and “bling” (or “bling bling”). Another A level slang category that “brick house”, “brickhouse” failed to achieve is words or phrases that were well known and have been used for a period of time by African Americans but have since largely been retired by that population: words such as “Yo!”, “Word up!”, and “out of sight”.
Of course, since “brick house” (or “brickhouse”) didn’t make it into the A level of slang terms, it certainly didn’t make it into the A+ level - slang terms that are well known by African Americans and are still used after a considerable amount of time; words and phrases like “jive”, “jam”, and “funky".
Many words from both of those A levels have been adopted by non-African Americans who may not use them correctly and may continue to use them long after African Americans have moved on to other slang terms – words like “dig”, “cool”, and “hip”. But “brick house” (“brickhouse”) doesn’t have anywhere near the status of any of those African American slang terms.
In this post, I attempt to delineate my thoughts on why “brick house”/”brickhouse” as a referent for curvaceous women has such a low score in the world of African American slang terms.
Point #1: “Brick house” already has a well known, firmly established meaning - a building for human habitation that is made out of - “bricks”.
Axiom #1: It’s not easy to supplant a well known, firmly established definition with a newly coined word, phrase, or idiom.
**
Point #2: Both “brick” and “house” have negative colloquial connotations.
Brick - an unintelligent person. Derived from "dumb as a brick."
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/brick
Also , “If you talk to someone and they do not listen to you, it is like talking to a brick wall”.
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/talking+to+a+brick+wall.html
-snip-
House – as in “big as a house”:
“now and days if you call a girl a brick howse lol she going think you calling her brickhouse lol aka look big or fat lol “
-Change- bostonguy, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrBx6mAWYPU Commodore’s – Brick House
Also, click http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/hello-house-too-big-nfl-200948099--nfl.htm for an article about a male football player whose nickname is “House” who has been determined to be too big to play in the NFL.
[And yes, I recognize the built in societal assumption that females don’t want to be considered described as being big or fat. But just because that assumption isn’t right, it still exists.]
Axiom #2: It’s not easy to give a positive connotation or connotations to words, phrases, or idioms that already have a negative connotation.
**
Point #3: “The term “brick house” and “bricks” are associated with excrement:
“solid as a sh&t brick house”, and “sh&&ting bricks”.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2458/how-did-the-phrase-built-like-a-brick-shithouse-get-to-be-a-compliment
Axiom #3 [which is related to Axiom #2] Unless they are pre-teens and teenagers, or acting as though they are pre-teens or teenagers, people don’t like to be described in terms that are associated with excrement.
**
Point #4: There’s already a positive colloquial definition for “brick”, and that definition has nothing whatsoever to do with a curvaceous, attractive woman:
...“'you're a real brick' is you're really dependable, i can rely on you. “ http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=87069
See Axiom #1.
**
Point #5: If there are already standard & colloquial terms whose meanings fit what you are trying to say, why would anyone use a term that has so much associated baggage?
See Axiom #1, #2, and #3
**
Point #6: There are numerous slang meanings for the word “house”, many of which are associated with the music genre “House” (which supposedly got its name because it first developed in the early 1980s- a few years after the Commodore’s “Brick House record - in a Chicago, Illinois (night)club named “The Warehouse”, and then in New York City, and elsewhere. For example, the saying “I’ll house you” comes from the title and lyrics of the now classic 1989 Jungle Brothers record. I gather that “I’ll house you” has both a sexual meaning and a meaning that threatens violence, and can also mean other things. But I’m not sure about that since I’m not well versed in House music vernacular. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music for information about House music.
If the term “brick house” was moving toward acceptance outside of that Commodore’s song, the arrival of stronger, more widely accepted colloquial usages of the word “house” sapped what was already a weakened acceptance (because of points I already made).
Axiom #4: When it comes to newly coined words or new meanings of already established words, it’s usually a matter of the survival of the fittest.
-snip-
So, there you have it. That’s my take on why “Brick house” is a pretty good dance song, but a rather lousy slang term.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Brick House - The Commodores
merlotje, Uploaded on Jan 21, 2008
The Commodores-Brick House 1977
-snip-
Here's information about this song - added June 11, 2016
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_House_(song)
" "Brick House" is a song from the Commodores' 1977 self-titled album (released as Zoom in the UK).[1] The single peaked at #5 in the U.S. and #32 in the UK pop charts.
Creation and recording
In 1977, the Commodores were in the studio recording when there was a problem with the equipment. While the tapes were being repaired and replaced, the group took a break. Ronald LaPread, the group's bass player, began jamming. Bit by bit the rest of the band joined in until they came up with a track and bass line. Upon returning, James Carmichael, the Commodores' producer, heard and recognized that this could be a song worth recording. He asked everyone to see if they could use the riff to come up with a song. Taking the tapes home, William King played them for his wife, Shirley Hanna-King. While he slept she was inspired to write lyrics for the riff, modifying the expression "built like a brick sh&thouse"* for the song.[2]
The following day King sang the lyrics to "Brick House" to the band, allowing them to think he had written it. They loved it and decided that drummer Walter "Clyde" Orange had the funky voice to sing lead vocals,(as opposed to Lionel Richie, who usually sang lead), and the song went on the new album.
It took several years before the other members of the group discovered that it was actually Shirley Hanna-King who had written the lyrics, and although she was not originally credited, the band has publicly acknowledged her as the song's writer."
-snip-
*That word is fully spelled out in that article.
-snip-
LYRICS - BRICK HOUSE [Added June 11, 2016]
(William King- publicly credited as writer; actual writer his wife Shirley Hanna-King)
[Chorus:]
She's a brick house
Mighty might just lettin' it all hang out
She's a brick house
The lady's stacked and that's a fact,
ain't holding nothing back.
She's a brick house
She's the one, the only one,
who's built like a amazon*
We're together everybody knows,
and here's how the story goes.
She knows she got everything
a woman needs to get a man, yeah.
How can she lose with what she use
36-24-36, what a winning hand!
[Chorus]
The clothes she wears, the sexy ways,
make an old man wish for younger days
She knows she's built and knows how to please
Sure enough to knock a man to his knees
[Chorus]
Shake it down, shake it down now (repeat)
-snip-
*pronounced am-a-ka-zawn
Source: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/commodores/brickhouse.html
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
The content of this post is presented for etymological and entertainment reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer of "Brick House" and thanks to the Commodores for their musical legacy. My thanks also to the authors & commenters who are quoted in this post, and to the uploader of this video.
Also, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Piney Brown - Sugar In My Tea (Cream In My Coffee)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post presents a sound file of and lyrics for the 1959 record Sugar In My Tea (Cream In My Coffee) by Piney Brown and his Blues Toppers. Information about Piney Brown is also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE EARLY R&B ARTIST "PINEY BROWN"
From http://bonedogrecords.com/?p=342
"Piney Brown
One Of These Days
Bonedog Records is proud to announce the release “One Of These Days” a new CD by the R&B icon Piney Brown. Piney’s recording career began in 1947. Over a seven decade span he has been held in the same reverence as other “Big Voice” R&B singers such as Big Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris and Roy Brown among others .The eighty four year old entertainer is also featuring his BMI award winning song writing talents on the disc, penning eleven of the disc’s twelve tracks. This Cd establishes Piney as one of America’s great national treasures.
Reviews:
Octogenarians like Pinetop Perkins, B.B. King & Piney Brown never get old and apparently never shake the Blues. Brown made his mark in the 40s with hootin’ & hollerin’ Jump Blues and kept pace with changing styles through the 60s and 70s but, after all but retiring, staged a comeback in 2000 with the Bonegog Records release “My Task”. Six years later we have the solid “One Of These Days” (***), consisting of eleven Brown originals and two sturdy covers...
Piney Brown first recorded, with his Rhythm & Blues Band, in 1947 on Esquire/Miracle Records – the band featuring the great Eddie Chamblee and Sonny Thompson. Amazingly,nearly sixty years and seven decades later, Piney is still singing/shouting the blues withan emotional intensity and vigour that would shame artists forty years his junior..."
