[Ads-l] Antedating of "Boogie" (Style of Playing Blues)

[Shapiro, Fred]

Here's earlier use of "boogie woogie":

boogie-woogie (OED 1928)

1927 Dave Jessie  (title of musical score, copyrighted) Jazz Piano: Boogie Woogie.

1927 Axel Christensen  (title of musical score, copyrighted) Boogie Woogie Blues.

NOTE:  Online searches reveal that there was non-musical usage of "boogie woogie" before 1927, as in "boogie-woogie man," not reflected in OED.

Fred Shapiro

________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Rich Lowenthal <000018596069864c-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2025 9:18 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Boogie" (Style of Playing Blues)

The New York Times used "boogie woogie" in 1939.

"This town offers a catholic variety of night club performers, ranging
from boogie woogie pianists and Fifty-second Street gagmen to Broadway's
opulent honky-tonk or the occasionally small risqué singers on the East
Side, but it is seldom that one encounters a talent as honest and
exhilarating as that of Vincente Gomez, the Spanish guitarist."

NY Times July 16, 1939. Section 9, page 8.

Rich Lowenthal

------ Original Message ------
>From "James Landau" <00000c13e57d49b8-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 8/29/2025 20:22:33
Subject Re: Antedating of "Boogie" (Style of Playing Blues)

>On Thu, 28 Aug 2025 at 11:36:51 Zone + 0000 the musically literate  "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU> wrote:
>>boogie (OED, n.3, 2., 1940 [17 Apr.])>>1940 San Jose Mercury Herald 18 Mar. 11/1 (Genealogy Bank)
>>>Joe Turner sings boogie blues.
>
>
>what about the related term "boogie-woogie"?  This term was in use by 1941 in the song "The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy." sung by the Andrews Sisters.
>See https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FBoogie_Woogie_Bugle_Boy&data=05%7C02%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7Cc00b379755584665883f08dde7632d4b%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638921135339426358%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HzO%2B0aE2wlztA03ZdZKAJlrNv1Vc2a0CP6zAty04PYA%3D&reserved=0<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_Woogie_Bugle_Boy> which says the Andrews Sisters recorded the song January 2, 1941.  Unfortunately WIkipedia does not give the date of composition of the song, but it has to have been later than the Selective Service Act, signed into law September 16, 1940, since the song presupposes the draft.
>
>James Landau
>jjjrlandau at netscape.com
>
>

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