Origins: House of the Rising Sun

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,Joseph Scott
Date: 12 Jan 21 - 07:26 PM

"at almost exactly the same time" The Ashley and Foster recording was '33, the Georgia Turner was '37. "Could she have learned it from that?" Yeah.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,George Henderson
Date: 12 Jan 21 - 05:15 AM

No Eric Burden heard Johnny Handle sing this when he and Louis Killen were going to the Newcastle Jazz Club before they started the Bridge folk club back in the early 60's.
Johnny was interviewed on BBC about it.

Johnny Handle of High Level Ranters fame.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: r.padgett
Date: 12 Jan 21 - 02:50 AM

Read somewhere that Eric Burden has heard Bob Davenport sing this in a folk song club and learnt it from him

Ray

Subject: ADD: The House of the Rising Damp (McCloud)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Jan 21 - 08:54 PM

Simon Meeds sang this wonderful parody

The House of the Rising Damp
(Mary McCloud)

There is a house in Milton Keynes
They call the Rising Damp
It's been the ruin of many a poor guest
From food poisoning and stomach cramp

Smoked Salmonella sandwiches
Are the special of the day
And the pies of pork get up and walk
Around the plates where they lay

The whisky tastes like turpentine
And the beer is always flat
And strange noises come from the rooms upstairs
But we'll say no more of that

There's a folk club on a Friday night
With guitars out of tune
Singing like a pack of wolves
Baying at the moon

I'm getting out of Milton Keynes
By car or bus or train
I'm going back to the
To hear good music again

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: Lighter
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 05:18 PM

I believe Lomax used to claim that he had "discovered" the song from Georgia Turner - at almost exactly the same time as Ashley's recording.

Could she have learned it from that?

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: Greg F.
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 04:48 PM

Per Dave Van Ronk:

    "I had learned it sometime in the 1950s, from a recording by Hally Wood, the Texas singer and collector, who had got it from an Alan Lomax field recording by a Kentucky woman named Georgia Turner. I put a different spin on it by altering the chords and using a bass line that descended in half steps—a common enough progression in jazz, but unusual among folksingers. By the early 1960s, the song had become one of my signature pieces, and I could hardly get off the stage without doing it." {The Mayor of MacDougal Street, ISBN 978-0-306-81479-2, p. 115}

van Ronk claimed in his autobiography that he had seen pictures of the old New Orleans Parish Women's Prison, which had an entrance decorated with a rising sun design. He considered this proof that the House of the Rising Sun had been a nickname for the prison.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: Mr Red
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 04:30 PM

FWIW Alan Price has the copyright on the Animals version and Eric Burden has been on record that it is to his enduring annoyance that he has to pay Alan Price every time he sings it. And he has to sing it, it is his meal ticket.

When the question of preventing all and sundry copying they put a copyright on the version and (it was claimed) you have to have "one" name attached. Alan got in first. The decision was not unanimous, even at the time. His organ riff is rather memorable though.

Canny lad was Alan.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: The Sandman
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 04:00 PM

they are all good versions but the most interesting chord progression is the animals version, the darby and tarlton versions sounds like barbecue bob singing and playing

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: The Sandman
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 03:58 PM

they are all good versions but the most interesting chord progression is the animals version

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 03:37 PM

spotify & YT links here if anyone wants to hear
Darby & Tarlton "Rising Sun Blues"
Interesting but...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
btw I think last.fm can be quite a handy & quick resource for linking to a tune.
If you find a YT version that isn't on the lastfm page you can click "Add a video" which will help the next one along.
Obviously ads are a bit of a distraction but they pay the bills.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: Lighter
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 12:51 PM

It's a different song, and seems to differ from "The Risin' Sun" as well.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,Mike Yates
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 12:37 PM

Has anyone mentioned that Darby & Tarlton recorded a song called "Rising Sun Blues" in 1930? Don't know if this is related to the Tom Ashley song or not, as I don't have the JSP reissue set of their work.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 12:10 PM

last.fm is (sometimes) good for lists of various performers.
These are based on tags people have used.