-snip-
Because of the respective dates of these song, I don't think that the Piney Brown that recorded the 1959 R&B record "Sugar In My Tea" was the same "Piney Brown" who was eulogized in the 1940 Big Joe Turner record "Piney Brown Blues".
I would appreciate any information which could clarify this point and any biographical information about the R&B artist "Piney Brown". For what it's worth, my guess is that the nickname "Piney" comes from "pine tree" and is a descriptor for someone who is tall. That said, it might also have been a nickname that was passed on to one or more male family members.
-snip-
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K96T8qgC1WY for a sound file of "Piney Brown Blues".
Click http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/club-kaycee/JAZZFOLK/browp_00.htm for information about the Kansas City men (Thomas Jefferson) "Big Piney" Brown and (Walter) "Little Piney" Brown, and Big Joe Turner.
FEATURED SOUND FILE
Piney Brown and his Blues Toppers - Sugar in my tea (cream in my coffee)
Glendoras, published on Jul 16, 2012
Killer rhythm and blues popcorn on Mad! It was released in '59 with My love on the flip side. Audio transfered from original vinyl 45.
-snip-
Another sound file of the same song can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA63J55cu6A
LYRICS: SUGAR IN MY TEA (CREAM IN MY COFFEE)
(composers: Piney Brown And Edna Price, recorded by Piney Brown and his Blues Toppers, 1959)
Umm, cream in my coffee
Sugar in my tea.
You cream in my coffee, baby
Sugar in my tea.
No matter where you go
Or what you do,
You always belongs to me.
You catch a plane,
Or baby ride a train.
Even board a ship
And sail the seven seas.
No matter what you do, chile
Or where you go
You always belongs to me.
‘Cause you’re cream in my coffee
Sugar in my tea.
Yeah, Yeah, cream in my coffee, baby
Sugar in my tea.
No matter what you do
Umm, or where you go,
You always belongs to me.
Umm, I traveled this world
For many miles
And I hope to travel more.
But I never had a woman in my life
Could make love like you before.
Star light, star bright
You the first star I seen tonight
I wish I will, well I wish I might.
To hold the girl I want tonight.
Cause she cream in my coffee
Sugar in my tea.
Yeah, cream in my coffee, baby
Sugar in my tea
No matter what you do, chile
Or where you go,
You always belongs to me.
Ah yeah, cream in my coffee
Sugar in my tea.
Mmm…
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell. Corrections & additions are welcome.
RELATED LINK
Click http://cocojams.com/content/sugar-my-coffee-o-fiddle-song-early-sources-examples for information about an old fiddle song "Sugar In My Coffee" which may have been part of the inspiration for Piney Brown's recording of "Sugar In My Tea" (Creme In My Coffee).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to Piney Brown And Edna Price for composing this song, and thanks to the music legacy of Piney Brown his Blues Toppers for this song and for other early R&B songs. Thanks also to the uploader of the sound files of this record.
Also, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
This post presents a sound file of and lyrics for the 1959 record Sugar In My Tea (Cream In My Coffee) by Piney Brown and his Blues Toppers. Information about Piney Brown is also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE EARLY R&B ARTIST "PINEY BROWN"
From http://bonedogrecords.com/?p=342
"Piney Brown
One Of These Days
Bonedog Records is proud to announce the release “One Of These Days” a new CD by the R&B icon Piney Brown. Piney’s recording career began in 1947. Over a seven decade span he has been held in the same reverence as other “Big Voice” R&B singers such as Big Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris and Roy Brown among others .The eighty four year old entertainer is also featuring his BMI award winning song writing talents on the disc, penning eleven of the disc’s twelve tracks. This Cd establishes Piney as one of America’s great national treasures.
Reviews:
Octogenarians like Pinetop Perkins, B.B. King & Piney Brown never get old and apparently never shake the Blues. Brown made his mark in the 40s with hootin’ & hollerin’ Jump Blues and kept pace with changing styles through the 60s and 70s but, after all but retiring, staged a comeback in 2000 with the Bonegog Records release “My Task”. Six years later we have the solid “One Of These Days” (***), consisting of eleven Brown originals and two sturdy covers...
Piney Brown first recorded, with his Rhythm & Blues Band, in 1947 on Esquire/Miracle Records – the band featuring the great Eddie Chamblee and Sonny Thompson. Amazingly,nearly sixty years and seven decades later, Piney is still singing/shouting the blues withan emotional intensity and vigour that would shame artists forty years his junior..."
-snip-
Because of the respective dates of these song, I don't think that the Piney Brown that recorded the 1959 R&B record "Sugar In My Tea" was the same "Piney Brown" who was eulogized in the 1940 Big Joe Turner record "Piney Brown Blues".
I would appreciate any information which could clarify this point and any biographical information about the R&B artist "Piney Brown". For what it's worth, my guess is that the nickname "Piney" comes from "pine tree" and is a descriptor for someone who is tall. That said, it might also have been a nickname that was passed on to one or more male family members.
-snip-
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K96T8qgC1WY for a sound file of "Piney Brown Blues".
Click http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/club-kaycee/JAZZFOLK/browp_00.htm for information about the Kansas City men (Thomas Jefferson) "Big Piney" Brown and (Walter) "Little Piney" Brown, and Big Joe Turner.
FEATURED SOUND FILE
Piney Brown and his Blues Toppers - Sugar in my tea (cream in my coffee)
Glendoras, published on Jul 16, 2012
Killer rhythm and blues popcorn on Mad! It was released in '59 with My love on the flip side. Audio transfered from original vinyl 45.
-snip-
Another sound file of the same song can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA63J55cu6A
LYRICS: SUGAR IN MY TEA (CREAM IN MY COFFEE)
(composers: Piney Brown And Edna Price, recorded by Piney Brown and his Blues Toppers, 1959)
Umm, cream in my coffee
Sugar in my tea.
You cream in my coffee, baby
Sugar in my tea.
No matter where you go
Or what you do,
You always belongs to me.
You catch a plane,
Or baby ride a train.
Even board a ship
And sail the seven seas.
No matter what you do, chile
Or where you go
You always belongs to me.
‘Cause you’re cream in my coffee
Sugar in my tea.
Yeah, Yeah, cream in my coffee, baby
Sugar in my tea.
No matter what you do
Umm, or where you go,
You always belongs to me.
Umm, I traveled this world
For many miles
And I hope to travel more.
But I never had a woman in my life
Could make love like you before.
Star light, star bright
You the first star I seen tonight
I wish I will, well I wish I might.
To hold the girl I want tonight.
Cause she cream in my coffee
Sugar in my tea.
Yeah, cream in my coffee, baby
Sugar in my tea
No matter what you do, chile
Or where you go,
You always belongs to me.
Ah yeah, cream in my coffee
Sugar in my tea.
Mmm…
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell. Corrections & additions are welcome.
RELATED LINK
Click http://cocojams.com/content/sugar-my-coffee-o-fiddle-song-early-sources-examples for information about an old fiddle song "Sugar In My Coffee" which may have been part of the inspiration for Piney Brown's recording of "Sugar In My Tea" (Creme In My Coffee).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to Piney Brown And Edna Price for composing this song, and thanks to the music legacy of Piney Brown his Blues Toppers for this song and for other early R&B songs. Thanks also to the uploader of the sound files of this record.
Also, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Performance Choreography Of The Four Tops & The Temptations
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases a few examples of the soul music and the performance routines of two classic Rhythm & Blues groups - The Four Tops and The Temptations.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
-snip-
UPDATE: July 27, 2017:
Thanks to Brad Knopp for sharing a link to the Wikipedia page for Cholly Atkins, the choreographer for these two groups and other Motown recording groups. That information is an important part of this post and should have been included in the original post. I've excerpted a portion of that page in the comment section below. Hat tip to Brad Knopp!
