Tennessee Brando -"Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body" (an originally composed Country music song that parodies United States Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene)

Tennessee Brando, May 19, 2024 
-snip-
Tennessee Brando's song "Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body" begins at 4:27 in this video.

Since Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) first said those words on May 16, 2024, a lot of people have published podcasts and music videos that have the title "Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body". 

As of May 21, 2024, Tennessee Brando's composition may be the only music example that isn't a remix or a tune that was created by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Also, Tennessee Brando's song is by far the most viral example of the "Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body" songs/remixes.

The video on X (formerly known as Twitter) was published on May 18, 2024 at 4:26 PM. .As of May 21, 2024 at 3:32 PM that X/Twitter video had a total of 6.5 million views.

The video of Tennessee Brando's song in this pancocojams post was published on YouTube on May 18, 2024. As of May 21, 2024 at 3:40 PM, that video had a total of 165,138 views. 

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0czmKDrJto  for a video that Tennessee Brando published on May 21, 2024 this is a looped (repeating) version of his original song.

Here's a comment from the discussion thread of that YouTube video:
@alibobo2009,May 21, 2024
"We really need some good songs to keep our hearts encouraged.  In the spirit of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seager.  Keeps things serious and light at the same time.  Good one."

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Edited by Azizi Powell 

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series about the now infamous May 16, 2024 United States House (Congressional) Oversight Committee hearing.

This post focuses on Tennessee Brando's originally composed (American) Country music genre song entitled "Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body". The Background section of this video provides information about the inspiration for this song.

This post also includes the lyrics about this song as well as selected comments from the discussion thread for this embedded video. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/05/what-words-bleach-blonde-bad-built.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post showcases C-SPAN footage of a portion of the May 16, 2024 House of Representatives Oversight committee hearing and presents two excerpts about the heated exchange that occurred at that hearing between Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (also known as "MTG", Republican-Georgia, Representative Jasmine Crockett (Democrat-Texas), and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (also known as "AOC", Democrat-New York).

That pancocojams post also presents explanations and comments about the vernacular meanings of the words "bleach blonde", "bad built', and "butch body" that was spoken by Representative Jasmine Crockett during that hearing.

In addition, that pancocojams post presents definitions and comments about the pejorative vernacular meaning of the words "Baby girl, don't even play" that was spoken by Representative Ocasio-Cortez during that May 16, 2024 hearing..

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/05/representative-alexandria-ocasio-cortez.html for Part II of this pancocojams series.That post showcases a video of C-SPAN footage of that May 16, 2024 House of Representatives Oversight Committee hearing, with a focus on the portion of that hearing in which a female Republican House Representative tells two other female Democratic House Representatives to "calm down" and "control themselves".

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Tennessee Brando, and thanks to United States Representative Jasmine Crockett and United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for their words in that May 16, 2024 House Oversight Committee hearing which inspired Tennessee Brando's original song and inspired  numerous other "Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body" remixes. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.    

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BACKGROUND FOR THIS SONG
Tennessee Brando's song "Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body" immortalizes the words that were spoken by Representative Jasmine Crockett (Democrat-Texas) in the form of a question to the Chairman of that Congressional hearing. Crockett asked for clarification about the Committee rules and consequences about making negative personal descriptions of other Representatives.

The words "bleach blonde bad built butch body" are an unflattering description of Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Those words were spoken by Democratic Representative Jasmine Croker on May 16, 2024 as a clever clapback (retort) that was disguised as a question to James Comer, the Republican Chairperson of the United States House (Congressional) Oversight Committee hearing,

As background, during that late night Congressional hearing Greene (who is a White American) snidely referred to the long fake eyelashes that were worn by Crockett (who is African American.). Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez filed a motion to reprimand Greene for violating Committee rules against insulting a Representative's personal appearance. However, the Chairperson basically ignored that motion. At that point, Crockett asked the Chairperson for clarification about what would be considered a violation of that rule, for instance would saying that someone was a bleach blond bad built body a violation of that rule?

There were a lot of heated exchanges between Greene, Crockett, and some other Representatives during that Oversight Committee hearing,. Among the exchanges that occurred that evening was the statement "Oh girl, baby girl, don't even play" that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat- New York) who is known as "AOC" made to Greene.  

Tennessee Brando's original song "Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body" incorporates Crockett's disguised "clapback" and AOC's "baby girl/ don't even play" words along with unflattering descriptions of Marjorie Taylor Greene. Representative Greene is widely known for insulting other Representatives, and is also known for disrupting Congressional hearings and other official United States meetings such as the Presidential State of the Union. 

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INFORMATION ABOUT TENESSEE BRANDO
From https://x.com/Tn_Brando/status/1791928487055405373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etw

"TN Brando

@Tn_Brando

Appalachian Progressive, Meidas Touch Contributor, Singer Songwriter. (He, Him)

[location] Cumberland Gap, Tennessee"
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Tennessee Brando is a White American male.

Here's information about "Meidas Touch" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MeidasTouch
"MeidasTouch is an independently owned and operated media company that describes itself as a pro-democracy news network.^[4] It is one of the most viewed and visited news networks on YouTube in the world, frequently ranking as one of the top channels on the YouTube charts.^[5] The MeidasTouch YouTube channel has over 3 billion views..

[...]

The group name and slogan come from their mother and father, combining their father's last name, Meiselas, and their mother's maiden name, Golden,[14] while alluding to the mythological Greek king Midas known for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold."...
-snip-
The words "Meidas Touch Contributor" in Tennessee Brando's description  mean that Tennessee Brando has a podcast on the Meidas Touch Network. 

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LYRICS - "BLEACH BLONDE BAD BUILT BUTCH BODY"
(Tennessee Brando, composed May 17, 2024)

She’s a bleach blond bad built butch body
Swinging for the fences good God almighty
A heat seeking missile too scared to debate
Cries like a baby when she don’t get her way.


Yes, she can dish it out
But she sure can’t take it.
Her whole damn life
She just fakes it to make it.
Nobody cares what she has to say
New eyelashes wouldn’t help her anyway.

Cuz she’s a bleach blond bad built butch body
Swinging for the fences good God almighty
A heat seeking missile too scared to debate
Cries like a baby when she don’t get her way.

Yeah, she’s out there pushing their propaganda
Can’t get it done just blame it on Brandon
She loves to talk tough and throw around her weight
Old baby girl, don’t even play

Cuz she’s a bleach blond bad built butch body
Swinging for the fences good God almighty
A heat seeking missile too scared to debate
Cries like a baby when she don’t get her way.

Yeah, she cries like a baby when she don’t get her way.
-snip-
This is my unofficial transcription of this song (beginning at 4:27 of this video. Additions and corrections are welcome. 

Here's information about the name "Brandon" in the line "Can’t get it done just blame it on Brandon":
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dark_Brandon
"(US politics, slang, humorous, ironic) Joe Biden (46th and current President of the United States), especially used by liberals to refer to an idea of a more powerful Biden, or to point out something powerful he has actually done"
-snip-
Warning - The Wikipedia page on "Dark Brandon" includes a curse word.

Also, some other Tennessee Brando songs that are found on YouTube include profanity. 

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD

These comments are given in relative chronological order from the earliest publishing date in this YouTube discussion thread May 19, 2024 to May 20, 2024. Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.