Rising Sun

House Of The Rising Sun

The House Of The Rising Sun

(slow but possibly my favourite : Miriam Makeba : House Of The Rising Sun )

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,#
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 12:01 PM

House of the Rising Sun (more history).

http://www.risingsunbnb.com/the-song

My apologies if that's been posted before.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: pdq
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 11:27 AM

I don't believe the Texas Alexander song "The Risin' Sun" has much to do with "The House of the Rising Sun".

Nice guitar work by Lonnie Johnson, though.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,Mysha
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 10:42 AM

Hi,

"The title that Texas Alexander had issued ... is "The Risin'Sun". Recorded in 1928."

Yes, that makes more sense. Even better: That means we can indicate both songs with distinctive names when necessary.

Bye,
                                                                Mysha

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 10:32 AM

This is the oldest version I've got, probably from an earlier thread: the "female" version.

HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN
(traditional version)
The is a house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun,
It's been the ruin of many a girl; and me, poor girl, I'm one!
Me, poor girl, I'm one

My mother she is honest, she sews on new blue jeans,
My sweetheart is a drunkard, Lord! drinks down in New Orleans.
Drinks down in New Orleans.
He took me from my mother's home, he dragged me in the slime,
He sold me into the parlor-house where I must do my time,
Lord! I must do my time.

Go tell my baby sister; Don't do what I have done,
And shun that house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun.
They call the Rising Sun.

It's one foot on the platform, the other on the train,
I'm going back to New Orleans – I'll wear the ball and chair,
I'll wear the ball and chain.

I'm going back to New Orleans, my time is almost done
I'm going back to find my child beneath that Rising Sun.
Beneath that Rising Sun.

Most of the male versions follow the popular Animals tune & lyrics. I like Doc Watson's later faster version (different to the earlier slow one with Clarence Ashby). I once added up at least 12 different versions by different artists in my record collection, probably more now.

RtS

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,Hotenanny
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 10:31 AM

Mysha,

I think you have it wrong. The title that Texas Alexander had issued on OK 8673 where he is accompanied by Lonnie Johnson is "The Risin'Sun". Recorded in 1928.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,Mysha
Date: 16 Mar 15 - 08:44 AM

Hi,

No, Texas Alexander recorded The House of the Rising Sun. I guess that's why the other one was called "House of the Rising Sun Blues", until the earlier one was forgotten.

Bye,
                                                                Mysha

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: Mr Red
Date: 15 Mar 15 - 03:27 PM

YouTube Texas Alexander 1928 make of that what you will. But I would not ascribe it as the same song. Nor a precursor.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 14 Mar 15 - 03:49 PM

!933 Recording

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,#
Date: 14 Mar 15 - 03:10 PM

There's some interesting info at this link:

https://books.google.ca/books?isbn=1416539301

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 14 Mar 15 - 01:58 PM

The link which GUEST# refers to leads to an article which says Clarence Ashley recorded THOTRS or Rising Sun Blues as he called it "definitively in the bluegrass style" in 1933.

I was about to blast off a furious reply, explaining that Ashley's performance style was not bluegrass, definitive or otherwise, also that he never recorded in 1933. However, a bit of digging around the Internet turned up an item on Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=147kS8O59Qs, which shows that he did indeed record it in 1933, along with Gwen Foster, as the Carolina Tar Heels.

The question I'm now asking is why haven't I got a copy? There are various reissues of The Carolina Tar Heels, but none of the ones I've got feature Rising Sun Blues. Does anyone know whether this particular track is available anywhere on CD.

NB., before anyone mentions it, I know about Ashley's recording of this song on Smthsonian Folkways, Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's. That, however wasn't recorded until 1961.

Subject: RE: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,#
Date: 14 Mar 15 - 10:47 AM

http://www.americanbluesscene.com/2011/11/a-brief-history-of-house-of-the-rising-sun/

See if that helps.

Subject: Origins: House of the Rising Sun
From: GUEST,Ivar
Date: 14 Mar 15 - 10:42 AM

Hi,

Can someone please tell me the first available recording of 'House of the rising sun' ?

Thanks so much.