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
(The video examples of these two music groups are presented with the videos of the groups alternating in alphabetical order using the first letter of the group.)
Example #1
The four tops - I can't help myself - Live HQ
bol2funk, Uploaded on Feb 25, 2008
classic soul
****
Example #2
Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Temptations
Tj Limbu, Uploaded on Oct 8, 2007
****
Example #3
Four Tops - Standing In The Shadows Of Love (1967)
Freya0815007, Uploaded on Apr 7, 2010
HQ-Video. Four Tops - Standing In The Shadows Of Love, released 1966.
****
Example #4
Temptations - My Girl
rjtorre, Uploaded on Nov 16, 2005
****
BONUS VIDEO
The Manhattans, Cadillacs, Drifters, Temptations & Four Tops - Battle of the Groups (@Apollo 1985)
MyRhythmNSoulTV Published on Mar 26, 2014
On May 5th, 1985 the Apollo's renovation is celebrated with a 50th Anniversary grand reopening and television special, "Motown Salutes the Apollo." and was hosted by Bill Cosby.
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
My thanks to the showcased Rhythm & Blues groups. Also, thanks to the composers of these featured songs, and to the producers and uploaders of these sound files and videos for helping to spread awareness of this type of music and this group throughout the world.
Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome
This post showcases a few examples of the soul music and the performance routines of two classic Rhythm & Blues groups - The Four Tops and The Temptations.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
-snip-
UPDATE: July 27, 2017:
Thanks to Brad Knopp for sharing a link to the Wikipedia page for Cholly Atkins, the choreographer for these two groups and other Motown recording groups. That information is an important part of this post and should have been included in the original post. I've excerpted a portion of that page in the comment section below. Hat tip to Brad Knopp!
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
(The video examples of these two music groups are presented with the videos of the groups alternating in alphabetical order using the first letter of the group.)
Example #1
The four tops - I can't help myself - Live HQ
bol2funk, Uploaded on Feb 25, 2008
classic soul
****
Example #2
Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Temptations
Tj Limbu, Uploaded on Oct 8, 2007
****
Example #3
Four Tops - Standing In The Shadows Of Love (1967)
Freya0815007, Uploaded on Apr 7, 2010
HQ-Video. Four Tops - Standing In The Shadows Of Love, released 1966.
****
Example #4
Temptations - My Girl
rjtorre, Uploaded on Nov 16, 2005
****
BONUS VIDEO
The Manhattans, Cadillacs, Drifters, Temptations & Four Tops - Battle of the Groups (@Apollo 1985)
MyRhythmNSoulTV Published on Mar 26, 2014
On May 5th, 1985 the Apollo's renovation is celebrated with a 50th Anniversary grand reopening and television special, "Motown Salutes the Apollo." and was hosted by Bill Cosby.
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
My thanks to the showcased Rhythm & Blues groups. Also, thanks to the composers of these featured songs, and to the producers and uploaders of these sound files and videos for helping to spread awareness of this type of music and this group throughout the world.
Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome
Saturday, November 3, 2012
The Alley Kats - "Puddin Tain" (Sound File & Lyrics)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases a sound file of and lyrics to the 1962 doo wop song "Puddin Tain" by The Alley Kats. A sound file of a cover of this song that was recorded by The Kit Kats is also featured in this post.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT "PUDDIN TAIN"
"Puddin Tane" is the title of particular English language children's folk rhymes that are made up of smart alecky rhyming retorts to commonly asked questions. In each version of these rhymes "Puddin Tane" (or a similarly spelled second word) serves as the response which is given by the person who is asked the question "What's your name?". In that sense, "Puddin" is a male or female nickname and "Tane" is given as a last name.
Although it appears that all of the lines of this rhyme are now usually recited by the same person, "Puddin Tane" may have originated as a call & response dialogue rhyme (a rhyme in which each line is alternately spoken by one of two people).
Here's the short version of "Puddin Tane" that I believe is most commonly found at the present time in the United States. The lines that are spoken by the person responding to the questions are given in brackets:
What's your name?
[Puddin Tane
Ask me again
And I'll tell you the same.]
-snip-
Click http://cocojams.com/content/early-examples-childrens-rhyme-puddin-tane for more information about and early examples of the folk rhyme "Puddin Tane"
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FEATURED SOUND FILE - THE ALLEY KATS - "PUDDIN TAIN"
Alley Cats - Puddin' N' Tain - Early Phil Spector Production - Great Doo Wop Rocker
PJDooWop,Uploaded on Sep 24, 2009
Doo wop rocker here. One of the few male groups [Phil] Spector worked with early on.
****
FEATURED SOUND FILE - THE KIT KATS - "PUDDIN TAIN"
THE KIT KATS_Puddin'n'Tain
whitedoowopcollector, Uploaded on Feb 9, 2009
http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com
****
LYRICS- PUDDIN TAIN
(Songwriters: Brice Coefield, Gary Pipkin, Alonzo Willis)
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
You won't believe this story
While I was walking
One bright and sunny day
I met a little sweet, sweet girl
Who chanced to walk my way
I asked her, her name
Here's what she said to me
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Oh, golly gee
If she would only belong to me
And I would tell the world
The whole wide world
That I'm in love with
Puddin' n' tain
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Oh well now she's so pretty
She's so fine
She's so sweet
Just my kind
All because she's pretty
All because she's fine
I want this girl to be mine
Now we're going steady
And I've found out
Her real name is Betty
I'll tell the world
The whole wide world
That I'm in love with
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
[repeat 2 more times]
Reposted from http://www.songlyrics.com/the-alley-cats/puddin-n-tain-lyrics/
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
My thanks to those who composed and recorded the song "Puddin Tain". Thanks also to the uploaders of these featured sound files, and to the transcriber of this song.
Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
This post showcases a sound file of and lyrics to the 1962 doo wop song "Puddin Tain" by The Alley Kats. A sound file of a cover of this song that was recorded by The Kit Kats is also featured in this post.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT "PUDDIN TAIN"
"Puddin Tane" is the title of particular English language children's folk rhymes that are made up of smart alecky rhyming retorts to commonly asked questions. In each version of these rhymes "Puddin Tane" (or a similarly spelled second word) serves as the response which is given by the person who is asked the question "What's your name?". In that sense, "Puddin" is a male or female nickname and "Tane" is given as a last name.
Although it appears that all of the lines of this rhyme are now usually recited by the same person, "Puddin Tane" may have originated as a call & response dialogue rhyme (a rhyme in which each line is alternately spoken by one of two people).
Here's the short version of "Puddin Tane" that I believe is most commonly found at the present time in the United States. The lines that are spoken by the person responding to the questions are given in brackets:
What's your name?
[Puddin Tane
Ask me again
And I'll tell you the same.]
-snip-
Click http://cocojams.com/content/early-examples-childrens-rhyme-puddin-tane for more information about and early examples of the folk rhyme "Puddin Tane"
****
FEATURED SOUND FILE - THE ALLEY KATS - "PUDDIN TAIN"
Alley Cats - Puddin' N' Tain - Early Phil Spector Production - Great Doo Wop Rocker
PJDooWop,Uploaded on Sep 24, 2009
Doo wop rocker here. One of the few male groups [Phil] Spector worked with early on.
****
FEATURED SOUND FILE - THE KIT KATS - "PUDDIN TAIN"
THE KIT KATS_Puddin'n'Tain
whitedoowopcollector, Uploaded on Feb 9, 2009
http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com
****
LYRICS- PUDDIN TAIN
(Songwriters: Brice Coefield, Gary Pipkin, Alonzo Willis)
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
You won't believe this story
While I was walking
One bright and sunny day
I met a little sweet, sweet girl
Who chanced to walk my way
I asked her, her name
Here's what she said to me
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Oh, golly gee
If she would only belong to me
And I would tell the world
The whole wide world
That I'm in love with
Puddin' n' tain
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Oh well now she's so pretty
She's so fine
She's so sweet
Just my kind
All because she's pretty
All because she's fine
I want this girl to be mine
Now we're going steady
And I've found out
Her real name is Betty
I'll tell the world
The whole wide world
That I'm in love with
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
Puddin' n' tain,
Puddin' n' tain
Ask me again
I'll tell you the same
[repeat 2 more times]
Reposted from http://www.songlyrics.com/the-alley-cats/puddin-n-tain-lyrics/
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
My thanks to those who composed and recorded the song "Puddin Tain". Thanks also to the uploaders of these featured sound files, and to the transcriber of this song.
Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Videos Of R&B Dance "The Camel Walk" Dance & Videos Of Shriners "Riding" Camel Walk
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Revision: December 22, 2021
The first part of this pancocojams post presents information about & videos of the R&B and R&B dance called "The Camel Walk" (from the mid 1940s to 2011).
The second part of this pancocojams post focuses on the Camel Walk as performed by the Prince Hall Shriners.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
DANCE OVERVIEW
From http://www.ehow.com/about_5580362_history-camel-walk-dance.html [Dec. 22, 2021- This link now leads to another website]
****
From http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3camel.htm
"The Camel Walk was a ragtime animal dance, came originally from Vaudeville shows. The Camel Walk was mainly done by college students and "flappers" during the Jazz age in the 1910's and 20's with the public as a social dance. It was basically done with a Straight Up (Posture) but otherwise was walking 1920's fox-trot from start to end while dragging your steps slightly, done to slow music and in a zigzag direction or rotary direction. The Camel Walk drew a lot of displeasure among many mainly because the Girls would rest their heads on the leaders shoulder while dancing which many frowned upon as vulgar dancing. Occasionally the dance was varied with Fox-Trot steps by those who disliked anything quite so extreme.
Another version was done in the 1950's/60's: see clip!
The Camel Walk spin-offs of the 1910's became a popular retro dance to do at the time in the 1950's/60's, however these spin-off's were freestyle rather than couples. With such dances as the Camel Walk, Dance the Camel Walk, The Camel Walk Stroll etc ... It is said the the Horse dance was just another Camel Walk. The Camel Walk became the Stroll in the 1950's.
The two signature step's of the Camel Walk was the ronde or fan (rotary-walk rather than a gait or a transverse walk? of the leg, and the high slow lifting walking step forward. There is also the 'knee pop' or funky "Camel-Walk" variation with the leg hooking behind the other as seen in the above clip by Sammy. The Boogie Walks / Shorty George are also related to the Camel walk."
****
PART I - "THE CAMEL WALK" SOCIAL DANCES
Video #1: al minns -- 1935 camel walk
trickeration, August 31, 2007
-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_%26_Leon for information about the Jazz dance duo Al Minns and Leon James.
****
Video #2: James Brown and Sammy Davis Junior There was a time dancing together
jeffcher, Oct. 19, 2016
The portion of the camel walk begins around 2:22 in this video.
Here's a quote from the summary of a no longer available YouTube video of that same film clip:
"James Brown asks Sammy Davis Jr. on his TV Show if he remembers how to do the "Camel Walk". So Sammy shows him and nicely done as well. This dance step was also known as the "Collegiate Walk."
The Camel Walk spin-offs of the 1910's became a popular retro dance to do at the time In the 1950's/60's, however these spin-off's were freestyle rather than couples. With such dances as the Camel Walk, Dance the Camel Walk, The Camel Walk Stroll etc ... It is said the the Horse dance was just another Camel Walk. The Camel Walk became the Stroll in the 1950's."...
****
WARNING: From 2:28 to 2:55, this next video includes the repeated cursing refrain "Do dat sh*t".
Video #3: The Official Camel Walk Dance Video
Uploaded by jrkmsu on Jan 1, 2011
Hitting that Camel Walk. Song by my boy Gevonte Davis. Gulfport, Mississippi
-snip-
Here's some comments from that video's discussion thread:(with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. bmo, 2011
"search for "james brown dancing" - big time camel walk!"
The formal name for the Prince Hall Shriners is "Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine". (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.) This Black fraternal organization are called "Prince Hall Shriners" to distinguish them from the earlier organization of Shriners who are White.
The Prince Hall Shriners were founded in 1893.
Prince Hall (1735 – 1807) was an African American noted as a tireless abolitionist, for his leadership in the free black community in Boston, and as the founder of Prince Hall Masonry (in 1775). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Hall)
The Prince Hall Shriners' performance of the Camel Walk dance is called "riding". A version of the song "Ride The White Horse" appears to be the at least unofficial anthem of the Prince Hall Masons' riding.
-snip-
Click http://www.aeaonms.org/about.htm and http://www.sinai59.org/DomainHistory.htm for more information about the Shriners.
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from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daughters_of_Isis
"The Daughters of Isis are the female auxiliary to the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine, the Prince Hall affiliated Shriners.[1]
Local groups of the Daughters of Isis had been founded in Maryland, Rhode Island and Washington, DC, in the early years of the twentieth century and in 1909 representatives of these locals met with a committee from the Prince Hall Shriners and formally requested the formation of a national organization of female relatives of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. This was granted at the annual convention of the Shrine held in Detroit, Michigan, on August 24, 1910. At the groups inception it had twelve courts or local groups[2]"...
-snip-
Also, click this post on my zumalayah blog for these & two more videos of Prince Hall Shriners & their tradition of "riding": Hall: http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/05/prince-hall-shriners-riding-doing-camel.html.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: Persian Temple No. 46 - 2010 Potentate Ball - Intro (Camel Walk)
Uploaded by smokeyjoesii on Dec 19, 2010
Persian Temple No.46 -2010 Potentate Ball -- Intro --Robert Apple leading the Nobles!
-snip-
This video also points out some striking similarities between the Prince Hall Shriners and historically Black Greek lettered fraternities. Since the Prince Hall Shriners were founded in 1893 and Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc, (the first historically Black Greek lettered [university based] organization) was founded in 1906, it would be correct to say that those historically Black Greek lettered fraternities are modeled after the Prince Hall Shriners and not vice versa. Besides their strolling* (strutting) movement performances, another way in which these organizations resemble each other is their use of call & response chanting.
I can't make out what the leader says in the above video, but the response is "46" (the number of this particular Shriners' "chapter").Compare that to Black Greek lettered fraternities'/sororities' signature chants which include call & response chants that are based on the organization's founding date. For instance, members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. have a call & response chant in which the leader of the chanters calls "1 9" and the other chanters respond "0 6" - 1906 being the date that the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity was founded.
*I don't know when the Prince Hall Shriners began "riding" (camel walks). I'd love to know if it's common for Prince Hall Shriners & Daughters of Isis to pledge a BGLO fraternity or sorority, and if so, I wonder if members of Shriners and members of their female auxiliary, the Daughters of Isis most often belong to. (The way, the women in the video who are dressed in white with white hats are members of the Prince Hall Shriners' female auxiliary Daughters of Isis.)
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Video #2: Golconda Temple No. 24 Nobles camel walking into the formal dinner dance
Uploaded by bks2295 on Mar 7, 2011
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Video #3: Ahmed Temple #37
Uploaded by Princess314 on Oct 10, 2010
-snip-
The audience calls in this video such as "I see you [person's name]!", "Alright now!", and "Get it now!" remind me of the responses that are heard at Black Greek lettered step shows and stroll competitions.
Also, one or more person dancing in the center of the circle is a traditional form of African American dances & other African Diaspora dances. That same formation in which a person/persons in the center of the circle format is found in Black children's circle games.
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks & much respect to all those whose comments and videos are reposted on this page.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Latest Revision: December 22, 2021
The first part of this pancocojams post presents information about & videos of the R&B and R&B dance called "The Camel Walk" (from the mid 1940s to 2011).
