Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues

Subject: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 19 Jan 05 - 08:22 PM

This is a song I learned so long ago that I've forgotten some of the lines. This is what I remember..

I thought I heard Buddy Bolden say
It's nasty but, funky but, take it away
It's nasty but, funky but, take it away
I thought I heard him say

I thought I heard Buddy Bolden shout
Open up the window let the bad air out
Open up the window let the bad air out
I thought I heard him shout

Those are all the words I ever heard. Now, being a songwriter, I could make up more lines..

I thought I heard Buddy Bolden proclaim
Better close the window cause it looks like rain

or

I thought I heard Buddy Bolden expound
Close that stupid window, you want we all should drownd?

But I'd rather not. Anybody hear other words?

I'd be beholden

Jerry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Jan 05 - 09:48 PM

Jerry, this site blames Jelly Roll Morton (Buddy Bolden Blues") who recorded it. Look at Bolden
Several verses at online sites, some such as 'gal with the blue dress ...' are late floaters.

Paul Oliver, in his book "Screening the Blues," p. 168, says only the first verse of "Funky Butt" was sung originally, and other verses were added about Storyville characters as time went on. I haven't found any of these, but they might appear on various early recordings. The tune is supposed to be Bolden's.

Jelly Roll's "Buddy Bolden's Blues" in a late recording (1939) can be downloaded at Red Hot Jazz but the lyrics are pedestrian. Morton
Scroll down to the recordings.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: GUEST,CraigS
Date: 19 Jan 05 - 10:02 PM

I thought I heard somebody say
He's dirty, he's nasty, take him away
He's dirty, he's nasty, take him away
That's what I heard them say

I thought I heard Judge Fogerty say
Thirty days in the jailhouse, take him away
spoken: Thirty days in the jailhouse, give him a new broom to sweep
                                        with : take him away
That's what I heard him say

I thought I heard Frankie Dusen shout
Give me the money, baby, I got to beat out
Give me the money, honey, I got to beat out
That's what I heard him shout

I thought I heard Buddy Bolden shout
Open up that window let that bad air out
Open up that window let that bad air out
Tha's what I heard him shout


From the singing of Little Brother Montgomery

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Jan 05 - 10:59 PM

Verses above added after Bolden's commitment in 1907. Frank Dusen was his trombonist, taking over the band in 1907.
Judge Fogarty owned a saloon on St. Charles Street. He was a judge for a very short time; and the verse came from a music hall jingle.

I dreamed I heard Judge Fogarty say
Twenty-five dollars or thirty days
Please Judge Fogarty, turn me loose,
I got no money but a good excuse.

I thought I heard Judge Fogarty say,
Funky Butt, Funky Butt, take him away.

Jelly Roll at one time sang:
I thought I heard Judge Fogarty say,
Thirty days in the market, take him away.

There are other verses to "I heard Judge Fogarty say."

Eubie Blake wrote an instrumental called "Judge Fogarty."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 08:44 AM

Thanks so much Q. U Da Man! I had forgotten the Frankie Dusen verse. I remember Dave Van Ronk singing this (which is probably where I picked up the guitar part. I don't think I have a recording of him doing it. I have a recording of Jelly Roll Morton doing it somewhere but I think it only has a couple of verses. I'll probably take the Frankie Dusen and Judge Fogarty verses and add them. The guitar part is such a pleasure to play that adding a couple more verses will just let enjoy it longer.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Amos
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 09:25 AM

My Dad and I used to sing this one together -- he'd hammer it out on the piano and I would dive in with my five known chords. Good times! But we didn't know the history, or the verse about Dusen or Fogartry, so I am much obliged to both of you fine gentlemen.

A

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: belfast
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 09:47 AM

Dave Van Ronk has an instrumental piece, 'St Louis Tickle', the A part of which fits neatly with 'Buddy Bolden Blues'. I found a tab of it in 'Finger-picking styles for guitar' by Happy Traum, Oak publications.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Dita
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 10:16 AM

There is an interesting chapter on this song, in the book issued last year "The Rose and the Briar."

The word funky did not mean what we understand from modern usage but at the time the song was written it ment nasty, smelly, unplesant.

Buddy is infact complaining about the intestinal gas released by someone on the room (i.e. their funky butt).

One of Jelly Roll's 1930's recordings, perhaps the 1937 one mentioned above, is on the companion CD.

The book (an CD) are worth a look especially as our own kytrad's Barbara Allen is included and Malcom Douglas and Mudcat get a quote.

John

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: GUEST,Allan S.
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 10:27 AM

Lots of this material in a book "In search of Buddy Bolden", First man of Jazz,   by Donald M. Marquis Pub by Louisiana State University Press Baton Rouge 70803
Cost about $20   I think it is still avalable I bought a copy about 2 years ago

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 01:22 PM

The classic book about Buddy Bolden is "Coming Through Slaughter," by Michael Ondaatje. The author put together a story, compounded with interviews, visits to remaining sites, and archived data and books.

The building that housed the barbershop where Bolden worked is at First and Liberty. Tom Anderson, who published the famous "Blue Book," listing every whore in New Orleans (alphabetically, whites, then blacks, then octaroons), was a patron of Bolden, sending him two bottles of whiskey a day and money for his family.
Most of the book is fictional, what we would call a "docudrama" today, but an unforgetable picture of the times.

Bolden's productive life was short, and everything we know about his music is anecdotal and hearsay. Bolden became uncontrollable, and was confined from 1907 to 1931, when he died, at the East Louisiana State Hospital. Bolden may have played in the hospital band ca. 1912. Incidentally, Wasserman tests administered in 1924 and later were negative.

