Songbooks Current in the 'Fifties/Bawdy Songs
Matt Prastein
1. Can anyone suggest where I might locate song books or lyrics for
material similar to that contained in Oscar Brand's record set "Bawdy
Songs and Bar-Room Ballads?" I'm also looking for Gay Nineties music
hall songs, collegiate drinking songs, and military marching and
drinking songs.
2. The old cowboy song, "The Strawberry Roan" exists in an extremely
profane version that runs to many verses. To give you a feel for
this, the first verse ends with,
Along come a pimp with a nose full of coke,
Ran off with my whore, and left me stone broke.
Any help?
3. Is anyone else out there interested in this kind of stuff? I
know the Library of Congress has a huge collection of American folk
songs, but while this material, like down-and-dirty blues, is
certainly authentic folk material, I don't know whether the archivists
were willing to include it in the canon.
Any help, or contact with kindred souls, is welcome.
Jim Spinelli
Oak Publications which I think is now handled through Sing-Out Magazine
published a song-book under the title "The Erotic Muse". I used to have a
copy but lost it along the road many years ago. Don't know if it is still
available but it was an excellent collection. Sing-Out can be reached at
(610) 865 5366. Don't believe they have an e-mail address yet. Perhaps
someone else will help.
Jim spin...@island.net
Nanaimo, BC
Canada
Matt Prastein <s...@csj.net> wrote in article
<3473b7e3...@news.csj.net>...
Dolores Nichols
In article <3473b7e3...@news.csj.net>, Matt Prastein <s...@csj.net> wrote:
>1. Can anyone suggest where I might locate song books or lyrics for
>material similar to that contained in Oscar Brand's record set "Bawdy
>hall songs, collegiate drinking songs, and military marching and
>drinking songs.
The Erotic Muse by Ed Cray 2nd edition University of Illinois Press
This is one that is definitely still in print. In fact, he is
working on edition 3. There are/have been a few other books but you will
probably have to search used books sources for them.
>
>2. The old cowboy song, "The Strawberry Roan" exists in an extremely
>profane version that runs to many verses. To give you a feel for
>this, the first verse ends with,
> Along come a pimp with a nose full of coke,
> Ran off with my whore, and left me stone broke.
>Any help?
These lines don't seem to be in any of the songs sung to that tune which
Cray lists. I will have to search some of my other books but that may take
awhile. Maybe someone else will have better luck/memory.
>
>3. Is anyone else out there interested in this kind of stuff? I
>know the Library of Congress has a huge collection of American folk
>songs, but while this material, like down-and-dirty blues, is
>certainly authentic folk material, I don't know whether the archivists
>were willing to include it in the canon.
>
I would say that bawdy material would probably not be released on any of the
Library of Congress recordings. However, anyone can visit the Library to
listen to any of many field recordings and dig through the books. They are
open to the public and the staff is helpful but overworked.
Hope that this helps! - Dolores
--
Dolores Nichols |
D&D Data | Voice (Eves): (703) 938-4564
Disclaimer: from here - None | Email: <dolo...@d-and-d.com>
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Abby Sale
On Thu, 20 Nov 1997 04:30:06 GMT, s...@csj.net (Matt Prastein) wrote:
>1. Can anyone suggest where I might locate song books or lyrics for
>material similar to that contained in Oscar Brand's record set "Bawdy
>
>2. The old cowboy song, "The Strawberry Roan" exists in an extremely
>profane version that runs to many verses. To give you a feel for
>
>3. Is anyone else out there interested in this kind of stuff? I
>know the Library of Congress has a huge collection of American folk
There's plenty. There are exactly three scholarly books - all had to wait
until the 1990's to be printed. There are hundreds of non-scholarly
books. Go to a major library catalog (telnet or through your web browser.
You'll need some telnet app for most of them) Especially Lib of Congress
(& then Harvard, U Cal & NY Public.) Do a keyword search on "erotic" and
then, perhaps "bawdy" & sit back & get a huge list. Most of them, even
the rarish ones, are available on Inter-Library Loan. On a scale of
Parlor song=1 to Whorehouse song= 10, Brand is about 7, (Hugill about 6.)
He does considerable expurgating.
Library of Congress has Gordon's "Inferno" collection, the outakes of the
great collector's work. Not yet printed but easily available if you walk
in there. They're a good library - not a censor at all.
The only scholarly works I know are:
Guy Logsdon, _Whorehouse Bells Are Ringing._ It's a really fine, truely
scholarly work including (but not centered on) bawdy cowboy song. He does
a fine job putting it in context & researching the songs. U of Illinois
Press
Vance Randolph has published two (count'em) bawdy songs from the Ozark
area (U. of Missouri Press) _Roll me in your arms_ and (what else) _Blow
the Candles out_. Extensively edited & annotated by G Legman
_The Erotic Muse - American Bawdy Songs_. (Be sure to get the Second
Edition; much, much updated) Compiled and Edited by Ed Cray; U of Illinois
Press, 1992; ISBN 0-252-01781-1, LOC 90-45334. This is _the_ classic
scholarly work on American bawdry. All the songs you wanted plus
derivatives plus tunes plus historical basis & even Child references. I
bought it for cash money. Can't recommend it too highly.
There's also many lesser classics such as
the Digital Tradition folk song database http://www.deltablues.com or
http://www.onstagemedia.com/mudcat (just search on "@bawdy" keyword)
_The Dirty Song Book_ by Jerry Silverman, Stein and Day, 1982
ISBN 0-8128-6118-3
Hopkins' Songs from the Front and Rear (a Canadian collection of WWI and
WWII material. Not all bawdy,
Happy singing!
