Origin: Alabama Jubilee

Subject: RE: Origin: Alabama Jubilee
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 17 Jun 21 - 12:21 AM

More stuff here: Lyr Req: Alabama Jubilee (Yellen/Cobb)

Subject: RE: Origin: Alabama Jubilee
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Oct 16 - 11:21 PM

Alabama Jubilee Words by J.Yellen, Music by J. Cobb - 1915

                        A7
You ought to see Mis -ter Jones when he rat -tles the bones,

D7
Old Colo -nel Brown fool -in' 'round like a clown,

G7
Miss Vir -gin -ia who is past eight -y three,

C
Shout -in "I'm full o' pep! Watch yo' step, watch yo' step!"
A7
Old cazy Joe danced a -roun' on his toe,

Dm                                                                  A7            
Threw a -way his crutch and hol -lered, "Let 'er go!" Oh, hon -ey,

C      E7            F             C                     D7                  G7         C   
Hail! Hail! the gang's all here for an   Al -a -ba -ma Jub -i -lee.

Subject: RE: Origin: Alabama Jubilee
From: Midchuck
Date: 14 Jun 13 - 08:22 PM

All attempts to play Alabama Jubilee subsequent to July 14, 1973, have been essentially futile.

Peter.

Subject: RE: Origin: Alabama Jubilee
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Jun 13 - 07:34 PM

Lyrics in the DT.

Subject: RE: Origin: Alabama Jubilee
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Jun 13 - 12:31 AM

I'm interested in finding out how the tune to Alabama Jubilee came to be one of the favorite Polkas of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. That tradition goes back a long way, and it appears in just about every folkloric production I have ever seen.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Alabama Jubilee?
From: Ted
Date: 16 May 98 - 04:41 PM

Nice try Brad, but Alabama Jubilee is a minstrel song-- No Pat or Jeanne in these songs--and Lizzie would have to be "Liza".And there'd have be a Mr. Jackson, or maybe "Deacon Jones" and Mammy (actually, she's in the song already)--and Rufus and Sammy, maybe a visit from Rastus.

The lyrics Alabama Jubilee, more than being "not that great", are are an embarrassment to us now, as are many of the old popular songs. It is interesting to note that for more than a hundred years, and until fairly recently, blackface, "coon" songs, and darkie jokes were one of the fundamentals of American entertainment.

I've always thought that a major reason for the "folk revivals" that we periodically have, was a concerted effort by educated and intellectual people to redraft America's Musical past so that it wasn't inherently racist, sexist, and , perhaps "worst" of all, rife with "cheap, maudlin, sentimentality".

The truth is that the songs that we regard as being part of our American folk heritage were generally unknown outside of the areas where the were discovered by people like the Lomaxes, and Carl Sandberg.

I love "traditional" music, but I really love the old popular stuff too, even as I shudder at the references to darkies.

To put it into perspective, it turns out that the chords to "Puff the Magic Dragon" are also the chords to "Mammy". We can't get away from it.

Ted [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Who wrote Alabama Jubilee?
From:
Date: 15 May 98 - 01:28 AM

I wrote a second verse:

Old parson Brown was the talk of the town, Up on his toes and awhirlin around, Young sister Lizzie, she's danced till she's dizzy, She cries once again, once again, play the tune once again. Fat brother Pat shakes it hither and back, Slim sister Jeanne runs around in a dream, They're crying hail, hail, the gangs all here, For the Alabama Jubilee

Brad Sondahl http://www.camasnet.com/~brad

Subject: RE: Who wrote Alabama Jubilee?
From: Dale Rose
Date: 14 May 98 - 11:46 PM

Gene's right: Yellen/Cobb, 1915. I have seen the sheet music and for the most part, the words are never sung. The ones you usually hear are just the chorus. They are not all that great(my opinion), which is probably why you never hear them. If you ever get a chance to hear it performed by Bill Helms' Upson County Band, c.1930, don't pass it up. A wild, raucous version with double or maybe even triple fiddles almost playing in unison. Helms was a North Georgia fiddler pretty much in the mold of the Skillet Lickers.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Alabama Jubilee?
From: Gene
Date: 14 May 98 - 06:49 PM

Cobb and/or Yellen comes to mind....

Subject: RE: Who wrote Alabama Jubilee?
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 14 May 98 - 04:22 PM

Subject: Who wrote Alabama Jubilee?
From: Frances H. Casstevens
Date: 14 May 98 - 03:46 PM

I'm having a terrible time determining who wrote some of the older bluegrass songs, and whether or not to pay royalty on them for a soon-to-be released CD. Harry Fox just sends them back marked "not represented by this agency" (which is what they did on Alabama Jubilee and Blackberry Blossom). The listing on BMI, ASCP, etc. are not all that helpful. I need to know Alabama Jubilee is also "traditional." Thanks for everyone's help on Blackberry Blossom.