Ragged but Right, pt. 3 (jig)

[Ben Zimmer]

On Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 10:29 PM, George Thompson wrote:
>
>     We have some blues; we have "The Memphis Blues," "The Jo-Go Blues,"
> also the "Baby Seal Blues," and we gave the gigs [sic, i. e., African
> Americans (note by Abbott & Seroff)] all the blues they want and you can
> just see them walking dogie [sic] when our band is playing.
>
>     "Notes from J. C. O'Brien's Famous Georgia Minstrels", *Indianapolis
> Freeman*, October 24, 1914
>
>     "Walking Dogie" appears to have been a grass-roots African American
> dance step specifically identified with emerging blues and jazz.  **  This
> was two years prior to the publication of Shelton Brooks' monumental "dance
> craze" hit, "Walking the Dog."  *Ragged but Right, *p. 212;  & fn. 17, p.
> 407

...and almost 50 years before the monumental Rufus Thomas hit of the
same name. (Actually, I think the Shelton Brooks song is properly
known as "Walkin' the Dog").

--bgz

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

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