Whistling Rufus
MichaelMonner
was one of the songs my Aunt sang when she was teaching me the guitar back
in the '50s -- and she had learned it from her mother I suppose.
Anyway I can't imagine anyone today singing the lyrics my aunt sang
(although she wouldn't have seen them as "improper" at the time). But it
begs the question: what is done with politcally incorrect lyrics of old-time
songs today? Are the lyrics changed or are the songs done as strictly
instrumentals?
Mike
Duc de Savoie
>songs today? Are the lyrics changed or are the songs done as strictly
>instrumentals?
Yes.
Bud
David 'Gus' Garelick
>
I heard the tune for a number of years strictly as an instrumental fiddle tune
before someone told me the actual words. I continue to play it,
instrumentally. Originally, of course, it was not composed as a fiddle tune,
but I seem to recall seeing some old sheet music for the tune dated around the
1890s, well past the minstrel era-- but definitely a derivative of that style.
The "Coon" song tradition lasted well into the 20s, maybe longer. But it makes
a nice fiddle tune-- and that's how I prefer to deal with it. Others have
tried to rewrite the lyrics. Here in California, Kenny Hall is aware of the
original, but recently recorded a new CD with a local old time band, the Skiffle
Symphony, with some cleaned up lyrics. Personally, it would have been just as
good without the words. But that is one solution. (and one opinion)
Related to this, you might think about some of Stephen Foster's lyrics.
Written right in the middle of the slavery debate, these tunes may be
considered historically correct and good tunes, at the same time. One in
particular is "Angelina Baker," (or Angeline the Baker, the fiddle tune
equivalent). Alan Senauke's new CD, "Wooden Man" does a very tasteful
treatment of the song, without having to make any major alterations. He sings
it in straight English (none of that fake 'patois' that minstrel singers might
have used) segueing into the fiddle version; it is a true tour de force.
GUS GARELICK
Carl Baron
MichaelMonner wrote:
More than any one wants to know about Whistling Rufus.
Other Stuff About Whistling Rufus
as compiled by Carl Baron from surfing the Internet and Bear Family Record
notes.
Mechanical Music Digest
"Whistling Rufus"
By Rob DeLand
Whistling Rufus is an early rag/cakewalk by Kerry Mills, which was copyrighted
in 1899. Other
Mills tunes include At a Georgia Camp Meeting (one of my favorites -- I bet a
few MMD'ers
remember the Encore banjo roll of this tune on one of the Paul Eakins
compilation records),
Impecunious Davis, Happy Days in Dixie, That Fascinating Ragtime Glide, and
Kerry Mills
Ragtime Dance.
Rufus hasn't been recut in ages: AMR (Frank Adams) recut it from QRS 30811, and
PianoRecord
(Lyle Martin) recut it from Connorized 121. It's likely that this would turn up
on 65-note rolls since
it's so early, and there's a chance that I'll be able to convert 65-note rolls
to 88-note recuts before
the end of the year. If you still have troubles locating the roll, keep after
me! I think I know where I
can find an original.
I have a photocopy of the sheet music with an interesting introduction printed
above the title; it's
quaint, so I'll copy it here. I wonder if Mills wrote it or if the publisher
came up with it. I would like
to think it's Mills, but I have no idea. A similar but longer introduction
appears on Impecunious
Davis, which is reprinted in Ragtime Rarities (the common Dover rag folio
compiled by Trebor
Tichenor). The latter finishes with the line, "The composer takes this
opportunity of portraying the
musical eccentricities of Impecunious Davis", so I guess that answers my
question! Here's the
Whistling Davis quote:
"No Cake Walk given in the Black Belt District in Alabama was considered
worthwhile attending unless 'Whistling Rufus' was engaged to furnish
the music. Unlike other musicians Rufus always performed alone,
playing an accompaniment to his whistling on an old guitar, and it was
with great pride that he called himself the 'One Man Band'."
I was quite surprised to hear of this on an Welte roll, but looking it up I
find they issued Whistling
Rufus (Welte 354), At a Georgia Camp Meeting (Welte 353), Kerry Mills Barn
Dance (Welte
1808) and several more Kerry Mills tunes. It's a small world! I just checked,
and there is no Kerry
Mills on Ampico, but Duo-Art issued Barn Dance in 1922 pb Frank Milne. Since
Welte was the
first reproducer on the market I guess it should come as no surprise that they
issued more Mills
songs.