May 19, 2024

1. @Makete100
"I love a song that tells the truth and makes me laugh. Way to go TB."

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2. @tracymetherell8744
"Love the song! I knew it was going places when I heard it!"

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3.@ronettebrown1111
"Tennessee Brando, I freaking love you dude you keep it real. There's nothing fake about you, and I have grown to  love as my brother I just want to set one thing straight, I don't care if you're a big white dude from the south with a bunch of tattoos 🫱‍🫲 I love it at the end of the day we only have one creator we're all connected and I'm so proud that you have educated yourself to learn to love others  by the content of their character l I'm going to always support your sister from another mother from Virginia BIG FACTS"

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4. @BeaPawlin-re9tj
"That is hysterical!!  Thank you, Tennessee Brando!  Absolutely priceless - - and makes it so easy to remember Jasmine Crockett's clever words!  Quite a talent you have."

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5. @ACBond-bp5uk
"From an o/seas fan . . .  I LOVE THIS SONG.  I dont follow much in American politics have to say, but I cannot now get this ditty out of my head."

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6. @bovinityleak2066
"1st time I heard this song.

Ya couldn’t see my cheers and applause for it  at the end but just ask my startled puppy"

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7.@silkyswoman
"It’s so damned awesome that Jasmine shared your song!!!"

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8. @anthonyb2282
"Thank you, Mr. Brando. I knew that people would come through for Jasmine. This black man appreciates everything you do for democracy and promoting progressive values. The internet trolls and racists thought they would have the last laugh with how they attacked Jasmine online but I knew MTG would come to rue the day she engaged in that despicable behavior. People like yourself restore my faith in America. I stand with Jasmine and AOC."

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9. @sprig5173
"The power of music shines through again."

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Reply
10. @user-cr7rw5ho3v
"AMEN!"

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11.@wendyjohnson3254
"The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have done to you! MTG broke the rule and it boomeranged back at her! BBBBBB!!!! Thanks Jasmine Crockett and AOC! Thanks Tennessee Brando!"

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12. @thudor1
"Girl, baby GIRL!! Don't even PLAY!!!" is my new favorite AOC quote!!!"

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Reply
13. @lindap6006
"Me too!!"

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14. @sherfromgr
"I'm here in YouTube quite a bit but the first time I saw the song was on Facebook today, in a women's political group! Been sharing it to all the rest of the Facebook I'm in since then and getting lots of hilarity from everybody!"

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15. @venanziocalise946
"Raised in Bronx "don't even play baby girl is fight words."

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16. @patricktilton5377
"The title of the song had me expecting a parody of "Purple People Eater" but even though it took a different tack, it ended up at the same destination -- making MTG look like the trog she is. Bravo, Tennessee Brando!"

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17. @nicolehutchins4531
"Omg! I love love love it! We now have everything from gospel to hip hop to country highlighting Marge's BBBBBB, and I am here for it!! Thank you for everything you are doing for the pro-democracy cause."

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18. @lisasanders4194
"BRANDO!!!!  my friend, this is the very best song!!!! You are so so talented and I love all your songs but this tops them all! Congrats!"

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19. @michaelgallegos8811
"This is Wild Brando!! I knew this tune was going to take off i saw it on Instagram yesterday right on Brando"

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20. @Kim_Miller
"There's always room for a little bit of country singin'. That's a funny song. Earlier this morning I heard another parody set to the tune of The Purple People Eater, a song that came out when I was about ten years old way back in the 1950s. These parodies need to flood all the way into Congress."

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21. @loramoore2714
"Well done Brando…feels like an anti war song from Woody Guthrie…thanks again…Love ya BIG️"

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22. @AnthonyBatemanSr
"Good evening Brando love your new video bro and I love your song which you wrote about Marjorie Taylor Green. I just loved it. Thank you for sticking up for democracy bro. Love you so much and love your videos. Have a good night, brother."

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23. @bjornstahle4652
"Bleach Blonde, Bad Built, Butch Body?  Holy smokes heard that on a few channels as back ground music  (one was a video of MTG working out)!"

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24. @dvanwinkle3061
"Glad you got AOC's "Baby Girl" in there too!"

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25. @cherylj7460
"Wow! Bravo! That was great- really enjoyed!"

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26. @starlightwatcherpac4903
"Thank you for taking the time to create and record your song. So much truth. While searching I found that Patrick Fitzgerald posted the same song name but to the tune of The Purple People Eater. Thanks for you perspectives and considerations."

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27.@karenwhaley8635
"Bravo! Bravo!  ENCORE!!! Love it Brando!"

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28. @rhondastanton
"I just wanna know … did Jasmine Crockett come up with that off the cuff? That was brilliant! And it makes a catchy little tune, too."

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29. @b.comeau2597
"Toe tapping music and lyrics that made me smile! Thank you!"

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30. @gherm66
"Right on bro!"

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31. @pamalawashington9371
"I love it! No matter how popular you get, I will always remember yours as one of the voices that helped to calm and motivate us through this insane and troubling time.  I'm proud of you, and happy to share the right side of history with you."

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32. @sue27june04
"OMG! That song is awesome Brando. Thank you so much."

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33. @margaret7688
"Cute ditty TB!   I also really like Rep. Crockett. Shoots straight from the hip.   I don't think we will continue to see MTraitorG try and bully her or AOC anytime soon. Unfortunately there are times when getting down on a bully's level is called for to ensure that bullies never really win. If you love our Democracy and our country VOTE BLUE!!!"

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34. @user-ne2wd4rz3d
"Country isn't really my style but that's an Awesome song. Nice going Brando!"

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35. @BridgetKF
"A whole bunch of people are now doing remixes of this.  This song is REALLY going wild.  And tons of memes with it, too!"

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36. @TheJoycollie
"I love your song Brando. Killing it"

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37. @gamesturbator
"Warren Hollman did a funny hip-hop remix of Crockett saying "Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body" which was hilarious! Crockett has become a superstar after that interchange, and people like you deserve credit for showing it to the world."

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38. .@lucky08862
"That was great Tennessee Brando! Congratulations on your “ Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body” tune going viral and getting over 5 million views and likes!"

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39.@jeffmykytiuk5642
"I stand behind Crocket from the first time I heard her make any comments! Love her ability to put it out there and not mince words. The song is great- very clever incorporating what both Crocket and AOC said. I was also thinking yesterday about what Michelle Obama said: "When they go low, we go high." I believe, we certainly don't want to stoop to their level; however, there ARE times when you have to stand up to the bully. Why is it that people, especially people in the South, will continuously vote against their own interests, then complain that life mistreats them? I don't think they realize that the candidate they worship and support could care less about their lives and will toss them aside after their vote."

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40. @JR-pr8jb
"Like the folk music of the 60's-70's, music with a message."

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41. @gollygeez7
"Love it! I just died laughing when Jasmine gave MTG that comeback and your song will keep that wonderful moment alive for a long, long time! Keep up the good work on here and thank you."

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42. @derekharris4686
"Mr. Bando! Wow! And thanx! What a great song for these epic times. I already liked you a lot... Now I adore you! Please don't stop ever, I support most of your ideas, however the music fills my my heart. Many thanxs!!!"

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43. @olinewright6877
"Thanks for sharing the song I loved it. I have to say I have heard some other songs about the comment and I liked them too."

