Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
by
Ma Rainey
Ma Rainey says:
I know whatcha thinkin' but the Black Bottom is a dance. Get your mind outta the gutter.
Here it is:
* Hop down front then Doodle back, (Doodle means slide)
* Mooch to your left then Mooch to the right
* Hands on your hips and do the Mess Around,
* Break a Leg until youre near the ground (Break a Leg is a hobbling step)
* Now thats the Old Black Bottom Dance
Instructions for the Mooch are Shuffle forward with both feet. Hips go first, then feet. ...
Shave 'em Dry Blues
blues
oh yes. One of my oldest recordings from 1924. This is the polite version too, you shoulda heard the nasty lyrics I really wrote for this song. But here's the sweet version with me singing and Tampa Red on guitar.
Stack O' Lee Blues
blues
One of the more famous traditional blues tunes. Stack 'O Lee was a bad man, but he was my man, and of course he done me wrong. I bet you'll recognize it when you hear it!
Don't Fish in My Sea
blues, acoustic blues, piano, delta
"If you don't like my Ocean, don't fish in my Sea". Ha! I've always been proud of this one. Check out James Blythe on the piano ~ one of the finest players of the day. I co-wrote this one in 1926.
Georgia Cake Walk
blues, country blues, standards
Here's a dance we used to do back in my day. The cakewalk was one of the most popular of all early jazz styles of music, and reached its zenith around 1899. It's descended from plantation dances, and was the first ragtime style music.
