The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #37353   Message #1532146
Posted By: GUEST,Bob Coltman
31-Jul-05 - 01:59 PM
Thread Name: Lyr ADD: Red Rocking Chair / Sugar Babe
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Red Rocking Chair / Sugar Babe
Far as I know, Red Rockin' Chair started out as Bascom Lamar Lunsford's Red Apple Juice, was later recorded by Charlie Monroe. Verses not unlike those here. But that cranky ol' Lunsford voice and idiosyncratic banjo turn it unearthly.

The Lunsford version is flat out beautiful and deserves to be heard. It's not on the Folkways LP; not sure if his Riverside or other later records include it. It is printed in Loyal Jones' bio of him, "Minstrel of the Appalachians."

Without an exhaustive search through Jones' book (it has no index, a real flaw) I can't be sure, but I think I have seen it stated somewhere that Bascom learned it back in the mountains on one of his numerous song-collecting jaunts.

See the other B L Lunsford threads. Just posted a defense of the prickly old man on one of them a few minutes back.

Bob