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44. @nicholasmills8843
"That's pure gold Mr. Brando, that made my day.

Bravo to you sir, and hope it wins you a grammy or whatever they're called these days."

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45. @dianeduck7371
"First time hearing it just love it. Was glad you added the baby girl part in there. Your very talented. Keep up the good work. I'm always scrolling till I see you then have to see what you have to say. Thanks for all you do for us."

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46. @leecrowell3198
"Great song, catchy and clever."

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47. @danielhunt3212
"That was great!! First time I’ve heard you sing and strum. You sound great. I love Meidas Touch and I always stop and listen when you pop up. You’re breaking many stereotypes of Southerners. I hate how the Right Wing has capitalized on Southern folks while simultaneously mocking them. I’m Yankee born but Southern raised so I think I have a pretty good perspective on this. The South has been voting against their own best interests for years. Keep up the great work, I’m tuned in."

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48. @edmundcasey7765
"I enjoy listening to your commentary. ..THIS SONG IS A HIT"

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49. @nectardelgado3043
"Awesome Brando!!!

Your song is great, and right on point.    You’re a great song writer and good voice too!

Thanks!"

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50. @marisabella2650
"Oh my gosh how wonderful Jasmine Crocket shared your song...I hope it got under MTG skin"

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May 20, 2024

51. @nicksmith1415
"Love it mate. Oh baby Bleach Blonde, Bad Built, Butch Body Girl. Been following you from the UK for a while. Enjoying your take on it all. Keep up the good work"

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52. @bigpoppa1fasho
"I want to make it my ringtone"

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53. @shadowlynx1958
"This song is a gem!  I love your satire!  And the chorus is perfection!"

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54. @paulineblount626
"Brando you have made my day!!! I could not stop laughing

Good job man!!"

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55. @Michael-nf1ej
"Keep pushing' brother!  We're getting there!   VOTE BLUE up and down all ballots."

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56. @CraftyGrandmaDem
"I loved your song!!!  You did so well with all the B words in a row.  I was happy you got AOC's "Baby Girl"  It was wonderful!  I'll smile every time the song plays in my head.

Vote Biden/Blue all the way down the ballot."

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57. @KCD1962
"I love your YouTube channel Brando. Keep getting after them.  Your song was fantastic.  It put a smile on my face and made me laugh.  AOC and Jasmine are great. I especially love to watch Jasmine get after Republicans.  She is so smart, knowledgeable, articulate, quick witted, and fiery. We have quite a few Democrats in Congress that are being aggressive. Which is what we need. You've said this and I can't agree more. But my favourite to watch is Jasmine."

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58. @gretatableau5224
"i love the song! esp the 'baby girl dont even play' line. you're the best"

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59. @aliciab4tyMze
"Love the song sir..this is a new camp fire banger. Had me clappin and hummin"

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60. @bwinter8523
"I'm a metalhead so I normally wouldn't listen to country but I laughed and enjoyed. Nice work man."

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61. @lauraknapp1942
"Congratulations Tennessee Brando, you nailed it!"

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62. @Gee90210
"Love country music"

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63. @westonknight7474
"yep, you killed it... Nicely done, my brother."

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64. @Gaunt877
"That is so cool Crockett liked it."

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65. @A-Milkdromeda-Laniakea-Hominid
"That's the first Brando song i ever heard bro. I been here for what you have to say, for your addiction story, and your general good vibe. Not a country music fan myself but that there is a gem. Get in a booth and add some drums and bass to it!"

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61. @richarddouglas2344
"That song was awesome I give that song 10/10"

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62. @marn6923
"Love your song! Not normally a country music fan but the lyrics raised my spirits. I laughed out loud at the line "...some new eyelashes wouldn't help her anyway..." Congratulations on its success!"

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63. @MrAngV
"Hilarious!! Very catchy tune. You rock."

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64. @deborahdavis6801
"Been seeing a lot of tunes on YouTube about this line, but you are definitely the best one!!"

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65. @susanwade4796
"Very- COOL!!! Thanks Brando, with  HUGS to ya!"

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66. @terrigo18
"Awesome Brandon!!!

My son is a songwriter also.  Some of his songs came to him so fast just like you said about this one."

Great job!!!"

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67. @joanstewart983
"I love your videos.  That song is really cool."

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68. @tammystockley-loughlin7680
"I want to add the song to my Playlist. I don't Twitter or Facebook. Positive vibes from New Hampshire,remember to be kind to each other and yourself during these trying times."

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69. @judijames4388
"I really hope MTG has heard your song!!! It's great!!"

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70. @dizzypilots2639
"Congrats Brando! Much respect."

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71, @sandburgmartin7947
"T.B. Good singing & song crafting. Guitar with that C chord base sounds good too. Singing about real things is in the spirit of Woody(Guthrie) and Pete(Seeger). Hope they are shining down on you."

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This concludes Part III of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Why Is Country Music Considered White Music? (2019 Huffingon Post video, article excerpt, & video comments)

HuffPost. Jul 16, 2019

Country music was born out of the black American experience. And yet, while black artists from Beyonce to Lil Nas X have written important country songs, country music is still considered by many to be mostly a space for white artists. Exploring the complicated racial legacy of country music reveals why the genre often goes from being a musical form to a vehicle for difficult conversations around race and identity.
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No reader comments are shown with this 2019 article.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video about Country Music in the United States that was published by Huffington Post in July 2019.

An excerpt of a July 2019 Huffington Post article on that subject is also presented in this pancocojams post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Huffington Post for publishing this article and this video. Thanks to all those who were associated with this article and this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post.

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ARTICLE EXCERPT: WHY IS COUNTRY MUSIC CONSIDERED SO WHITE

Country music is deeply rooted in the black American experience, and yet the genre hasn't quite lost its original racial designation.

By Isaac Himmelman, July 17, 2019

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/country-music-black-artists_n_5d2de760e4b085eda5a25516

..."Music scholars often acknowledge the black musical influence on country music chords, pointing out things like the African origin of the banjo and the genre’s deep roots in blues music.

[...]

“Country music is a stand-in for a lot of conversations that we are too often afraid to have, or even when we want to have them, we don’t necessarily have the language to do so effectively,” said Charles Hughes, a music scholar and the director of the Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center at Rhodes College.

For example, when Beyoncé performed her song “Daddy Lessons” at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards alongside the Dixie Chicks, she faced backlash from some country fans who called into question her country bona fides. This further sparked the conversation around which artists get to call themselves “country,” and perhaps more to the point, which artists don’t.

“A lot of folks really celebrated [the CMA performance], not just as a really cool example of what country music could sound like, but also as potentially a symbol of the changing — or, at least, loosening — boundaries, in terms of who and what gets to be country,” Hughes said. At the same time, “the moment created that same old anger that we’ve seen too often about ... what country music is supposed to represent in terms of race, in terms of gender, in terms of a certain kind of identity.”

Country music’s association with white identity goes back not just to the beginning of country music, but to the beginning of musical genre itself, Hughes said.

Starting in the 1920s, at the dawn of the recorded music industry and at the height of the Jim Crow era, record companies began marketing genres like gospel and blues specifically to black audiences as “race music” or “race records.”