Ondaatje interviewed Frank Amacker, a piano player in the district at the time. He said Bolden was the loudest trumpet player, playing "old lowdown music," but that James McNeil was the best.

Recommended books include "Jazzmen," 1939, ed. Frederic Ramsey and Charles Smith, and "Jazz Masters of New Orleans," 1967, by Martim Williams.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 02:25 PM

Thanks again, Q:


Jerry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: GUEST,Joseph Scott
Date: 14 Nov 14 - 01:48 PM

"Funky Butt" was a folk song known across the South. That's why Zora Neale Hurston (of Alabama and Florida) and John Hurt knew it, and why Newman White recalled hearing a folk variant in North Carolina in about 1903. (Hurston, Hurt, and White were both all born about 1892, even though Hurston sometimes falsely claimed about a decade younger.) Bolden has no special claim on "Funky Butt" in that context.

As most performed "Funky Butt," it didn't bear all that much relationship to the "blues" songs. Claims that Buddy Bolden performed blues have been mostly based on defining "blues" broadly enough to include... folk songs that he did play, such as "Careless Love." But he may have played the tune that sometimes had lyrics about "2:19," which is what we generally consider a blues tune.

The Ossman-Dudley Trio recorded "Funky Butt" as one of the strains in "St. Louis Tickle" in January 1906. If we consider "Funky Butt" a "blues," then the guitarist in that trio, George Dudley, was the first guitarist to record "blues." But simply calling "Funky Butt" a "blues" is being arbitrarily broad about what we call a "blues" -- too broad, imo.

Subject: Lyr Req: BUDDY BOLDEN'S BLUES (f/Jelly Roll Morton
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Nov 14 - 06:48 PM

BUDDY BOLDEN'S BLUES (2:49)
As sung by Jelly Roll Morton on "Last Sessions: The Complete General Recordings" (Verve, 1997)

Thought I heard Buddy Bolden say:
"You're nasty; you're dirty; take it away.
You're terrible; you're awful; take it away."
I thought I heard him say.

I thought I heard Buddy Bolden shout:
"Open up that window and let that bad air out.
Open up that window and let the foul air out."
I though I heard Buddy Bolden say.

Thought I heard Judge Fogarty say:
"Thirty days in the market; take him away.
Get him a good broom to sweep with; take him away."
I thought I heard him say.

Thought I heard Frankie Duson shout:
"Gal, gimme that money; I'm gonna beat it out.
I mean, gimme that money like I explain ya; I'm gonna beat it out."
'Cause I thought I heard Frankie Duson say.

* * *

BUDDY BOLDEN'S BLUES (4:07)
As sung and narrated by Jelly Roll Morton on "The Anamule Dance: The Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 2" (Rounder, 1993)

This is like one of the earliest blues. This no doubt is the earliest blues ... the real deal, that is, a variation from the real barrelhouse blues. The composer was Buddy Bolden, the most powerful trumpet player I've ever heard, or ever was known. The name of this was named by some old honky-tonk people. While he played this, they sang a little theme to it. He was a favorite in New Orleans at the time.

I thought I heard Buddy Bolden say:
"Dirty nasty stinky butt, take it away.
Dirty nasty stinky butt, take it away.
Oh, Mister Bolden, play."

I thought I heard Bolden play:
"Dirty nasty stinky butt, take it away.
Funky butt, stinky butt, take it away
And let Mister Bolden play."

Later on this tune was, uh, I guess I'd have to say stolen, by some author I don't know anything about—I don't remember his name—and published under the title of "St. Louis Tickler" [sic]. But there's all the proof in the world that this tune was wrote by Buddy Bolden. Plenty old musicians know it. — Oh, this number is no doubt about nineteen-two.... [There is more talk that I have omitted.--JD]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Nov 14 - 07:30 PM

This is apparently the "stolen" version that Jelly Roll Morton was referring to:

ST. LOUIS TICKLE
[an instrumental piece scored for piano]
Music by "Barney & Seymour" *
©1904 by Victor Kremer Co.,
Copyright assigned 1912 to Harold Rossiter Music Co., Chicago.

* The catalog entry at the University of Mississippi has this annotation:
"Barney & Seymour is a pseudonym for Theron Catlan Bennett (1879-1937)"

Click to see the catalog description from the University of Mississippi.

Click to see a PDF of the sheet music published by Rossiter.

The sheet music cover uses the spelling "Seymour."
The sheet music page one uses the spelling "Seymore."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: cptsnapper
Date: 16 Nov 14 - 02:10 AM

I remember Diz Disley singing this years ago.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: Leadfingers
Date: 16 Nov 14 - 05:10 AM

cptsnapper - Don't recall Diz singing it , but at one of the later Caversham f f that I was involved in , I jamnmed with Diz on whistle , in Blat ! Good Memory !

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Buddy Bolden's Blues
From: GUEST,Joseph Scott
Date: 15 May 16 - 03:11 AM

Version of "Funky Butt" in E. C. Perrow's notes, probably from about 1909. (See "E.C. Perrow original manuscripts online" thread.) Not included in Perrow's 1910s multipart article.

"I.
Here comes a little girl with a red dress on.
She's got pocky butt, funky butt
Shore as you born.

II.
I thought I heard somebody shout
Open the door and let the funk out.
Pocky butt Funky butt Take it away.

III.
I will give 8 or 10 more verses"