Lyr Req: Dinah

Subject: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: GUEST,LonesomeDove
Date: 25 Feb 03 - 09:30 PM

I am looking for the lyrics to a song called Dinah done by Bob Wills. I'm not sure if he wrote it, or if someone else did. The NAME of the song is Dinah. It is a fast song and the lyrics are dificult to hear on his CD.
Thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 25 Feb 03 - 10:01 PM

This couldn't be "Where's that girl with the red dress on? Some folks call her Dinah"- naw, couldn't be. If it is, try "Take Me Back To Tulsa," which is in the DT.
Sounds impossible, but Dinah is mis-spelled in the DT.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: Mark Clark
Date: 25 Feb 03 - 10:27 PM

Here are the lyrics to “Dinah”, the old jazz standard that was indeed also recorded by Bob Wills.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 25 Feb 03 - 10:53 PM

Haven't heard Dinah for a long time. In the last verse, a word is missing- 3rd line, add linah (liner) to rhyme with China.

Subject: ADDPOP: Dinah
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Feb 03 - 11:54 PM

For the sake of completeness, let me post the lyrics Mark linked to at heptune.com
-Joe Offer-

---

Dinah
    (Frank Warshauer, [incorrectly attributed to Harry Akst], Sam Lewis, Joe Young)

Transcribed from vocals by Ethel Waters, recorded October 20, 1925.
From Ethel Waters 1925-1926, The Chronogical Classics, vol. 672.

Carolina
Gave me Dinah;
I'm the proudest one
Beneath the Dixie sun.

News is spreadin'
'Bout our weddin';
I hear church bells ringin',
Here's the song my heart keeps singin':

Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!

Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!

Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!

But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean liner,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!

Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!

Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!

Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!

But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean --!,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!

---

Ethel Waters starred in both the stage and film version of Cabin in the Sky. The movie also starred Lena Horne and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington had minor roles. Waters commented in her remarkable autobiography, His Eye is on the Sparrow, that she didn't enjoy making the movie -- too much behind-the-scenes back-biting.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 26 Feb 03 - 12:03 PM

Warshauer, Akst- what is the story here?
In the Smithsonian Jazz Collection, and most discographies, Akst is credited.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: Mark Clark
Date: 26 Feb 03 - 12:23 PM

The comment is from the HepTune site. I don't know the background on the dispute. It looks like it might be an interesting story though.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: Mark Clark
Date: 26 Feb 03 - 01:23 PM

I see in the HAZEL MUNGER BURKE COLLECTION of the Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections in the Sibley Music Library of the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, Akst is credited. Since that collection consists of commercial sheet music, Akst must have been the one credited at publication.

I found a reference to a Frank Warshauer as a composer of “It Isn't Fair” (1933) a radio theme for Richard Himber and I assume it's the same Frank Warshauer. Frank was also the composer, in 1919, of “Rainy Day Blues.”

I also ran across The Charles Anderson Tune List, a loose leaf fake book containing a total of 5729 tunes! An alphabetized catalog is included on the site that includes composer(s), dates and original keys.

I haven't found anything else on “Dinah,” though. Maybe we'll have to ask the HepTune Webmaster about the comment.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 26 Feb 03 - 05:02 PM

Sheet music at Levy credits Akst. Haven't found any discussion. Who is behind Heptune? Are they knowledgeable?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: Mark Clark
Date: 26 Feb 03 - 06:41 PM

Here's a link to the folks that produce the HepTune pages. Their site has been referenced in quite a few threads including Spaw's reference to Facts on Farts. They seem to have a good time with their site but they also seem to do a lot of actual research for it. I'm guessing they'd be fun to meet some day.

I sent them a note requesting additional information on the Warshauer/Akst controversy since I couldn't find another reference to it. I'll let you know if I hear back from them.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 03 - 12:15 AM

Vol. 2, Smithsonian Collection of Classical Jazz, has Dinah, by Red Nichols and His Five Pennies, 1925. They list as Akst, Lewis, Young.
Cliff Edwards and his Hot Combination also did it in 1925, re-issued on Fountain LFV-203 in 1978- The vocal can be heard here: Edwards (hope that works). The vocal follows the words given in this post, which also matches the Mills Bros.
"Dinah" was one of Django Reinhardt's first recordings.

The Ethel Waters version, posted by Joe Offer, is different from the "standard" version. That probably is the reason for the different author- Warshauer.

DINAH

Dinah
Is there anyone finer in the state of Carolina?
If there is, and you know her, show her to me.
Dinah
Got those Dixie eyes blazin'
How I love to sit and gazin'
To the eyes of Dinah Lee.
Every night, why do I shake with fright?
'Cause my Dinah might
Change her mind about me.
Oh, Dinah,
Should you wander to China
I would hop an ocean liner
Just to be with Dinah Lee.

Mills Brothers- repeat verse.
Bing scats.
The following are some of those variations- not in the original sheet music??.

Every night why do I shake with fright?
'Cause my Dinah might- change her mind about me.

The name of this song is Dinah.
Said it.
The name of this song is Dinah.
Snag it.
The name of this song is Dinah.
Ah, tell it.
The name of this song is Dinah.

Dinah,
Wander to China
The state of Carolina
Listen, and you know her
I would like to have you show her to me.
Dinah
Got those Dixie eyes blazin'
How I love to sit and gaz'in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee.

Oh, Dinah
Should you wander to China
I would get me an ocean liner
Just to be with Dinah Lee.
Found at: Dinah

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 27 Feb 03 - 12:16 AM

Probably there are more interesting variations from the ones I found, above, and the Waters version posted by Joe Offer.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: Mark Clark
Date: 27 Feb 03 - 01:28 AM

Yes, a lot of people have recorded the tune. Probably more without lyrics than with. I have Django's recording and I think I have one by Sidney Bechet as well. As I recall David Grisman and Stéphane Grappelli recorded the tune as well. I'll check the album.

Lonesome Dove, who started this thread, originally asked about Bob Wills' veresion of the tuhe. I didn't post a link to it but I found a clip of Wills recording and he seems to be using the same lyrics that Joe posted. Wills could be using a subset of lyrics, the clip didn't contain the entire performance, but he definately wasn't using the lyrics from the Smithsonian Collection.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dinah
From: GUEST,Ken - re Dinah/Warshauer/Akst
Date: 17 Dec 06 - 12:34 AM

Frank Warshauer was my grandfather - - He passed on when I was 4 years old, but the family story is that he wrote Dinah and his good friend Harry Akst borrowed it, I think they said for the Cotton Club Review and it ended up with his name on it... now, it is possible that there is another side to this story that might legitimize Mr. Akst name on the composition, but I don't know of any other version of this story...