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---
I am Abby Sale - abby...@orlinter.com (That's in Orlando)
Joe Spinelli
Years ago Oak Pub. put out a book called "The Erotic Muse". Not only did
this book have chords, lyrics and some melody lines written out in music,
but also a short history of each song. I also believe that there is a Oscar
Brand song book out there somewhere. Both books unfortunately, I think are
out of print. I only know such things because about 15 years ago I was in
a duo act that called ourselves "Purveyors of Pilfered Pholk Perversions"
and played local collage coffee houses. We did a lot of bawdy songs along
with jokes and humorous stories. It seems no one has a sense of humor any
more........every thing has to be PC or someone get offended. Oh, how I
miss the good old days!!!!!!
Joe Spinelli
Villanova, Pa. USA
Check out our Band page @
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Fivemonk/
> 1. Can anyone suggest ...... Oscar Brand's record set "Bawdy
> Songs and Bar-Room Ballads?"
KC King
On Thu, 20 Nov 1997 04:30:06 GMT, s...@csj.net (Matt Prastein) wrote:
1. Can anyone suggest where I might locate song books or lyrics for
Come, come folks.
The mother load of the genre, realy-bad-taste sub genre lies in that last
great bastion of the oral tradition - rugby. In rugby it is possible to
win the game but lose the party and vice versa.
In this regard the written word (with asterisks in the appropriate places)
can be found in Michael Green's book Why Was He Born So Beautiful And Other
Rugby Songs (1967, Sphere UK). The Art of Coarse Rugby republished this
year is by the same author has some supporting material.
A quick trip round the net indicates a few sites with rugby songs such as:
http://www.fhrugby.org/songs.html (great index)
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~bpadget/Rugby/Rugby.Songs.html
http://home3.swipnet.se/~w-36601/songs.htm
The Hash Tradition is an interesting variant on the Rugby Tradition
http://members.iex.net/~zippy/songtoc.html
http://www.perigee.net/~jlreed/standards.html
Internationally the Rugby tradition blends well with the spirit of the
student prince
http://stud.uni-sb.de/~hamu0000/songs/songs.htm
http://www.stud.tue.nl/~nayade/plons/liedboek.deel4.html
Digital Tradition http://www.onstagemedia.com/mudcat has a good sprinkling
of this material
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/very_funny/ offeres and unheard
(by me) collection of cassettes on the topic.
This is also one of the few places a budding folklorist can take his/her
tape record to an actual tribal rite to capture the lore in situ. Just
follow the mob after any match.
Eric Berge
In Article<3473b7e3...@news.csj.net>, <s...@csj.net> writes:
> 1. Can anyone suggest where I might locate song books or lyrics for
> material similar to that contained in Oscar Brand's record set "Bawdy
> Songs and Bar-Room Ballads?" I'm also looking for Gay Nineties music
> hall songs, collegiate drinking songs, and military marching and
> drinking songs.
There was a small book associated with the record series; it was called
(of course) "Bawdy Songs and Backroom Ballads", copyright 1960 by
Dorchester Press, LoC number M60-1010.
Doubtless out of print by now. However, I have run across copies
every now and then in used book stores, so keep your eyes open.
Eric Berge
(remove _ for address)
Duke Wilson
Dolores Nichols (dolo...@d-and-d.com) wrote:
: In article <3473b7e3...@news.csj.net>, Matt Prastein <s...@csj.net> wrote:
: >1. Can anyone suggest where I might locate song books or lyrics for
: >material similar to that contained in Oscar Brand's record set "Bawdy
: >Songs and Bar-Room Ballads?" I'm also looking for Gay Nineties music
: >hall songs, collegiate drinking songs, and military marching and
: >drinking songs.
: The Erotic Muse by Ed Cray 2nd edition University of Illinois Press
: This is one that is definitely still in print. In fact, he is
: working on edition 3. There are/have been a few other books but you will
: probably have to search used books sources for them.
: >
: >2. The old cowboy song, "The Strawberry Roan" exists in an extremely
: >profane version that runs to many verses. To give you a feel for
: >this, the first verse ends with,
: > Along come a pimp with a nose full of coke,
: > Ran off with my whore, and left me stone broke.
: >Any help?
: These lines don't seem to be in any of the songs sung to that tune which
: Cray lists. I will have to search some of my other books but that may take
: awhile. Maybe someone else will have better luck/memory.
: >
: >3. Is anyone else out there interested in this kind of stuff? I
: >know the Library of Congress has a huge collection of American folk
: >songs, but while this material, like down-and-dirty blues, is
: >certainly authentic folk material, I don't know whether the archivists
: >were willing to include it in the canon.
: >
: I would say that bawdy material would probably not be released on any of the
: Library of Congress recordings. However, anyone can visit the Library to
: listen to any of many field recordings and dig through the books. They are
: open to the public and the staff is helpful but overworked.
: Hope that this helps! - Dolores
: --
: Dolores Nichols |
: D&D Data | Voice (Eves): (703) 938-4564
: Disclaimer: from here - None | Email: <dolo...@d-and-d.com>
: --- .sig? ----- .what? Who me?
Check out the recordings of Ed McCurdy. He has been singing Bawdy Songs
since day one. I once heard him do voice exercises using only the word
"fornication" for over 20 minutes.
Duke
--
....................Duke...(by...@torfree.net)........................
...Oh that I could where I would be, then I would be where I am not...
..........Here am I where I must be, where I would, I cannot..........