Dialect variation in the Times

[Eric Nielsen]

This site has an extensive chronology of the song--and lyrics for the Big
Bill and Little Walter versions:

http://keeponliving.at/song/key_to_the_highway.html

Jazz Gillum, with Big Bill Broonzy, recorded the song right after Charles
Segar. I wonder if changing the melody, lyrics, and number of bars is enough
to claim at least partial authorship. Song titles can't be copyrighted; cf.
"I Kissed a Girl", Jill Sobule--and Katy Perry.
Eric

On Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 11:44 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Dialect variation in the Times
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Aug 23, 2011, at 7:00 AM, Eric Nielsen wrote:
>
> > Here's the Charles Segar version:
> >
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuFjdHZgElw
> >
> > Very interesting: Segar's is a twelve bar blues. All the other
> > versions (that I am familiar with) are eight bar blues. In fact, "Key to
> the
> > Highway" is often given as an example of the eight bar form.
> >
> > Eric
>
> That is quite different from those of the 200 versions I sampled, including
> the more prominent ones.  I ended up e-plunking down my $0.99 for one of the
> Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee versions (a very nice 5:12 cut from a "Blues
> Six-Pack"),  EP, which Sonny/Brownie introduce by thanking their friend for
> writing it唯ig Bill Broonzy.  I imagine Segar must have ended up feeling a
> bit like Rodney Dangerfield.
>
> LH
> >
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 9:17 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu
> >wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> >> Subject:      Re: Dialect variation in the Times
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> At the iTunes Store there are 200 versions of "Key" to sample (90 =
> >> seconds each), including some nice get-togethers: Sonny and Brownie with
> =
> >> Big Bill Broonzy, B. B. King with Eric Clapton, and so on.   None of the
> =
> >> 200 versions are by William Charles Segar.  It is a good song. =20
> >>
> >
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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