The second part of this pancocojams post focuses on the Camel Walk as performed by the Prince Hall Shriners.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
DANCE OVERVIEW
From http://www.ehow.com/about_5580362_history-camel-walk-dance.html [Dec. 22, 2021- This link now leads to another website]
The camel walk is a social dance that has roots in the vaudeville shows of the late 19th century and early 20th century in the United States...
Camel Walk Positions
The posture of the dancer's back is straight while doing a 1920s foxtrot walk (a pedestrian walk with the heel leading forward or extending the leg backward with the toe leading and slightly dragging the other foot to meet). The direction of the steps is usually zigzag or rotary. The camel walk is generally a couple's dance, with the woman sometimes placing her head on her partner's shoulder. This was often viewed as inappropriate for that period of time.
Steps and Versions of the Camel Walk
The two main steps are the fan (a rotary walk) of the leg and the high, slow-lifting walking step forward. The earlier version consisted of couples doing these movements along with interspersing steps from the foxtrot. A later version of the camel walk in the 1950s and 1960s became a freestyle dance that had a variety of names including "the stroll."
****
From http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3camel.htm
"The Camel Walk was a ragtime animal dance, came originally from Vaudeville shows. The Camel Walk was mainly done by college students and "flappers" during the Jazz age in the 1910's and 20's with the public as a social dance. It was basically done with a Straight Up (Posture) but otherwise was walking 1920's fox-trot from start to end while dragging your steps slightly, done to slow music and in a zigzag direction or rotary direction. The Camel Walk drew a lot of displeasure among many mainly because the Girls would rest their heads on the leaders shoulder while dancing which many frowned upon as vulgar dancing. Occasionally the dance was varied with Fox-Trot steps by those who disliked anything quite so extreme.
Another version was done in the 1950's/60's: see clip!
The Camel Walk spin-offs of the 1910's became a popular retro dance to do at the time in the 1950's/60's, however these spin-off's were freestyle rather than couples. With such dances as the Camel Walk, Dance the Camel Walk, The Camel Walk Stroll etc ... It is said the the Horse dance was just another Camel Walk. The Camel Walk became the Stroll in the 1950's.
The two signature step's of the Camel Walk was the ronde or fan (rotary-walk rather than a gait or a transverse walk? of the leg, and the high slow lifting walking step forward. There is also the 'knee pop' or funky "Camel-Walk" variation with the leg hooking behind the other as seen in the above clip by Sammy. The Boogie Walks / Shorty George are also related to the Camel walk."
****
PART I - "THE CAMEL WALK" SOCIAL DANCES
trickeration, August 31, 2007
-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_%26_Leon for information about the Jazz dance duo Al Minns and Leon James.
****
Video #2: James Brown and Sammy Davis Junior There was a time dancing together
jeffcher, Oct. 19, 2016
-snip-
This YouTube video replaces another one of the same film clip whose visual quality isn't as good.The portion of the camel walk begins around 2:22 in this video.
Here's a quote from the summary of a no longer available YouTube video of that same film clip:
"James Brown asks Sammy Davis Jr. on his TV Show if he remembers how to do the "Camel Walk". So Sammy shows him and nicely done as well. This dance step was also known as the "Collegiate Walk."
The Camel Walk spin-offs of the 1910's became a popular retro dance to do at the time In the 1950's/60's, however these spin-off's were freestyle rather than couples. With such dances as the Camel Walk, Dance the Camel Walk, The Camel Walk Stroll etc ... It is said the the Horse dance was just another Camel Walk. The Camel Walk became the Stroll in the 1950's."...
****
WARNING: From 2:28 to 2:55, this next video includes the repeated cursing refrain "Do dat sh*t".
Video #3: The Official Camel Walk Dance Video
Uploaded by jrkmsu on Jan 1, 2011
Hitting that Camel Walk. Song by my boy Gevonte Davis. Gulfport, Mississippi
-snip-
Here's some comments from that video's discussion thread:(with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. bmo, 2011
"search for "james brown dancing" - big time camel walk!"
**
2. Chris Styles, 2012
"wow. we did this back
in the mid 80s. I can't believe kids are bringing this back."
**
3. infocus2008, 2012
"History does repeat itself"
**
Reply
4. DeathAngel7030, 2013
"Yeah I know. It was originally used as an intro while
breakdancing
****
The formal name for the Prince Hall Shriners is "Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine". (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.) This Black fraternal organization are called "Prince Hall Shriners" to distinguish them from the earlier organization of Shriners who are White.
The Prince Hall Shriners were founded in 1893.
Prince Hall (1735 – 1807) was an African American noted as a tireless abolitionist, for his leadership in the free black community in Boston, and as the founder of Prince Hall Masonry (in 1775). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Hall)
The Prince Hall Shriners' performance of the Camel Walk dance is called "riding". A version of the song "Ride The White Horse" appears to be the at least unofficial anthem of the Prince Hall Masons' riding.
-snip-
Click http://www.aeaonms.org/about.htm and http://www.sinai59.org/DomainHistory.htm for more information about the Shriners.
****
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daughters_of_Isis
"The Daughters of Isis are the female auxiliary to the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine, the Prince Hall affiliated Shriners.[1]
Local groups of the Daughters of Isis had been founded in Maryland, Rhode Island and Washington, DC, in the early years of the twentieth century and in 1909 representatives of these locals met with a committee from the Prince Hall Shriners and formally requested the formation of a national organization of female relatives of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. This was granted at the annual convention of the Shrine held in Detroit, Michigan, on August 24, 1910. At the groups inception it had twelve courts or local groups[2]"...
-snip-
Also, click this post on my zumalayah blog for these & two more videos of Prince Hall Shriners & their tradition of "riding": Hall: http://zumalayah.blogspot.com/2013/05/prince-hall-shriners-riding-doing-camel.html.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
Video #1: Persian Temple No. 46 - 2010 Potentate Ball - Intro (Camel Walk)
Uploaded by smokeyjoesii on Dec 19, 2010
Persian Temple No.46 -2010 Potentate Ball -- Intro --Robert Apple leading the Nobles!
-snip-
This video also points out some striking similarities between the Prince Hall Shriners and historically Black Greek lettered fraternities. Since the Prince Hall Shriners were founded in 1893 and Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc, (the first historically Black Greek lettered [university based] organization) was founded in 1906, it would be correct to say that those historically Black Greek lettered fraternities are modeled after the Prince Hall Shriners and not vice versa. Besides their strolling* (strutting) movement performances, another way in which these organizations resemble each other is their use of call & response chanting.
I can't make out what the leader says in the above video, but the response is "46" (the number of this particular Shriners' "chapter").Compare that to Black Greek lettered fraternities'/sororities' signature chants which include call & response chants that are based on the organization's founding date. For instance, members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. have a call & response chant in which the leader of the chanters calls "1 9" and the other chanters respond "0 6" - 1906 being the date that the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity was founded.
*I don't know when the Prince Hall Shriners began "riding" (camel walks). I'd love to know if it's common for Prince Hall Shriners & Daughters of Isis to pledge a BGLO fraternity or sorority, and if so, I wonder if members of Shriners and members of their female auxiliary, the Daughters of Isis most often belong to. (The way, the women in the video who are dressed in white with white hats are members of the Prince Hall Shriners' female auxiliary Daughters of Isis.)
****
Video #2: Golconda Temple No. 24 Nobles camel walking into the formal dinner dance
Uploaded by bks2295 on Mar 7, 2011
****
Video #3: Ahmed Temple #37
Uploaded by Princess314 on Oct 10, 2010
-snip-
The audience calls in this video such as "I see you [person's name]!", "Alright now!", and "Get it now!" remind me of the responses that are heard at Black Greek lettered step shows and stroll competitions.
Also, one or more person dancing in the center of the circle is a traditional form of African American dances & other African Diaspora dances. That same formation in which a person/persons in the center of the circle format is found in Black children's circle games.
