Cotton Eyed Joe - origins
Doc
What, exactly is ??? "Cotton Eyed Joe"
GARELICK
named Cotton Eyed Joe"-- from the Doc Watson version. Makes me think of
slavery, for some reason (old black joe?). I'm not sure of the origins, but
the popular dance version in Texas is very different from the string band
version by the Skillet Lickers. I've also heard a Canadian version that is
slightly different. Other ideas?
GUS GARELICK
Jason Hill
>Does any one know the origin of "Cotton Eyed Joe".
>What, exactly is ??? "Cotton Eyed Joe"
Don't know the answers to your questions, but the earliest recording I
know of this tune was by Adolph Hofner & his San Antonians in 1941.
--
Jason Hill
Robert Palasek
mostly Oklahoma and Texas fiddling:
"We have a very popular square dance tune, Cotton
Eyed Joe, 'cotton eyed' being a term descriptive
of a person with very light blue eyes, a type often
called 'white eye.'"
She has a nice discussion of lyrics that I had
not heard elsewhere.
The lyrics I remember are:
I'd a been married twenty years ago
Hadn' a been a man called cotton eyed Joe.
Doc wrote:
>
> Does any one know the origin of "Cotton Eyed Joe".
> What, exactly is ??? "Cotton Eyed Joe"
David Lynch
<bobpa...@home.com> wrote:
> Marion Thede described it in her book on
> mostly Oklahoma and Texas fiddling:
>
> "We have a very popular square dance tune, Cotton
> Eyed Joe, 'cotton eyed' being a term descriptive
> of a person with very light blue eyes, a type often
> called 'white eye.'"
>
> She has a nice discussion of lyrics that I had
> not heard elsewhere.
>
> The lyrics I remember are:
>
> I'd a been married twenty years ago
> Hadn' a been a man called cotton eyed Joe.
That makes a lot more sense to me - I can't imagine that someone with
cataracts would be stealing away other people's women!
Rich Hartness
> In article <376F00E9...@home.com>, Robert Palasek
> <bobpa...@home.com> wrote:
Snip...
> > 'cotton eyed' being a term descriptive
> > of a person with very light blue eyes, a type often
> > called 'white eye.'"
Snip...
> That makes a lot more sense to me - I can't imagine that someone with
> cataracts would be stealing away other people's women!
Hmmm... Not so fast there Mr. Lynch. Music is not the only thing that's
better with one's eyes closed. Perhaps those accustomed to which might
just excel significantly at a variety of pursuits.
The darker the night...
Rich
PS: You are a rascal for slipping off to Fiddle Tunes! See you at
Clifftap.
PPS: Get Hart and Blech to play all of there hits from their new primo
CD. Hiram Stamper's Chinquapin Hunting especially! Pops back in my head
every time there's a break in my concentration now. I love it.
PPPS: Now that I think of it, it does make more sense, your being a
graphic artist and all...
Rich Hartness/ Greensboro, NC
"Pay no attention to the ? behind the curtain. . ." --The Great Oz
Kerry Blech
wrote:
> Doc <gyps...@erols.com> writes
>>Does any one know the origin of "Cotton Eyed Joe". >>What, exactly is ??? "Cotton Eyed Joe"
>
> Jason Hill
There were quite a few recordings of "Cotton Eyed Joe" in the
1920s. Here's a smattering of them (Tony Russell can add
recording and/or issue dates later, if he so desires):
Fiddlin' John Carson (Okeh 45122)
Dyke's Magic City Trio (Brunswick 120)
Curly Parker (Cozy 301) [this may be later...]
Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers (Victor 21469)
Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers (Columbia 15283-D)
Carter Brothers & Son (Vocalion 5349)
Best Regards,
Kerry
--
Blec...@WolfeNet.com
"When you get above the clouds, you can do just as you choose."
- The Rector Trio, Asheville, NC 1930
John Mahony
haunting version of Cotton Eyed Joe. It had alot of lyrics that blended
2 ideas, one that there was a tune called CEJ and there was an
itinerant(?) farm worker named CEJ. There was the implication that the
farm wife was seen dancing with the worker and the husband was angry
about it. I remember listening to it with Trish Vierling and Steve
Senderoff and Trish fleshed out some of the background for me.
Trish??? Steve, go get Trish.
John
Glenn Godsey
>That makes a lot more sense to me - I can't imagine that someone with
>cataracts would be stealing away other people's women!
