The Allens first recorded "Salty Dog Blues" on 7 April 1927, in Atlanta. "New Salty Dog" was recorded for Victor, 22 November 1930, and "Salty Dog Hey Hey Hey" for ARC, 5 October 1934.

Papa Charlie Jackson did "Salty Dog" for Paramount in 1924, Clara Smith for Columbia in 1926. Cryin' Sam Collins (unlike any other I've ever heard) and Kokomo Arnold also had issued 78s of the song, as did Sam and Kirk McGee on the hillbilly side. Byrd Moore's 1928 "Bedbugs Makin' Their Last Go-Round" is a medley containing the title song (a recomposition of "Gulf Coast Blues") and "Salty Dog." The Morris Bros may be responsible for the specific version that Flatt & Scruggs popularized in the 50s, but it's an arrangement at best.

These are the lyrics, roughly transcribed, of the Allens' "Bow Wow Blues." I don't find a text of the 1921 pop song so I can't say what relation, if any, it has to the Allen song, aside from the title. The lyrics here don't sound like Tin Pan Alley at all. The melody is unlike "Salty Dog" and relies on a V7-I-I7-IV-bVI7-I-IV-I-VI7-II7-V7-I progression, if my air-guitar comping is to be trusted.

I got a gal, six feet tall,
Sleeps in the kitchen with her feet in the hall,
She's got a sister, she's tall and keen,
Runs her tongue like an English queen,
Bow wow, wow wow wow
I got the bow wow blues.

I got a gal, she rides a riverboat
She can make a good mule leave his oats
She's got a sister, she's tall and rough,
She's a home town girl, really knows her stuff.

I got a gal, she's the vamp of the town,
She's strictly tailor-made, no hand-me-down,
She's got a sister, she loves (??)
She's got more ways of lovin' than Wrigley's got gum.

I got a gal, she's six feet tall,
Sleeps in the kitchen with her back to the wall
She's got a sister, she's tall and keen
Struts her stuff in a Ford limousine.

I got a gal, she's an awful (??) killer
Comes to town in a broken-down flivver
She's got a sister and her name is Kate
Struts her stuff in a Cadillac Eight.

According to Tony Russell (OTM 44, 1987/88), the "Bow Wow"/"Salty Dog" combo (Co 15175-D) sold 18,426 copies. He also has sales figures on other Allen recordings, including some titles on the MW label. "New Salty" is reported to have sold 6552 copies (not clear whether this refers only to the original Victor 23500 series release or includes later sales of the Bluebird and Victor reissues), plus 7603 (c/w "Browns Ferry Blues" by the Delmore Bros) on Montgomery Ward. The Allens' biggest hit was "Jake Walk Blues," with sales of over 20000 copies.

Some years ago I read an article which included fairly detailed and specific information, gleaned from newspapers and/or court filings, on the Allen Bros vs Columbia lawsuit. I neglected to photocopy it and have been unable to relocate it more recently. Does anyone have the slightest idea where this might have been? I paged through a nearly complete library set of OTM without finding it.

As is well known, the Allens left Columbia after one of their records was issued in the 14000-D "Race" series and are supposed to have sued the label for $250K damages. The story is told often but is omitted almost completely in this OTM article, "Lee Allen's Radio Days and other salty dog chronicles," from Charles Wolfe interview. Russell mentions it in the sidebar but it's not brought up at all in the interview proper. I don't have JEMFQ 24 with the Allen article and have never seen it, so that's not the reference I'm thinking of.