****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks & much respect to all those whose comments and videos are reposted on this page.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The Slang Meaning Of "Bad" In Songs & Playground Cheers
Edited by Azizi Powell
Michael Jackson BAD (Kids Version)
Uploaded by kcataylo on Feb 6, 2008
****
This post showcases three videos of songs that contain the African American slang word "bad". This post also showcases one video & three foot stomping cheers that contain the African American slang word "bad".
The content of this post is presented for historical, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.
My thanks to the known and unknown composers of these songs & cheers. My thanks also to the performers of these songs & cheers, as well as to the producers & uploaders of these videos, and the contributors of these cheer examples.
****
SLANG DEFINITION OF "BAD"
"Bad" = very good (according to the value system of those conferring that descriptor)
FEATURED SONG VIDEOS:
Video #1: Michael Jackson – Bad
Uploaded by michaeljacksonVEVO on Oct 3, 2009
Music video by Michael Jackson performing Bad. © 1987 MJJ Productions Inc.
****
Video #2: Michael Jackson BAD (Kids Version)
This video is posted at the top of this page.
This performance is a parody of Michael Jackson's hit song "Bad". The rendition of that song is entitled "Badder" and is from Michael Jackson's 1988 movie Moonwalker.
Here are two comments that I wrote on that video's viewer comment thread in response to a question about why the boy portraying Michael Jackson covered his mouth after saying something toward the end of that scene:
The other songs & playground rhymes (cheers) in this post include self-bragging and dissing (insulting another person) lyrics or words in the style of the dozens.
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dozens for information about The Dozens.
****
Video #3: LL Cool J - I'm Bad
Uploaded by LLCoolJVEVO on Jun 16, 2009
Music video by LL Cool J performing I'm Bad. (C) 1987 LL Cool J under exclusive license to The Island Def Jam Music Group
WARNING. This video's YouTube viewer comment thread contains profanity.
****
FEATURED CHEER VIDEOS AND TEXT EXAMPLES:
Video #1
The words to that cheer are given here as "Example #1" below.
Example #1: HULA HULA
Voice #1 (Nyya): Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Voice #2 (Ritza): I do.
Voice #1 (Nyya): Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Voice (Ritza) #2: I do.
Well, I think I’m bad cause
Ritza's my name
and pink is my color
Don't you worry 'bout my brother.
Voice #1 (Nyya): Ooh, she thinks she’s fine.
Voice #2 (Ritza):Soloist #1:Correction, baby I know I’m bad.
Voice #1 (Nyya): Ooh, she thinks she’s hip.
Voice #2 (Ritza):Hip enough to steal your chips.
-Naturalandthecity; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0pnufDOxgU&feature=endscreen&NR=1 ; Dec 17, 2011
-snip-
I believe that the word "hula" in the cheer "Hula Hula" means "Hey!" (as in "Hello"). "Hula" may have come from the Spanish word "Hola". But I think that "Hula" might actually be a form of the old time English greeting "How do" meaning "How do you do?". The word "howdy" is a more common English language form of "How do you do". The television clown "Howdie Doody" got his name from the phrase "How do you do".). The colloquial American greeting phrase "Hoodie Hoo" is another form of the phrase "Howdy do." and may also have been a source for the word "Hula" in this cheer. "Hoodie Hoo" is pronounced "who day who".
For a related piece of information, click http://voices.yahoo.com/february-20-hoodie-hoo-day-5435649.html to find information about a newly invented American holiday to chase away winter by going outside on February 20th and yelling "Hoodie Hoo!".
****
Example #2: HULA HULA
Group: Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Soloist #1: I do.
Group: Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Soloist #1: I do.
Well, I think I’m bad cause
[insert soloist's name or nickname]'s my name
and love is my game.
I got this boy on my mind
and Lord knows he’s fine.
I got his name on my shirt
and don’t call it dirt.
Group: Ooh, she thinks she’s bad.
Soloist #1: Correction, baby I KNOW I’m bad.
Group: Ooh, she thinks she’s fine.
Soloist #1: Fine enough to blow YOUR mind.
-Tazi M. Powell (African American female, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mid. 1980s)
****
Example #3: HOLLYWOOD
Here's a handclap called hollywood!
(person 1) My name is (your name) im number one my reputation's just begun so turn around and touch the ground get back up and break it down
(person 2) you think you're bad
(1) b-a-d i know im bad
(2) you tink you're cool
(1) cool enough to rule the school
(2) you think your fine
(1) fine fine blow your mind mind take em up take em back give the man a heart attack
(2) you think you're hott
(1) hott anough to blow your pot!
That's it....there's clapping and all but its too hard to explain on this...good luck!
-DC; 12/9/2005 ; http://blog.oftheoctopuses.com/000518.php [website no longer accessible]
-snip-
The song source of this foot stomping cheer is Kool & The Gang's 1973 song "Hollywood Swingin". Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD-VvbGa8H4 to find a video of that song.
Click http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 for more analysis of these examples, for more examples of foot stomping cheers, and more comments about the structure and performance of these playground cheers.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Michael Jackson BAD (Kids Version)
Uploaded by kcataylo on Feb 6, 2008
****
This post showcases three videos of songs that contain the African American slang word "bad". This post also showcases one video & three foot stomping cheers that contain the African American slang word "bad".
The content of this post is presented for historical, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.
My thanks to the known and unknown composers of these songs & cheers. My thanks also to the performers of these songs & cheers, as well as to the producers & uploaders of these videos, and the contributors of these cheer examples.
****
SLANG DEFINITION OF "BAD"
"Bad" = very good (according to the value system of those conferring that descriptor)
FEATURED SONG VIDEOS:
Video #1: Michael Jackson – Bad
Uploaded by michaeljacksonVEVO on Oct 3, 2009
Music video by Michael Jackson performing Bad. © 1987 MJJ Productions Inc.
****
Video #2: Michael Jackson BAD (Kids Version)
This video is posted at the top of this page.
This performance is a parody of Michael Jackson's hit song "Bad". The rendition of that song is entitled "Badder" and is from Michael Jackson's 1988 movie Moonwalker.
Here are two comments that I wrote on that video's viewer comment thread in response to a question about why the boy portraying Michael Jackson covered his mouth after saying something toward the end of that scene:
The call & response chanting (from 2:53 on) is a take off of the African American insult game The Dozens where yo mama is a core phrase. If you are serious, talkin about someone's mama has real consequences. The boy probably covered his mouth because kids are taught they aren't supposed to talk about someone's mama unless they're really looking for a fight. That's why the rest of the kids changed "your mama" to "your sister" since the consequences of that in real life isn't nearly as "bad".-snip-
-azizip171 in reply to quadprincess1 http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=l78ho3Y8P_I , May 23, 2012
**
I meant to write that the call & response chanting in this scene is a take-off of the African American insult AND BRAGGING game The Dozens. In the original song & in this parody, the emphasis is on the bragging part.
-azizip171, May 24, 2012
The other songs & playground rhymes (cheers) in this post include self-bragging and dissing (insulting another person) lyrics or words in the style of the dozens.
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dozens for information about The Dozens.
****
Video #3: LL Cool J - I'm Bad
Uploaded by LLCoolJVEVO on Jun 16, 2009
Music video by LL Cool J performing I'm Bad. (C) 1987 LL Cool J under exclusive license to The Island Def Jam Music Group
WARNING. This video's YouTube viewer comment thread contains profanity.
****
FEATURED CHEER VIDEOS AND TEXT EXAMPLES:
Video #1
The words to that cheer are given here as "Example #1" below.
Example #1: HULA HULA
Voice #1 (Nyya): Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Voice #2 (Ritza): I do.
Voice #1 (Nyya): Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Voice (Ritza) #2: I do.
Well, I think I’m bad cause
Ritza's my name
and pink is my color
Don't you worry 'bout my brother.
Voice #1 (Nyya): Ooh, she thinks she’s fine.
Voice #2 (Ritza):Soloist #1:Correction, baby I know I’m bad.
