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Origins: Okeechobee Grass |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Okeechobee Grass From: GUEST Date: 07 Feb 11 - 11:06 PM okeechobee purple by gary stewart, country song. |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: Blackcatter Date: 10 Jun 04 - 01:17 PM cool. I wonder how it ended up with Okeechobee as well. |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: GUEST,Arkie Date: 10 Jun 04 - 11:13 AM One of the reasons that the tune Okeechobee Grass has been so hard to locate is that it was going by an assumed name. It is better known as Spanish Grass, a tune written by dobro player Mike Auldridge back in the 1970's. At least that is the conclusion drawn by the folk who made the orginal request after listening to an Auldridge MP3 at an internet address I had sent them. I think the mystery is solved. Thanks to all who have helped. |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: GUEST,Arkie Date: 05 Jun 04 - 11:34 AM I did not find lyrics to Okeechobee Purple but did find a reference to it, also Okeechobee Wind and Okeechobee Ocean. Also a just plain old "Okeechobee" and "Legend of Lake Okeechobee". There were also references to bass fishing in the Okeechobee grass. So it could be about Pot or even bass fishing. I had wondered what Okeechobee Purple referred to. One mystery solved. |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: Blackcatter Date: 05 Jun 04 - 12:04 AM Ya know, I wonder if it's a connection with the large amount of pot grown around the lake. There's even a variety called Okeechobee Purple. There was a song back in the 70s about it too. Can't remember the lyrics of the song, anyone know it? |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 04 Jun 04 - 09:50 PM .... A dialect from of 'Arkansaw Grass'... ? ;-) |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: Blackcatter Date: 04 Jun 04 - 01:18 PM Well if it is just a tune, it may have little connection with Florida at all - the name has a nice sound to it and my have been chosen as a whim. |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: GUEST,Arkie Date: 04 Jun 04 - 12:39 PM I have assumed it was an instrumental piece but really do no know if that is true. The person who inquired of me learned it from a tab by a Louisiana dulcimer player. I have also discovered it is played by members of a dulcimer club in middle Tennessee and one of those members is trying to gather information on the piece. |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: Blackcatter Date: 04 Jun 04 - 10:42 AM Hi, I've actually never heard of the phrase before (though I lived 10 miles from the Lake in the 80s and am an historian and folk-music junkie in Central Florida currently. I've never seen it listed on a map either. I am assuming that it is related to the info I provided. I doubt that it was ever used for a name for the Everglades. The lake was a pretty definate body of water, even before the dike, the water just percolated over and through the sand and soil in the southern end. That part directly south of the lake could be referred to as Okeechobee grass, but the Everglades is such a huge area. The Everglades used to extend up both sides of the lake and out towards both coasts. An area probably 3 times as large as the national park. Then there's Big Cypress Swamp - which is part of the Everglades as well, in general, but it's a basin of sorts and the water tends to be higher as in a regular swamp. The Everglades themselves is actually a unique geographical feature. There is nothing quite like them anywhere else in the world. They are somewhat similar to a broad river delta, but there are many differences. Is the tune just music or does it have lyrics? Can you share any more info? I can ask around with Florida folkies. |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: GUEST,Arkie Date: 04 Jun 04 - 09:31 AM Blackcatter all information is welcome. Thanks. Is the term "Okeechobee Grass" another name for the Everglades? |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: Blackcatter Date: 03 Jun 04 - 12:04 PM I can't recall ever hearing the name or really even the phrase "Okeechobee Grass" in any of the Florida sings I've been to over the years. The phrase really now only has an historical connection. Back in the 1930s Lake Okeechobee was diked the whole way around. Prior to this time, the Lake's southern part was really the beginning of the Everglades, hence the "grass." After a particularly destructive hurricane in September 1928 and the growth of Miami and agriculture in south-east Florida, Okeechobee was diked to better collect the water from Central Florida. Canals were dug through what was once Everglades to channel water to Miami and the other cities. The Everglades began to dry up and today only exist in about 50-60% of their traditional area. I realize that this doesn't help in finding info about the song, but might suggest that it is either quite old (1940s or older) or fairly recent. |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: Amos Date: 03 Jun 04 - 11:49 AM Maybe it was the inspiration, rather than the title? A |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: GUEST,Arkie Date: 03 Jun 04 - 11:25 AM MMario, thanks for looking. I, also, only found one reference on Google. A search for Okeechobee turned up quite a few options but not this specific one. I also tried allmusic.com and found several songs with Okeechobee in the title but no "Grass". Dale searched BMI & ASCAP for me. No success there either. He turned up some interesting things but not the big one. |
Subject: RE: Okeechobee Grass From: GUEST,MMario Date: 03 Jun 04 - 11:15 AM I find only one mention of it on google. |
Subject: Okeechobee Grass From: GUEST,Arkie Date: 03 Jun 04 - 10:59 AM Someone requested information about this tune and I have exhausted our usual sources with no positive results. Here's hoping someone from Mudcat might know the origins of the tune and whether it has been recorded and if so by whom. I wecome any information regarding "Okeechobee Grass". |
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