“The record industry marketed and promoted and created a language about the music from the beginning, and this continues through this day in some way, in which whiteness is, if not on the surface, then right below it.”

- Charles Hughes, music scholar

Meanwhile, white audiences were sold country music — or, as it was originally called, “hillbilly music.” The genre was musically and thematically rooted in the black American experience, and yet, it “was very explicitly thought of as being the music of white southerners or white folks who had recently moved out of the south into northern or western cities,” Hughes said.

Despite the work of black country artists like Charley Pride or Ray Charles’ seminal country album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,” the genre has never quite lost its original racial designation.

“The record industry marketed and promoted and created a language about the music from the beginning, and this continues through this day in some way, in which whiteness is, if not on the surface, then right below it,” Hughes said.

Still, there is reason to believe the genre could be changing. A new crop of diverse artists, including Jimmie Allen and Kane Brown, are making waves on the country music charts.".
-snip-
The bold font was used in that article.

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VIRtikKEnw&t=477s

1. @_Peremalfait, 2020
"If you listen to early recordings of blues and country there's very little difference one from the other except for the race of the musicians. So that's probably your answer right there. Segregation. Black and white musicians borrowed from one another all the time, listening to each other over the radio, but were not allowed to play together or collaborate."

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2. @vr6535, 2020
"Buna I wrote my senior thesis on the origins of country music. Country was folk and brought of by slaves on the ships; and your right the blues melted with the mountain folk (hillbillies) who played banjos in south. It eventually evolved into Opry style and influenced Tejano music in Texas/Mexico. It’s all combines :)"

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Reply
3. @damuni1,2020
"@vr6535  So based on your research for your senior thesis, did Irish, Scottish, English and Welsh folk music had minor influence in the development of country music compared to African folk music? Or how would you allot the percentages of influence?"

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Reply
4. @_s827, 2020
"@damuni1  hi, I play early country music ("old time music", the Appalachian fiddle and banjo stuff and ballad singing that evolved from the Irish music you're excited about). Country music was developed from fiddle/banjo stringband music after the coming of recording companies and radio in approx the 1930's.  That fiddle/banjo music is absolutely a hybrid of European and African music styles and instruments, and absolutely no one (except ignorant angry people on the internet in 2020) disputes that. 

The most important and unfortunate part of the story of that music is that when recording companies arrived on the scene, they artificially segregated Southern music into white "hillbilly music" (the name for country before they called it country) and "race records" (blues and  everything else related to folk music played by Black people). Eventually Black fiddling and banjo playing died down substantially due to lack of support from the recording, radio, and entertainment industry. There is ENDLESS oral history from musicians of all races from the South that indicates that the removal of Black musicians from the 'country' category was artificially induced by the recording industry that eventually created country music."

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Reply
5. @shepglennon8760, 2022
" @damuni1  it's also important to note that AP Carter, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and Jimmie Rodgers, the first and second generations of country music Mt Rushmore, all were mentored by Black artists."

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Reply
6. @shepglennon8760, 2022
"Dead Bear, if it's so Celtic then why did AP Carter and Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams Sr and Johnny Cash all have Black mentors?"

**
7. @veridicusmaximus6010, 2020
"It's considered so white because that is who the majority musicians are - Duh!"

**
8. @sunflowerz54, 2021
"Oh for Pete sake have you ever heard of Charlie pride!!!"

**
9. @majesticalshimmer6105, 2021
"Dude country music isn't tied to race i know many black folks who love country music"

**

10. @k.8297, 2022
"Black people and old timers in general HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN that COUNTRY MUSIC WAS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN INVENTION! Once again, white americans who seek to white-wash american history WILL ALWAYS DENY THIS TRUTH, but we KNOW OUR HISTORY and country WAS NEVER WHITE to begin with, but was APPROPRIATED like everything else in America! Was not Elvis' "Hound Dog" ORIGINALLY Recorded by Big Mama Thornton A BLACK WOMAN back in 1952? Elvis was singing the COVER SONG of a black woman the ENTIRE TIME, but they LET YOU THINK it was originally his... Black and Indigenous People of America KNOW OUR HISTORY! Do you know yours???'

**
11. @NoBody-pf2nv,2023
" "You can't talk about music without talking about race." What nonsense.

Why is it always that "educated" scholars at university have to conflate race and identity with the very things that unite us all the most? There is nothing to gain from it.

The only thing it allows is for is the justification to force a group of people to hate themselves or their ancestors and be sorry for something they have no control over.

Disliked."

**
Reply
12. @DaRegime, 2023
"Literally the entire society we live in was founded and groomed on the basis of race and identity. Everything done/most of the things we have today was influenced by black people in some shape or form. This is NOT to say White folk aren't talented and don't contribute because they are/absolutely do contribute, and I would never discredit them. But thats literally the point, white people in these mediums have erased the black identity, or rather DNA, and claimed it as solely their own. That's the issue. That's always been the issue, and it should not be forgotten/not discussed so easily. Have nothing but love for you, but these types of videos need to be out there and people have to stop being so angry when faced with the truth."

**
13. @gregcager2, 2024
"Black people already know country music came from us my grandfather loves him some lightnin hopkins and if u listen to him u can't get  no country than that it just the record company call it the blues, country music to me it just the white  man blues and like everything in America especially back then  blacks start something whites redo it call it something else rock and roll and country music have there foundation in the blues.

**
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome. 

Montgomery Riverfront Brawl (August 5, 2023) With Comments That Refer To Jason Aldean's Controversial Country Music Song "Try That In A Small Town"

Inside Edition, August 8,2023

A 16-year-old is being dubbed a "real-life Aquaman" for swimming to the rescue in the midst of a riverfront brawl. The incident happened at the Montgomery Riverfront in Alabama. The fight broke out after a dock worker who tried to move a boat that was preventing a riverboat from docking was jumped by a group of five men. When the riverboat docked, some of the passengers became involved in the brawl. Inside Edition's Sibila Vargas has more.

-snip-
Statistics as of August 9, 2023 at 4:31 PM EDT 
total # of views -758,832

total # of comments - 2,750
-snip-
Update: August 10, 2023 - I just noticed that this video is now age restricted and only able to be viewed on YouTube. I don't know when that changed.
 

****

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision - August 10, 2023

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series about the August 5, 2023 incident that is known as "the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl" and other names.

This post presents two article excerpts with information about the "Montgomery Brawl". This post also showcases some comments and "tweets" about that fight which include references to Jason Aldean May 2023 controversial Country music song "Try That In A Small Town".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/08/montgomery-alabama-brawl-august-5-2023.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents information about "the Montgomery Brawl" from its Wikipedia page..

That post also includes some examples of Black folks' comments about the Montgomery Brawl from a YouTube discussion thread.*

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/08/black-peoples-montgomery-riverboat.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post presents some comments from Black people about the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl that mention the ancestors. 

The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this YouTube video that is embedded in this post. 
-snip-

*I've come across a number of racist comments from White people in YouTube discussion threads and other online discussion threads about the "Montgomery Brawl".

I chose not to include any examples of those comments in this pancocojams series.

However, if people are sincerely doubtful about whether racism against Black people still exists in the United States, I suggest that they discussion theads about the so-called Montgomery Brawl.

Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Try_That_in_a_Small_Town for the Wikipedia page about country music singer Jason Aldean's song "Try That In A Small Town"

There are a number of online articles about that Jason Aldean song and racism. Here's a link to one of those articles: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/20/jason-aldean-try-that-in-a-small-town-rightwing-embrace "Jason Aldean’s Try That in a Small Town sums up the delusions of the right wing

Arwa Mahdawi, 20 Jul 2023

The embrace of the country star’s anti-city ‘modern lynching song’ by Republicans encapsulates their nostalgia and paranoia

****

SELECTED COMMENTS & TWEETS ABOUT THE MONTGOMERY BRAWL THAT REFER TO JASON ALDEAN'S SONG "TRY THAT IN A SMALL TOWN"

These online sources are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Online Source #1
https://www.newsweek.com/alabama-boat-brawl-sparks-jason-aldean-jokes-videos-1818048 "Alabama Boat Brawl Sparks Jason Aldean Jokes, Videos", by Nick Mordowanec, 8/7/23

"The incident took place at about 7 p.m. on Saturday, according to Montgomery law enforcement officials. Videos posted online from the scene show a group of white men attacking a Black dock worker after a pontoon boat reportedly blocked the Harriott II Riverboat attraction from parking near Montgomery Riverfront Park.

Aldean's track was released in July and received a flurry of praise and scrutiny due to its lyrics, video location and Country Music Television (CMT) dropping the song and video from its regular rotation. The video was filmed outside of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a white mob killed Henry Choate, a Black man, in 1927.

[…[

M0NSTER

@M0NSTER_R0N

Jason Aldean has made white kids way too brave. A black security guard at a Mobile, Alabama River asked some white kids to move their boat and they decided to jump him. So the rest of the black community that was there jumped in to defend him. Try that in a small town! 😅

8:19 PM · Aug 6, 2023

[...]

X

@OldManZack

The best part of the Alabama river boat brawl is that the internet has adopted Jason Al dean’s ‘Try that in a small town’ as the soundtrack to the ass whipping those racists bastards got

5:39 AM · Aug 7, 2023
-snip-
Attached to this "tweet" is a GIF of a White man with a beard doing the kiss of satisfaction gesture with his fingers to his mouth.

[…]

SC King👑 (He/Him)✊🏿🇬🇳🏳️‍🌈❤️‍🔥

@ZaneTheGenie

The way black people are repurposing Jason Aldean's "try that in a small town" as a black anthem after the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl is the kind of delicious irony I live for.

12:39 AM · Aug 7, 2023
-snip-

Attached to this "tweet" is a GIF of a Black man standing in front of a water front smiling and making a bushing his palms together gesture of great satisfaction.

Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed wrote Sunday on X that local police "acted swiftly to detain several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job."

He added that warrants were being signed and that "justice will be served."….
-snip-

Comments from that article’s discussion thread,with  numbers assigned for referencing purposes only.
1. Emmanuel Goldst, August 8, 2023
"Hmm, who knew that Montgomery was a small town."

**
Reply
2. Patrick Watson, August 8, 2023
"It is compared to other majors cities. Even OCK has more people. Simple math would tell you that."

-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City
Oklahoma City…., officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma"...

****
Online Source #2
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/alabama-riverboat-brawl-memes-try-that-in-a-small-town/ "Alabama riverboat brawl videos keep getting set to Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’"

The controversial country song has been repurposed to mock the attackers.

Mikael Thalen Mikael Thalen Tech Posted on Aug 7, 2023
"The viral Alabama riverboat brawl, an incident which saw pontoon boaters and riverboat employees throwing fists in Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday, is being combined with the controversial song “Try That In A Small Town” by country singer Jason Aldean.

The situation unfolded over the weekend after video surfaced showing a group of men refusing to move their pontoon boat that was blocking the city-owned riverboat the Harriot II. One of the men associated with the pontoon boat kicked off the brawl after attacking the riverboat employee attempting to get him to move.

The chaotic scene saw everything from another employee jumping in the water to aid his coworker, a metal folding chair being used as a weapon, and responding police desperately attempting to bring the crowd under control.

Memes regarding the incident have since exploded online, with endless comparisons being made between the fight and Marvel’s the Avengers. But the hottest meme so far appears to be the one that adds the controversial country song to the footage.

Just last month, Aldean faced criticism after releasing a music video for the song that many felt contained racial undertones. Specifically, given the video’s footage of Black Lives Matter protests, allegations were made that the video was calling for violence against the Black community.

Although Aldean vehemently denied the insinuation, the song has now taken on a life of its own. And given the racial aspects of the brawl, which saw the white pontoon boaters fighting with Black employees and onlookers, the incident is being used to highlight what happens when you “try that in a small town” and throw the message back in Aldean’s fac

[…]

Some memes using the song even contained images of assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who lived for several years in Montgomery.

Montgomery is steeped in civil rights history. The Montgomery bus boycott began there when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person.

“They done added ‘Try that in a small town’ lol,” another said of the footage.

[…]

Multiple arrests were made in the wake of the incident, although Montgomery police have not released the identities of those involved. The incident is currently under investigation and charges are expected to come in the coming days."

****
Online Source #3 
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/best-memes-reactions-montgomery-riverboat-205600064.html "Best Memes, Reactions to the Montgomery Riverboat Brawl" published by Stephanie Holland, August 7, 2023 

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: WARNING- Some examples include profanity and/or a form of the n word.]

1.Donald,August 7, 2023
"Way I see it the white dudes on the pontoon "tried that in a small town" and got their butts beat by the small town members. A well earned butt beating at that. No one I know thinks of that song in racial terms. It's right vs wrong. White guys were wrong, black guys were right, and they tuned them up. Good on them."

**
Reply
2. mike,August 7, 2023
"Montgomery Al isn’t exactly a small town and it’s 60 percent black"

****
Online Source #4 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjvUaVNhnMo "Massive Brawl Breaks Out on Alabama Riverfront Dock" published by Inside Edition, Aug 8, 2023

All of these comments are from August 8, 2023

1. @user-go1pl6em3n
"This is how black Americans handle white supremacist in Jason Aldean's "Small Town".

**
2. @drcackle
"They ended it in a small town jason whatchu ganna do ??"

**
3. @ryanjoseph9335
"Hey Siri. Play that song "Try that in a small town." "

**
4. @captdoug
"Looks like those people on the pontoon boat or listen to Jason Aldean song and went to the wrong small town.

**
5. @AreTheyWhiteOrPink
"They said try that in a small town and it backfired 😂😂😂"

**
6. @naidraug1990
"This is with Jason meant by “Try that in a small town”"

**
7.@autumnjade815
"They tried it in someone else’s town and found out!"

**
8. @dirtditch3
"Those were the good ole boys from the small town."

**
9. @JO-wd2qs
"Guess they tried it in a small town 🤦🏾"

**
10. @mannyapaza4743
"I guess don't try that in a small town 😂"

**
11. @YeshuaBenYehova
"Is this what Jason Aldean was talking about?? 😂😂"

**
12. @bobbydanka3649
"Try that in a small town! Oh wait."

**
13. @letzride1503
"The people in the small pontoon boat tried it in a small town and it did not end very well for them!"