Voice #1 (Nyya): Ooh, she thinks she’s hip.
Voice #2 (Ritza):Hip enough to steal your chips.
-Naturalandthecity; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0pnufDOxgU&feature=endscreen&NR=1 ; Dec 17, 2011
-snip-
I believe that the word "hula" in the cheer "Hula Hula" means "Hey!" (as in "Hello"). "Hula" may have come from the Spanish word "Hola". But I think that "Hula" might actually be a form of the old time English greeting "How do" meaning "How do you do?". The word "howdy" is a more common English language form of "How do you do". The television clown "Howdie Doody" got his name from the phrase "How do you do".). The colloquial American greeting phrase "Hoodie Hoo" is another form of the phrase "Howdy do." and may also have been a source for the word "Hula" in this cheer. "Hoodie Hoo" is pronounced "who day who".
For a related piece of information, click http://voices.yahoo.com/february-20-hoodie-hoo-day-5435649.html to find information about a newly invented American holiday to chase away winter by going outside on February 20th and yelling "Hoodie Hoo!".
****
Example #2: HULA HULA
Group: Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Soloist #1: I do.
Group: Hula Hula.
Who think they bad?
Soloist #1: I do.
Well, I think I’m bad cause
[insert soloist's name or nickname]'s my name
and love is my game.
I got this boy on my mind
and Lord knows he’s fine.
I got his name on my shirt
and don’t call it dirt.
Group: Ooh, she thinks she’s bad.
Soloist #1: Correction, baby I KNOW I’m bad.
Group: Ooh, she thinks she’s fine.
Soloist #1: Fine enough to blow YOUR mind.
-Tazi M. Powell (African American female, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mid. 1980s)
****
Example #3: HOLLYWOOD
Here's a handclap called hollywood!
(person 1) My name is (your name) im number one my reputation's just begun so turn around and touch the ground get back up and break it down
(person 2) you think you're bad
(1) b-a-d i know im bad
(2) you tink you're cool
(1) cool enough to rule the school
(2) you think your fine
(1) fine fine blow your mind mind take em up take em back give the man a heart attack
(2) you think you're hott
(1) hott anough to blow your pot!
That's it....there's clapping and all but its too hard to explain on this...good luck!
-DC; 12/9/2005 ; http://blog.oftheoctopuses.com/000518.php [website no longer accessible]
-snip-
The song source of this foot stomping cheer is Kool & The Gang's 1973 song "Hollywood Swingin". Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD-VvbGa8H4 to find a video of that song.
Click http://cocojams.com/content/foot-stomping-cheers-0 for more analysis of these examples, for more examples of foot stomping cheers, and more comments about the structure and performance of these playground cheers.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Viewer comments are welcome.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Rufus Thomas & Crowd Control At Wattstax (The Funky Chicken Dance)
Edited by Azizi Powell
In 1972, R&B singer/composer Rufus Thomas performed two songs at the Los Angeles, California concert, Wattstax. Those songs were "Breakdown" and "Do The Funky Chicken". During his rendition of "Breakdown", a number of concert attendees danced in the stands. But during his rendition of "Do The Funky Chicken", with Thomas' encouragement, a very large crowd of young African Americans came down from their seats in the stands and danced in the football field. Most videos of this event are only 4 minutes or so since they end at the conclusion of Rufus Thomas' performance. However the video embedded in this post includes Rufus Thomas talking the crowd back to their seats.
I'm very impressed by Thomas' ability to get the dancers' to return back to the stands. He did so by appealing to Black unity with chanted instructions, humorous asides to those persons moving off the field and to those persons who had remained seated during the impromptu dance off. Rufus Thomas also used other rhyming & unrhymed folk sayings that succeeded in peacefully moving the crowd back to the stands.
"Do The Funky Chicken" is an instruction dance song. Perhaps part of Rufus Thomas' successful "crowd control" was that his encouraging people to return to their seats might have been viewed as an extension of the instructions that he gave throughout that dance song.
A person posted this comment on that video's viewer comment thread offered another reason why the crowd listened to Rufus Thomas & peacefully left the football field:
"it's amazing how these young folks respected Rufus...well not amazing..this generation respected their elders
-bluesgirl4real; February 2012.
-snip-
Maybe part of the reason the concert attendees listened to Rufus Thomas and returned to their seats in the stands was out of respect for his age. Rufus Thomas was certainly older than most R&B performers. But I believe that it was more to it than that. I think that a central reason why the crowd listened to Rufus Thomas & returned to their seats was that he talked to them in a respectful manner, and they gave him respect back. Besides, the crowd knew that there were more concert performers to come once the football field was cleared.
Here's that featured video:
Note: The Rufus Thomas part of the concert ends at 8:09. Right afterwards comedian Richard Pryor is interviewed & tells a joke that includes the "n word". I regret that portion of this video, but I'm sure the readers here are mature enough to ignore that word if they want to in order to view the video of Rufus Thomas, the dancers, and his remarkable crowd control.
Rufus Thomas Do the Funky Chicken
Here's my transcription of Rufus Thomas' successful effort of talking the large crowd back to their seats after he encouraged them to come down & dance on the football field:
[This transcription begins at 4.45 of the video. My explanatory comments are given in brackets. This transcription doesn't include the audiences laughter and cheers in response to Rufus Thomas' words, elements that I also think were critical to his success in moving the crowd off the field.]
Rufus Thomas:
"Now wait ah minute.
Wait a minute!
We all together out here.
We allll gonna have some FUN.
But you ain't supposed to have your fun in the ground-you supposed to be in the stands.
More power to the folks. Let's go to the stand.
MORE POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
MORE POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
MORE POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
And I wish the mic cord was long enough. I'd go to the stands wit ya.
More power to the folks. Let's go to the stand.
Ain't no problem at'tall fellows [said to the security guards off camera]?
See it ain't what you got, but what you know what to do with what you got.
So all of you - Would you please...All of you people right in there PLEASE go to the stands. Please. Please with ah capital..PP.
Come on y'all. Please go to the stands.
That's right. It might be ah little slow. But you jest got to go.
How, how 'bout it brother.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
Please go to the...DON'T JUMP THE FENCE BECAUSE IT DON'T MAKE SENSE.
[The field is empty except for a few people. Rufus then directs his comments to those individuals who remain on the field]
You in that...You in that upside down umbrella. I'm talkin 'bout you, fella.
He don't mean to be mean. He just wants to be seen.
Look, you ain't no Indian, lady. But you gonna have to get off the field too.
[There is now only one person who remains on the field]
Now...whatever you do now, please. Now would you please hold what you got? [This said in response to a man holding a white cloth or something in his hands & then putting it down on the field. The man stands facing Rufus Thomas and puts his hands on his hips, and then does a split. This is the same man who had the "upside down umbrella".]
Yeah, that's a brother alright.
Yeah, that's a brother alright. But I'll be dammed if he's my brother.
Somebody told him that he's cute, and he wants to show it off out there.
Standin out there lookin like the thing that eat up my grandpa's dog. [The man remains on the field, opening up his black umbrella].
See, the good part about it, the very good part about all of that...Now he KNOWS he's wrong. But if you go out there and try to tell him he's wrong, then he wanna try to woop EVERYBODY. See see he got his fists up now. See see what I'm talkin bout? [The man pretends to shadow box]
And that's what I call our Black brother.
Now, y'all get him off. Y'all go out there and get him off. [A number of people come back on to the field and remove the man]
Get'em off, y'all. Get'em on off. Get'em on off.
Jest take him right on off. And everything will be alright."
-snip-
It's remarkable to me that that entire scene happened with no violence. It's doubtful that any performer nowadays would dare to encourage fans to come down to the football field and dance. Even if the performer wanted to do so, I very much doubt that the concert's producers and security let the performer do so.
I can image that scene ending much differently today than it did in the early seventies. Times have changed, and not always for the better. But one thing is still true, as Rufus Thomas said when he got the crowd to return to their seats, "It ain't what you got. It's what you know what to do with what you got."