Last but not least, there are 3 Kerry Mills tracks on that delightful CD of
Regina music box rags &
cakewalks issued by Nancy Fratti: Georgia Camp Meeting and Rastus on Parade on
15-1/2" and
Georgia Camp Meeting on 20-3/4" disks. Mills would have been most popular right
in the heart of
the Regina era.
Cheers,
Rob DeLand
(Message sent Tue 1 Apr 1997, 07:02:23 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)
Mechanical Music Digest
Whistling Rufus
By Ed Berlin
Rob Deland ...
> I have a photocopy of the sheet music ("Whistling Rufus") with an
> interesting introduction printed above the title; it's quaint, so I'll
> copy it here. I wonder if Mills wrote it or if the publisher
> came up with it.
I thought Mills ("Kerry") was the same as the publisher: Mills (F.A.). He also
composed some
religious music under the name FA Mills, but had another publisher issue it.
BTW, most reference books state that Mills was the head of the violin
department at Univ. of
Michigan. I once checked this out & found that the university did not have a
music department in
the 1890s, & Mills is not found on any of the staff listings. He *did* teach
violin at a nearby music
school -- the University Music School -- but this was a separate institution
without any official
connection to the Univ. of Michigan.
Ed Berlin
(Message sent Wed 2 Apr 1997, 19:44:00 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)
Bear Family Record notes from Sam and Kirk McGee record
Rufus Blossom
Recorded May 11, 1927
Sam: lead vocal and guitar
Kirk: harmony vocal and banjo
Mazy Todd: fiddle
This, the McGee version of "Whistling Rufus," is one of their most exciting
collaborations. The song itself, according to Sigmund Spaeth's "History of
Popular Music," was written in 1899 by Kerry Mills and later supplied with words
by Murdoch Lind. Early hillbilly versions on record include those by Earl
Johnson, (Ok 454o6), the Short Brothers (Ok 452o6), Gid Tanner and his Skillet
Lickers (Bb 5434), and the Short Creek Trio, as well as many others; the text of
the Short Brothers is similar to that of the McGees, though the song is more
commonly known as an instrumental.
This recording, like several others from the same session, has a instrumental
"postlude," this one being a chorus of "Bully of the Town".
Sam: "That's me frailing the guitar there. Don't do too much of that anymore - I
still sing the number though; I like the song. Most people don't know there's
any words to that."
Kirk: "The people that make the records called it 'Rufus Blossom', but we always
knew it as Whistling Rufus. We learned it from a man named Will Graves. That
Graves family had a quartet in Franklin - had a singing quartet, did gospel all
kind of tunes, just around the home. Dadgum, that's takin' my mind back a long
way. We used to play that with Arthur (Smith) too, and he'd make a whistling
sound by playing with the bow real close to the bridge." (cf. Folkways 31oo7).
Rufus Blossom (Whistling Rufus)
from "Sam and Kirk McGee from Sunny Tennessee"
Bear Family Records #15517
as sanitized by Carl Baron
A rare song which sings the praises of a musician.
Way down yonder where the shy old possum,
Hide in the sycamore tree.
Lived an old man named Rufus Blossom,
Black as a stick of ebony.
Rufus had a head like a big sledge hammer,
And a mouth like a terrible scar.
Well, nothin' could touch him in the state of Alabama,
When he picked on his old guitar.
Chorus:
'Cause he makes no blunder, you couldn't lose him.
He's a perfect wonder, we had to choose him.
He's a fine musician, he held a high position.
Was whistlin' Rufus, the one man band.
While he traveled to the ball or the party,
Rainy weather or fine.
When he arrived, he was welcome at the party,
Out come the chicken and the wine.
When he was through with the wine and chicken,
He whistled and he played so grand,
You'd thought it was the angels on their harps was a-pickin',
And they called him the one-man-band.
Carl
MichaelMonner
Baron" <cba...@mail.med.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>
> MichaelMonner wrote:
>
>> I came across a couple references to "Whistling Rufus" on the internet. It
>> was one of the songs my Aunt sang when she was teaching me the guitar back
>> in the '50s -- and she had learned it from her mother I suppose.
>>
>> Anyway I can't imagine anyone today singing the lyrics my aunt sang
>> (although she wouldn't have seen them as "improper" at the time). But it
>> begs the question: what is done with politcally incorrect lyrics of old-time
>> songs today? Are the lyrics changed or are the songs done as strictly
>> instrumentals?