**
14. @danielmonsivais9167
"Looks like everybody felt just like Jason Aldean over on  the dock. Good job Jason Aldean for that great song you made for your followers to follow and get some sense knocked into them. I don’t feel sorry for any of those who got their butts kicked...."

**
Reply
15. @TURK_182
"If you'd listen to the song, you'd realize it's not about race, it's about standing up for your self & your community like these people did when the security guard was attacked."

**
Reply
16. @jeffreywharton512
"I don’t think the song ever condoned tag-teaming a boat captain/security."

**
17. @letzride1503
"The people in the small pontoon boat tried it in a small town and it did not end very well for them!"

**
18. @carolyn4203
"How Entitled Do you have to be to think you can taking a Boat Parking Space from A City River Boat? That is massive entitlement....that's like me parking in a Police Parking Spot and being told to move and then I start fighting and cursing everyone out...just unbelievable.

**
Reply
19. @yo3rdtier128
"Yeah, those small town folks tried that in Montgomery and got their a*s kicked. 🤣"
****

Online Source #5 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Fj3ALsVhw WILD Alabama Riverfront BRAWL! Black People DEFEND Worker Against White Assailants.", Roland Martin,August 8, 2023

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: WARNING- Some examples include profanity and/or a form of the n word.]

All of these comments are from August 8, 2023

1.@bait3027
"Try that in a small town. Okay"

**
2. @philipcurry122
"The country song is about small towns folks stand up for what is right . It is a song about all people doing right thing. In this situation the white guys were wrong and they got whooped from those the song about people standing together for what is right ."

**
3. @bermyFairn
"That Jason Aldean tune would fit this real good"

**
4. @kingmetalphace
"Jason Aldean got these folks hype as hell. Got that ass whooped “in a Small town” "

**
5. @kb0824
"The Aldean take was a stretch because this situation basically is what that song is about.  A person doing his job and gets attacked and those individuals found out what can happen in a small town when people take care of each other."

**
6. @ChickenNoodle883
"This is the perfect example of dont "Try that in a small town" because the locals will come and help the guy against the bad guys."

**
7. @user-zx7rd6im1f
"​ @greatone275 Send Aldean the video."

**
Reply
8. @leonbrooker8150
"@user-zx7rd6im1f  I agree! His song sends smoke signals and dog whistles to those believe that they can exact injustice and violence with impunity!

Well on this day the predators became the prey and the prey became the predators and justice is served cold!!!!"

**
9. @paulahampton2592
"You know why some people think that they can just do what they want how dare that black man tell us what we can do. You know how the hell  whyte people are and how they think"

**
Reply
10. @jsteel3095
"That was wrong for them to do that.He was just doing his job."

**
Reply
11. @rauldelgado9409
"It's what happens when you mix jason aldean and meth"

****

Online Source #6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=381HJ902Dh4 "YTE PEOPLE HAVE FINALLY SPOKEN ON THE MONTGOMERY BOAT B.RAWL‼️:, published by Star Trends, August 8, 2023

August 8, 2023

1. @poppasmurf2044
" Jason Aldean...they listened to that "fake cowboy in bedazzled skinny jeans".  Lol, that arrogant song led them astray."
-snip-
The first part of this quote was said by one of the White women who is featured in this video (woman with the green topat 1:46 in that video.).

**
Reply
2. @startrendzz
"Wayyy too much"

**
3, @manudogom1764, August 9, 2023
"@poppasmurf2044 don't forget that Budweiser too"

**
Reply
4. @poppasmurf2044,August 9, 2023
"Especially when drinking too much leads to a whooping like these folks got."

**
5. @dwaynematteos5749
"Jason Aldean : "Try that in a small town". Black and White Allies : "Try that in a big city!" "

**
6. @Ms9mmBeretta
"I guess they thought they could tell people not to try no sh-t* in a small town, they found out they couldn't try it either."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in that comment.

**
7. @jimmiehouse7736
"These are the old boys, in a small town"

**
8. @williamahenderson4605
"The security guard was doing his job at the River Front Park in, Montgomery; Alabama. I do not care for violence, self defense; yes! So try that in a small town did not work, General Custer😅??" **

****
August 9, 2023

9.@MomCheeto4
"First off, let me say that the gang assault on the man in Montgomery, AL over the weekend was nothing but WRONG and the people who came to his defense were nothing but RIGHT!!!  The instigators should be charged!!  Along with that, I want to speak to the comments that are referring to Jason Aldean's song/video, "Try That in a Small Town".  It's not saying, "don't protest injustice here" but rather "don't do things like this (scenes in the music video) AS a form of protest!"  As a Black woman who sees and hears of the acts of violence in large cities like NY, Chicago, LA, I realized immediately that song should be an anthem to ANY small town in America! 

After hearing it, my hopes were that it WOULD also become an anthem for communities and neighborhoods in cities that experience violence and crime 24/7!  That when people see crimes, assaults, acts of violence being committed against individuals or property, neighbors would come to their aid!  How unaware could you be to not know that "small towns" just don't consist of White people???  They can be Black, White, and racially diverse but the bottom line is that neighbors and communities in the so-called small towns look out for each other so don't think the acts of violence and vandalism will go unpunished like they seem to in a big city. 

Certain celebs and certain TV talk shows (ahem, ahem) have painted a "racist" picture of this video to the point where so many people have missed the REAL message.  And the White people who are jumping on the bandwagon to call it that need to check themselves and pay close attention to the "race" of most of the images being violent in that music video.  Malcolm X certainly had his opinion on (white) "conservatives" but it's especially interesting to hear what he had to say about (white) liberals. If folks try doing the violent things depicted in Jason's video (which are actual news footage....or did some of you forget that) in YOUR "small" town, why would it be wrong for the police force and the citizens, Black, White, whatever, to stand in opposition and say it's wrong?-

In my opinion, Jason's song should be played as background every time the video of the Montgomery "brawl" is shown!  Yeah, those folks with the little pontoon "tried it".  So, my hat's off to all those who came to the rescue and said "NO, not today!!"
snip-
I reformatted this comment to increase its readability.

**
10. @flaboi8998
"As a POC I actually think this is what that country singer meant them white dude tried and found out we take care of our own"

**
11. @thornyback
"I'm white and I condone this message. I am appalled by the white people who stood by and did not stop the initial fight. I love how that song got coopted for its rightful purpose, to reveal the ugliness of racism. That goes for anyone who judges people based on the color of their skin."

**
12. @missemiss7397
"As for the Jason Aldean song this is perfect because it’s not about color it’s about violent foolishness and they just learned what happens to violent fools."

**
13. @avianthony6149
"Jason Aldean wasn't talking about white people when he made the song try that in a small town, he is referring to all small town no matter the race.. in that Montgomery Boat Brawl situation, the key was to neutralize the threat and to defend the man who was being jumped.. but when we take our violence to people who didnt have nothing to do with it.. thats the problem.. hitting an elderly woman with a chair when she is already on the ground is not good.."

**

14. @truthiscensored
"It's bad when your song trending for all the wrong reasons...Aint that right Jason Aldean?"

**
15. @keithbell9348
"Shout out to Jason Aldean.

For his

"Try THIS in a small town".

Because the

small town showed up!"