Well, David, I just had my second cataract surgery last week, but cataracts
really didn't interfere with a very rich and varied sex life. I usually close my
eyes anyway...........Glenn
David Lynch
Rich Hartness <hart...@vnet.net.dot.dot.dot> wrote:
> Hmmm... Not so fast there Mr. Lynch. Music is not the only thing that's
> better with one's eyes closed. Perhaps those accustomed to which might
> just excel significantly at a variety of pursuits.
>
> The darker the night...
You make a good point, Romeo!
John Lupton
<jma...@physres1.uns.tju.edu> wrote:
John, I think this is probably the same version they recorded on their
"Rambler" CD on Sugar Hill that came out around the same time they appeared at
one of the final Brandywines - I'd say about '92 or so. This about the same
time you're referring to??
**********************************************
John Lupton, "Rural Free Delivery"
WVUD-FM 91.3, Newark DE (www.sas.upenn.edu/~jlupton/rfd.html)
Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music/
Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival
**********************************************
Fokke de Jong
--
Greetings from Fryslān,
Fokke de Jong
Drachten
Please remove the 'x' to reply
Jason Hill
<Blec...@Wolfenet.com> writes
>this tune was by Adolph Hofner & his San Antonians in 1941. --
>> Jason Hill
>
>There were quite a few recordings of "Cotton Eyed Joe" in the
>1920s. Here's a smattering of them (Tony Russell can add
>recording and/or issue dates later, if he so desires):
>
>Fiddlin' John Carson (Okeh 45122)
>Dyke's Magic City Trio (Brunswick 120)
>Curly Parker (Cozy 301) [this may be later...]
>Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers (Victor 21469)
>Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers (Columbia 15283-D)
>Carter Brothers & Son (Vocalion 5349)
>
>Best Regards,
>Kerry
>
>
first Western Swing recording was by Adolph Hofner, predating the far
better known Bob Wills version.
--
Jason Hill
Al Christians
trad and in Lomax, etc, with a lyric mentioning Joe, and the other is
the one that is commonly played when people in Texas now do the dance
of the same name. I think that this second tune had a different name
originally, but I don't remember. Anyone know?
Al
Jason Hill wrote:
>
> In article <376FD21E...@Wolfenet.com>, Kerry Blech
> >
> >>Don't know the answers to your questions, but the earliest recording I >know of
> >this tune was by Adolph Hofner & his San Antonians in 1941. --
> >> Jason Hill
> >
> >There were quite a few recordings of "Cotton Eyed Joe" in the
> >1920s. Here's a smattering of them (Tony Russell can add
> >recording and/or issue dates later, if he so desires):
> >
> >Fiddlin' John Carson (Okeh 45122)
> >Dyke's Magic City Trio (Brunswick 120)
> >Curly Parker (Cozy 301) [this may be later...]
> >Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers (Victor 21469)
> >Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers (Columbia 15283-D)
> >Carter Brothers & Son (Vocalion 5349)
> >
> >
> >
It's Me Again!
on the net on the subject. You could try that if you wanted ... maybe
find out the origin.
shim...@poboxes.com
Glenn Godsey <Glenn_...@newsguy.com> wrote:
> I just had my second cataract surgery last week, but cataracts
> really didn't interfere with a very rich and varied sex life. I usually close my
> eyes anyway...........Glenn
>
Glenn, you know your partners better than we do. We'll trust
your judgement, as always.
Joel
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Nancy Mamlin
Al Christians <ach...@easystreet.com> wrote in message
news:37728739...@easystreet.com...
> I think that there are 2 tunes called 'Cotton-Eyed Joe',
I can think of at least 3.
Nancy
Kerry Blech
And that probably is just in GDad tuning, right Nancy?
The operable words there are "at least."
I think it's a pretty widespread title, many of the various
melodies using similar lyrics (when there are lyrics at all).
Best regards,
Kerrryyyy
Carl Baron
>
> Al Christians <ach...@easystreet.com> wrote in message
> news:37728739...@easystreet.com...
> > I think that there are 2 tunes called 'Cotton-Eyed Joe',
>
> I can think of at least 3.
Are there really ONLY 3 versions? How sad.
Carl
Nancy Mamlin
Carl Baron <cba...@mail.med.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:3773A2...@mail.med.upenn.edu...
No, as Kerry pointed out, I said "at least"....
And I have no idea what tunings are used for them. I'm just the rhythm
section.
Nancy