>
> More than any one wants to know about Whistling Rufus.
Wow. Not really. Its a great history. Thanks.
>
> Rufus Blossom (Whistling Rufus)
> from "Sam and Kirk McGee from Sunny Tennessee"
> Bear Family Records #15517
> as sanitized by Carl Baron
> A rare song which sings the praises of a musician.
>
> Way down yonder where the shy old possum,
> Hide in the sycamore tree.
> Lived an old man named Rufus Blossom,
> Black as a stick of ebony.
> Rufus had a head like a big sledge hammer,
> And a mouth like a terrible scar.
> Well, nothin' could touch him in the state of Alabama,
> When he picked on his old guitar.
>
Pretty much the way my aunt sang it except the first 4 lines were changed a
bit to get rid of the "c" word and the "n" word -- and it was Rufus himself
who lived in the sycamore tree.
David Sanderson
>
>
> More than any one wants to know about Whistling Rufus.
>
As a footnote to some of the detail, the tune is around on 78's; I have
one by a military band floating around somewhere, without the words, I
think. Georgia Camp Meeting is indeed an old favorite, and can be found
currently on Renovation 7003, Cakewalks, Rags & Blues - Military Style,
in a 1908 version by Sousa's band. If you like this kind of material,
this CD is well worth having; first recording of St. Louis Blues, among
other things.
--
David Sanderson
East Waterford, Maine
David 'Gus' Garelick
Carl Baron wrote:
> Whistling Rufus is an early rag/cakewalk by Kerry Mills, which was copyrighted
> in 1899. Other
> Mills tunes include At a Georgia Camp Meeting (one of my favorites -- I bet a
> few MMD'ers
> remember the Encore banjo roll of this tune on one of the Paul Eakins
> compilation records),
> Impecunious Davis, Happy Days in Dixie, That Fascinating Ragtime Glide, and
> Kerry Mills
> Ragtime Dance.
Interesting history. Perhaps there may actually have been a real Rufus one-man band
at one time. Maybe not such an unusual thing. I wonder if the melody might have
been around much longer than the copyright date (1899) and the words added later.
On a related note, a very spirited version of "Georgia Camp Meeting" has
been recorded in a recent album by Alan Jabbour, Bertram Levy and James Reed in a
tribute to Henry Reed. Jabbour spent many years learning and taping Reed's fiddle
tunes, mainly for the Library of Congress. Reed, of course, was a very old man
when Jabbour recorded a lot of his tunes, but Henry Reed learned many of his tunes
as a young man back in the teens and 20s, sometimes from older musicians, like the
fifer Quince Dillion, who had been a fifer in the Civil War. I met Alan Jabbour at
the Montana Fiddle Camp last summer and we talked about "racist" images in fiddle
tunes (like Whistling Rufus). He was of the opinion that this was highly uncommon,
may have been added later, but hardly a characteristic of the great majority of
Southern fiddle or banjo tunes.
GUS GARELICK
Joseph Scott
> the Montana Fiddle Camp last summer and we talked about "racist" images in fiddle
> tunes (like Whistling Rufus). He was of the opinion that this was highly uncommon,
> may have been added later, but hardly a characteristic of the great majority of
> Southern fiddle or banjo tunes.
>
Hi Gus,
I think it would be fair to say that over-the-top
trying-to-sound-racist lyrics about "blacks" were highly common in
published pro-composer ("white" and "black" pro composers) tunes of
the late '90s and early '00s, during the big "coon song" craze as
such, with a fairly small proportion of those lyrics/tunes (e.g.
"C-H-I-C-K-E-N" as known to Kirk McGee and John Hurt) entering folk
tradition -- and not as common before or after that. It's been
suggested by some that the dizzying height of the "coon song" (as
such) craze, late '90s and early '00s, was a result of
Reconstruction-era backlash and/or of a recent wave of "white"
working-class immigrants (e.g. Irish-American) finding comfort in
songs relating to them being not quite at the bottom of the American
pecking order. One of the major, recurring themes in the lyrics of the
1890s-1900s "coon songs" was the "black" who thinks s/he's upwardly
mobile but "really" isn't.
Anyway, to the best of my knowledge Kerry Mills was one of the most
popular composers in the country, at his height of popularity. Seems
to me it's quite possible that the fellow in Alabama was entirely
fictional, but quite possible that he was real, too.
Joseph Scott