**
16.  @Kcrink1
"That one girl totally misinterpreted the Jason Andean song. He was advocating for the community regardless of race helping those in need. So technically he would be rooting for the majority Black individuals defending the man that was being attacked. 🤦🏾‍♂️"

**
17. @arabionjames9290
"Well they tried it in a small town.

Got their asses beat in a small town.

We are rolling deep for ever."

**
18. @kimberlyosborne1977
"I think this is a perfect example of Jason Aldean song. Try that in a small town. They did try it and they found out😂😂😂 how a small town will come together. They had one man in the ground. What did they think was going to happen. Got some act right😂😂😂"

**
19. @barbsmith6634
"Yes indeed they deserved what they got, shameful, some ppl just never grow up, that’s some lil kid ish, bullies at their finest, but the blonde blaming Aldean song, SMFH, I’m sure he meant all races, not just white ppl live in small towns , he is talking about communities taking care of each other, I’m sure Jason is laughing at how the children got their butts handed to them by the adults, my motto is LIVE AND LET LIVE, wish the world would think the same. 

**
20. @mwoods4608

"its not just small yt towns... Maybe in Nebraska, but in Alabama f around and find out!"

****
Online Source #7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQcsAKNUUjc "UPDATE: White Riverboat Brawlers Face No Hate Crime Charges", published by Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey, Aug 9, 2023 
 "Three white men will be facing charges over the Alabama riverboat brawl where they ganged up on a Black worker, but none of them are hate crime charges"...Read more here: https://atlantablackstar.com/2023/08/...

August 9, 2023
1. @tyronebrown5766
"Try that in a small town 😂"

**
Reply
2. @toxicblackman
"😂😂😂😂"

**
Reply
3. @kbolling79
"Montgomery Alabama isn't a small town 😂 it's the 2nd largest city in the state of Alabama"

**
Reply
4. @tyronebrown5766
"@kbolling79  You slow ass missed the point. This comment not for you ...."

**
Reply
5. @mattlake3282
"😂😂😂"

**
6. @alfredobarrientoz7305
"why don't y'all play "Try that in a small town"   Jason Aldean 😂😂i😂"

****
Online Source #8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1gURBEmyj8 "Alabama police make arrests, issue warrants in viral riverfront brawl", published by TODAY, August 9,2023

 
1. @texasiguana, August 9, 2023
"Jason Aldean, Montgomery asks, "How do you like me now!""

**
Reply
2. @albertmendez2262, August 9, 2023
"Shouldn’t have tried that in a small town. 😂😂"

**
Reply
3. @budgiecat2885, August 10, 2023
"@albertmendez2262  Exactly. Jason's song is fitting warning/told you so to the white boaters"

****

This concludes Part II of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Black Americans & American Country Music: A Black Woman"s Childhood Memories Of Her Sister Singing & Dancing To Arlo Guthrie's 1972 Cover Of The American Folk/Country Record "The "City Of New Orleans"

Michele², Jul 13, 2012

1977 - "Best of Arlo Guthrie"

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series about the 1970 American folk song "City Of New Orleans" that was written by Steve Goodman and popularized by Arlo Guthrie, Willie Nelson, and others.

This post showcases a YouTube sound file of Arlo Guthrie singing "City Of New Orleans". This post also includes selected comments from a sub-thread of that YouTube sound file. In that sub-thread an African American woman shares her childhood memories of her sister singing that song and making up a country dance while she sang it. Many of the comments in that sub-thread (including some that aren't quoted in this compilation) question why that woman mentioned race in her comment.

This compilation documents some commenters' views that race shouldn't be a factor in what types of music people like. This compilation also documents some commenters' views that there is no such thing as race or that a person's race (i.e. "a person's skin color") doesn't make any difference.  

In addition, some examples in this compilation indicate that the train song "City Of New Orleans" isn't country music, but folk music.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/07/steve-goodman-s-city-of-new-orleans.html  for Part I of this series. That post showcases a video of a performance of this song by its composer Steve Goodman, joined by his friend American country music singer John Prine. The lyrics to that song are also included in that pancocojams post along with information about that train.

In addition, that pancocojams post presents some comments about the song "City Of New Orleans" from a Mudcat folk music discussion thread. Special attention is given to the song's line "freight yards full of old black men" and that song's reference to Pullman porters.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Steve Goodman, the composer of this song, for his musical legacy. Thanks also to Arlo Guthrie for his musical legacy and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube and special thanks to @marilyndaniels9562 whose initial comment sparked that YouTube discussion thread conversation and whose replies enriched that online conversation.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/09/2019-article-excerpt-african-american.html for a closely related 2019 pancocojams post entitled "2019 Article Excerpt -"African American Influence on Country Music Can’t Be Understated, or Overstated" (with selected comments)".

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/07/youtube-film-documenting-life-of-black.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "YouTube Film Documenting The Life Of Black Musician/Composer DeFord Bailey, The First Country Music Performer To Have His Music Recorded In Nashville, Tennessee".

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS SOUND FILE'S DISCUSSION THREAD
(with numbers added for referencing purposes only)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMS_ykiLiQ

2021

1. @marilyndaniels9562
"I am black I had a sister that liked country western songs. when I was a teen this song came out my sister which was a older teen used to sing this song to me  and dance this little country dance after a while she had me singing the song I never could do the dance but she convinced me how great the song the city of New Orleans is. She is no longer on  this t plain but iI still see her singing and dancing her little made up country dance and it always makes me smile. Thank u  Arlo gutherie"

**
Reply
2. @JesseMaust
"That is such a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it."

**
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3.@rileycpo
"We are not truly divided! My father was a railroad yard master in Rochester, New York. He loves this song to this day. It speaks! We could so link arms and tell the stories of our lives in this country!"

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2022

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4. @marilyndaniels9562
"I want to thank well wishers who sent such heart lifting and sweet replies. I was 13 in the 70s and my sister was 18. My sister was my friend as well as my family and all the replies is so  heart warming thank you all so much🎼🤗"

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5. @californiadreaming9216
"Hi Marilyn thank you for your comment. Sounds like a great memory. For the record... there is no such thing as white or black. There are just several billion people clinging to this rock called Earth flying through space trying to survive and to love and to be loved. Cheers"

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6. @frankenboston
"i Love this story so much its heartwrenching heartwarming so sweet . i can almost see the coolest cutest dance in my minds eye of your sister doing it. it's now a permanent part in the memory when I'll hear this song"

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7. @angelabennett7849
"What a sweet memory of your sister. Brought tears to my eyes. I loved this song too and I’m not a country music fan."

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8. @stevengarrett7222
"It's a beautiful song. I remember listen to it on the radio as a small child is born in 1960 , this song has stuck in my heart every since"

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9. @judsonsimzer1463
"Amen, brother from another mother 😊🙏"

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10. @julianneal6178
"What has your colour got to do with this song"

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11. @marilyndaniels9562
" @julianneal6178  I was a motown and gospel kid. My sister did her made up dance and sang this song to me every morning before we went to school.  she was into  country western and folk  she convinced me how great The new orleans song is and I fell in love with this song when I was a young kid."

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12. @patboyle8734
"Beautiful story.Funny how music can cross all barriers .Keep your sister memories alive."

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13. @ericschulze5641
"Bless you My sister ❤  I'm a white man and can tell you NOWONE CARES what color you are."