-snip-
Here's a better video quality version of Rufus Thomas' performance of "Do The Funky Chicken". This video also includes Thomas performing "Breakdown".
RUFUS THOMAS - "Breakdown' & 'Funky Chicken' LIVE @ WATTSTAX 1973
Uploaded by ianwoodsman on Nov 25, 2011
...RUFUS THOMAS
"Breakdown' & 'Funky Chicken'
LIVE @ WATTSTAX 1973
- I do not claim ownership or copyright of the material in anyway. It just needs to be seen.
****
RELATED INFORMATION & LINKS
These videos are clips of the 1973 film Wattstax. Here's some information about that film from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattstax:
"Wattstax is a 1973 documentary film by Mel Stuart that focused on the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the African American community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974. It was also screened at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition...
The concert was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on August 20, 1972, and organized by Memphis's Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots. Wattstax was seen by some as "the Afro-American answer to Woodstock". To enable as many members of the black community in L.A. to attend as possible, tickets were sold for only $1.00 each."...
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Thomas:
"Rufus Thomas, Jr. (March 27, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian from Memphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the 1950s and on Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s."...
****
The content of this post is presented for historical folkloric, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.
My thanks to Rufus Thomas, the musicians, and the dancers featured on these videos. My thanks also to the film producers, and uploaders of these featured videos.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
In 1972, R&B singer/composer Rufus Thomas performed two songs at the Los Angeles, California concert, Wattstax. Those songs were "Breakdown" and "Do The Funky Chicken". During his rendition of "Breakdown", a number of concert attendees danced in the stands. But during his rendition of "Do The Funky Chicken", with Thomas' encouragement, a very large crowd of young African Americans came down from their seats in the stands and danced in the football field. Most videos of this event are only 4 minutes or so since they end at the conclusion of Rufus Thomas' performance. However the video embedded in this post includes Rufus Thomas talking the crowd back to their seats.
I'm very impressed by Thomas' ability to get the dancers' to return back to the stands. He did so by appealing to Black unity with chanted instructions, humorous asides to those persons moving off the field and to those persons who had remained seated during the impromptu dance off. Rufus Thomas also used other rhyming & unrhymed folk sayings that succeeded in peacefully moving the crowd back to the stands.
"Do The Funky Chicken" is an instruction dance song. Perhaps part of Rufus Thomas' successful "crowd control" was that his encouraging people to return to their seats might have been viewed as an extension of the instructions that he gave throughout that dance song.
A person posted this comment on that video's viewer comment thread offered another reason why the crowd listened to Rufus Thomas & peacefully left the football field:
"it's amazing how these young folks respected Rufus...well not amazing..this generation respected their elders
-bluesgirl4real; February 2012.
-snip-
Maybe part of the reason the concert attendees listened to Rufus Thomas and returned to their seats in the stands was out of respect for his age. Rufus Thomas was certainly older than most R&B performers. But I believe that it was more to it than that. I think that a central reason why the crowd listened to Rufus Thomas & returned to their seats was that he talked to them in a respectful manner, and they gave him respect back. Besides, the crowd knew that there were more concert performers to come once the football field was cleared.
Here's that featured video:
Note: The Rufus Thomas part of the concert ends at 8:09. Right afterwards comedian Richard Pryor is interviewed & tells a joke that includes the "n word". I regret that portion of this video, but I'm sure the readers here are mature enough to ignore that word if they want to in order to view the video of Rufus Thomas, the dancers, and his remarkable crowd control.
Rufus Thomas Do the Funky Chicken
Here's my transcription of Rufus Thomas' successful effort of talking the large crowd back to their seats after he encouraged them to come down & dance on the football field:
[This transcription begins at 4.45 of the video. My explanatory comments are given in brackets. This transcription doesn't include the audiences laughter and cheers in response to Rufus Thomas' words, elements that I also think were critical to his success in moving the crowd off the field.]
Rufus Thomas:
"Now wait ah minute.
Wait a minute!
We all together out here.
We allll gonna have some FUN.
But you ain't supposed to have your fun in the ground-you supposed to be in the stands.
More power to the folks. Let's go to the stand.
MORE POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
MORE POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
MORE POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
And I wish the mic cord was long enough. I'd go to the stands wit ya.
More power to the folks. Let's go to the stand.
Ain't no problem at'tall fellows [said to the security guards off camera]?
See it ain't what you got, but what you know what to do with what you got.
So all of you - Would you please...All of you people right in there PLEASE go to the stands. Please. Please with ah capital..PP.
Come on y'all. Please go to the stands.
That's right. It might be ah little slow. But you jest got to go.
How, how 'bout it brother.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
Please go to the...DON'T JUMP THE FENCE BECAUSE IT DON'T MAKE SENSE.
[The field is empty except for a few people. Rufus then directs his comments to those individuals who remain on the field]
You in that...You in that upside down umbrella. I'm talkin 'bout you, fella.
He don't mean to be mean. He just wants to be seen.
Look, you ain't no Indian, lady. But you gonna have to get off the field too.
[There is now only one person who remains on the field]
Now...whatever you do now, please. Now would you please hold what you got? [This said in response to a man holding a white cloth or something in his hands & then putting it down on the field. The man stands facing Rufus Thomas and puts his hands on his hips, and then does a split. This is the same man who had the "upside down umbrella".]
Yeah, that's a brother alright.
Yeah, that's a brother alright. But I'll be dammed if he's my brother.
Somebody told him that he's cute, and he wants to show it off out there.
Standin out there lookin like the thing that eat up my grandpa's dog. [The man remains on the field, opening up his black umbrella].
See, the good part about it, the very good part about all of that...Now he KNOWS he's wrong. But if you go out there and try to tell him he's wrong, then he wanna try to woop EVERYBODY. See see he got his fists up now. See see what I'm talkin bout? [The man pretends to shadow box]
And that's what I call our Black brother.
Now, y'all get him off. Y'all go out there and get him off. [A number of people come back on to the field and remove the man]
Get'em off, y'all. Get'em on off. Get'em on off.
Jest take him right on off. And everything will be alright."
-snip-
It's remarkable to me that that entire scene happened with no violence. It's doubtful that any performer nowadays would dare to encourage fans to come down to the football field and dance. Even if the performer wanted to do so, I very much doubt that the concert's producers and security let the performer do so.
I can image that scene ending much differently today than it did in the early seventies. Times have changed, and not always for the better. But one thing is still true, as Rufus Thomas said when he got the crowd to return to their seats, "It ain't what you got. It's what you know what to do with what you got."
-snip-
Here's a better video quality version of Rufus Thomas' performance of "Do The Funky Chicken". This video also includes Thomas performing "Breakdown".
RUFUS THOMAS - "Breakdown' & 'Funky Chicken' LIVE @ WATTSTAX 1973
Uploaded by ianwoodsman on Nov 25, 2011
...RUFUS THOMAS
"Breakdown' & 'Funky Chicken'
LIVE @ WATTSTAX 1973
- I do not claim ownership or copyright of the material in anyway. It just needs to be seen.
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RELATED INFORMATION & LINKS
These videos are clips of the 1973 film Wattstax. Here's some information about that film from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattstax:
"Wattstax is a 1973 documentary film by Mel Stuart that focused on the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the African American community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974. It was also screened at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition...
The concert was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on August 20, 1972, and organized by Memphis's Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots. Wattstax was seen by some as "the Afro-American answer to Woodstock". To enable as many members of the black community in L.A. to attend as possible, tickets were sold for only $1.00 each."...
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Thomas:
"Rufus Thomas, Jr. (March 27, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian from Memphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the 1950s and on Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s."...
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The content of this post is presented for historical folkloric, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.
My thanks to Rufus Thomas, the musicians, and the dancers featured on these videos. My thanks also to the film producers, and uploaders of these featured videos.
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