Ragged but Right, pt. 3 (jig)

[Laurence Horn]

On Feb 2, 2012, at 10:46 PM, Ben Zimmer wrote:

> 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
>
And still later there was the no doubt unrelated bluegrass song (and album) of that name ("Ragged but Right", that is) by the Greenbriar Boys.

LH

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