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14. @danielbohland5271
"I definitely wouldn't say this is country western it was soft rock singer-songwriter folk rock"

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15. @marilyndaniels9562
"@danielbohland5271  yes someone a while back let me know its a folk song and that Arlo Guthrie sang  the song and should I say very well but was not the creator of the music or the words."

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16. @bethtindall9208
"What a beautiful memory and love to you for sharing! Peace ✌️"

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17. @baiyuantongbei
"No words for such a beautiful tribute to your sister. Interesting you mentioned your ethnicity, although I suppose to we european americans, it is an unusual connection. My high school VP (of 40 years ago), whom I still call "dad" because of his care for me and influence in my life in high school (a "black" man, although actually more of a mocha java skin color)... likes to do Texas line dancing :). Thank you so much for sharing this lovely tribute to your sister. Having recently suffered a loss of similar magnitude, I am especially grateful for these kinds of memories that I believe ultimately we may all come to share... our personal "photo albums" expressing the essences of our lives."

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18. @lemonyellowshorts
"Thats a lovely story. You made me cry. Bless you and your sister.

I think of this song as folk music, not country."

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19. @redevil7081
"My dad worked for the ICRR, every summer I went to Chicago, St. Louis,  NoLa, Kansas City…saw a lot of Steve Goodman’s vision through Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson’s moving melodie’s, I cry every time I hear this song, means more than most people know!"

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20. @redevil7081
"Marilyn Daniels, I cry every time I hear this song…a railroader’s son!"

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21. @marilyndaniels9562
"@redevil7081  hello red devil I cant tell u how to handle this especially if a loved one is involved. How I get thru is to remember the good images of that time and laugh maybe this can get u thru too  ok."

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22. @redevil7081
"@marilyndaniels9562  I do that every day; I grew up during the schools being integrated. I already had black friends, their dads worked on the railroad with my dad; I never had a problem with ethnic folks, I grew up with Jewish, Lebanese, Syrian, Cubans and Puerto Rican families…I’m Irish, was taught I was no better than the person beside me. Our country is at at a defining point; are we truly Americans or are we just racists putting up with each other…I hope we’re all Americans who seek strength with all our brothers and sisters."

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23. @marilyndaniels9562
"@redevil7081  Me too"

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24.@bradhays256
"What does your skin color have to with ANY of this? Appreciating music is not sensitive to color????"

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25. @marilyndaniels9562
"@bradhays256  Hays everyone does not appreciate other genres of music."

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26. @richardkougasian7866
"Sista this is folk music at its best. Steve Goodman wrote it and Arlo sang it to the map."

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27. @kawai99100
"I'm a white lady and love to play blues on my guitar. Life really is cool😊"

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28. @patricklink8527
"What a great story. May your sister rest in peace and your memories of her always bring you Joy. Since you mentioned you were African American I would add the importance in my mind of our low including the Coleman Porters in this song as they were pretty much exclusively black men. They formed a union and the real world brought together people in a way that is sorely missed in today's society. When he says the sons of Coleman Porters and the sons of Engineers it's kind of a I have a dream type of comment. Where the two races are together. Best of everything to you bro thanks for the comments."

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29. @anthonybracciante5112
"What a beautiful remembrance for you. Arlo like his dad Woody are national treasures."

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30. @ElvarMasson
"The colour of your skin doesn't make any difference"

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31. @timdrhookmccracken
"It's a beautiful American song, sounds like your sister and you were/are beautiful Americans. Bless."

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32. @rayhackley7319
"Nice post but please don't specify black, white, whatever. This a song about old Americana which we're all a part of dear ♥"

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33. @HT-gn5jc
"Isn't it cultural occupancy, when a black person listens to country music?"

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34. @roballen8431
"@frankenboston  sons of Pullman porters.porters were historically black"

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35. @marthajf73
"This is NOT country music."

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36. @jbx1967
"@marthajf73  It's folk, which is closely related."

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37. @marilyndaniels9562
" @marthajf73  yes i found out a while ago its folk"

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38. @marilyndaniels9562
"@steventidwell3184  I listen to chinese music these days i think its beautiful."

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39. @steventidwell3184
"@marilyndaniels9562  that's kind of funny because 20 years ago people would look at you like you were crazy if you told them that. Now there are lots of people doing just that. Real music comes from the heart and is universal.

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40. @Hipdudester
"I'm a Black person and my great uncle was in charge of the Black Pullman proters out of Jackson TN"

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2023

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41. @mikekaup5252
"Martin, this was written by Steve Goodman, a Jewish singer from Chicago. You might like his original version too  I sang this to myself while riding the City of New Orleans in the Southern Crescent Raul line in 1977. It was the last year they used the old equipment before changing to Amtrak. The black Chef did up a poached Seabass for my friend and the finest southern style chicken and waffles for me! Real quality people worked on that train!"

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42. @marilyndaniels9562
"@mikekaup5252  I would have loved to had been on that last run of the New Orleans before it changed to amtrack. 😊"

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43. @choicelady
"The City of New Orleans was known before 1960s as the "Chicken Bone Express" when segregated cars brought Black people north. They pakced chicken for the trip - through the bones out the window since the car had no services.  It helped many a person get to Chicago and onwards, but it was a harsh trip for many.  It has an important part in Black history. Cherish it."

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44. @rosenelson8461
"When i was 10 years old i was lead singer

In a kid band there was 2 whites 5 blacks

We were all best friends we did soul numbers i will die loving soul wilson picket music has no color god bless you"

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45.@marilyndaniels9562
"@rosenelson8461  Hi Rose Nelson music does not know color but it does have flavor."

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46. @billm2078
"I can't remember where it was, but I had a black female bartender singing this and she was awesome."

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47. @rodrikofharlaw6848
"What does you being black have to do with anything?"

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48.@pauldmckee
"Why do you mention your color?"

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49. @marilyndaniels9562
"@pauldmckee  I came up in the civil rights era. Soul  music was different from country western or folk. My sister dared to be different. She listened to all radio stations. She used to do he lil made up country dance and sing  the city of new Orleans to me every time it played on the radio. In my school or hers if u mentioned the name Arlo Gutherie your friends would say  what who? Just like  other  schools  out of our area would react back in the 70  if u said the Delfonics. Hey these days I like the music from chinese dramas . My multicutural older  sister  in the 70 showed me  thst we didnt have to just listen to music we were introduced to. She was right because I fell deeply in love with the  song The City of new Orleans  Hope I answered your question this was my with  experience with music in my youth."

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50. @pauldmckee
"@marilyndaniels9562  you didn't address my question"

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51. @marilyndaniels9562
"@pauldmckee  I did  answer your question you just didnt understand the answer which is ok."

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52. @pauldmckee
"@marilyndaniels9562  the question was why you have to put skin color in the conversation. I have never said I'm white so that's why I did something."

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53. @marilyndaniels9562
"@pauldmckee  I told u why ."

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54. @californiadreaming9216
"Marilyn Daniels hi. Thank you for your comment. Great story. Personally I am neither black nor white nor yellow nor red. I am just a human being on Iraq called her this flying through on a rock called birds flying through space trying to be happy. I encourage you to be the same. Shalom"
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This is the latest comment about race in that sub-thread as of the publishing date of this pancocojams post.
 
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