The Never Ending Pool

One of the most bizarre performances of the Basement sessions is "Quit Kicking My Dog Around".
http://www.sendspace.com/file/cf1f43

This song has a very interesting history. It was written by Cy. Perkins & Webb M. Oungst (a pseudonym for the wife of the publisher)- although it might be older - and first recorded by Byron G. Harlan in 1912. The recording is available here:
The Internet Archive
Cylinder Preservation And Digitization Project
original sheet music

Harlan (1861-1936) was one of the most popular recording artists of the first two decades of the 20th century. As a solo performer, singing mostly sentimental ballads, and as a comic duet with his partner Arthur Collins he had countless hits:

[i]"A popular rube song [i.e. comic monologues] cut by Harlan is 'They Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dawg Aroun' '.He was the only recording artist associated with it, and versions on Victor 17065 and Columbia A1150 sold well. Edison issued versions in two-minute cylinder format and four-minute wax amberol format. Announcing its June release on wax Amberol 1023, the April 1912 issue of Edison Phonograph Monthly states. 'The Missouri Hound' Song, as this selection is familiary known in the Ozarks, though by no means a new song, has attained national prominence during the last few month. Its sudden popularity is due to its adoption by the Champ Clark cohorts as a presidential campaign slogan'".
[from: Tim Gracyk, Popular American Recording Artists, 1895-1925, Haworth Press, 2000)[/i]

In 1926 Gid Tanner And His Skillet Lickers recorded it for the Hillbilly market:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/qgiysz
Later it was collected by Alan Lomax and other folklorists. Rufus Thomas' "Stop Kicking My Dog Around" (1963), played by Bob on his Dog-radio-show (TTR 16) is also derived from this song.

The Lomax version as well as a transcription of Dylan's recording can be found on Manfred Helfert's Bobroots-site(although James Bland is named here as the author, that is doubtful):
http://www.bobdylanroots.com/dog.html
More info on the background:
http://bluegrassmessengers.com/master/hounddogsong3.html

Great reading in those links, lostchords.
And good to hear the Harlan and Tanner versions.
Many thanks.

I note that it was the campaign song for U.S. Presidential contender 'Beauchamp 'Champ' Clarke of Missouri, in 1912. Campaigns must have been more colourful back then. Maybe Obama should try it!

The Show Me Missouri Song and Joke Book; no date, first decade of 20th c. Seems to be vaudevillian's cheat-sheet, contains early version of "The Hound Dog Song," along with much racist material, and very little besides place-names that's specifically connected with Missouri.
http://missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu/eyecandy.html


Edited to make the cover illustration visible.
The caption says: &quot;I told you'ns to quit kickin that 'are dog aroun&quot;<br><br>Post edited by: 4th Time Around, at: 2007/06/27 07:23

Thanks, hadn't seen this one yet.

If only all my history classes during my school days were like this!

Enriching in all the good ways. Thanks LostChords.

Indeed! Thanks a lot for the interesting post!

Thank you much for your splendid, archeologic work once again, Jürgen. It's a delight to see so much effort put into single song research.

No mention of Buffy Ste. Marie here.

When Alan Lomax and his posse researched it, they referred to it as the Hound Dawg Song.
http://www.southernspaces.org/contents/2004/bransford/1h.htm
Georgia Fife and Drum Band. Recorded in Waverly Hall, GA in 1969.

____________________________________________________

The info is not exactly as Stewie quotes from Charles Wolfe, but I will give it in its entirety, without any comment as to authenticity. There is one obvious error in calling the author Mrs. William Stark rather than Mrs. John Stark. I did not find an author to attribute it to.


THEY GOTTA QUIT KICKIN' MY DAWG AROUN' COMPOSERS: Webb M. Oungst; Cy Perkins, 1912



In 1912, Mrs. William Stark (of Stark Publishing) wrote the song for use in the campaign of Missouri's favorite son, Champ Clark, (Speaker of the House) for the presidential campaign. Clark was doing quite well before the Republican convention. Mrs. Stark, afraid of rejection because of being written by a woman, used the pseudonyms indicated above. The song made such an immediate hit that Witmark offered Stark ten thousand dollars for it and the offer was accepted. Unfortunately, not only did Clark's boom collapse on the convention floor, but THEY GOTTA QUIT KICKIN' MY DAWG AROUND fell flat as well. Furthermore, the payments were not met and resulted in a suit filed by Stark ending with the settlement in full. On a more positive 'note' (pun intended) however, the Second Missouri Infantry chose it as their marching song and adapted the Missouri Hound dawg as their logo and emblem.



I will post the sheet music version so you can compare it with the version posted by Stewie. It does have some differences besides the use of dialect, including six verses rather than five.



They Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dog Aroun'
Webb M. Oungst; Cy Perkins (Mrs. John Stark), 1912



Wunst me 'n' Lem Briggs 'n' ol' Bill Brown,
Tuk a load of cawn to town,
An' ol' Jim-dawg (the on-ry cuss)
He jes' nachelly follered us.



Chorus
Ev'rytime I come to town,
The boys keep kickin' my dawg around';
Makes no dif'rence if he is a houn',
They gotta quit kickin' my dawg aroun'.

As we driv' past Sam Johnson's store,
Passel o' yapes kem out th'door,
When Jim, he stops to smell a box,
They shied at him a bunch o'rocks.

Chorus

They tied a tin can to his tail,
An' run him a-past the county jail,
&quot;N' that plumb nachelly makes me sore,
&quot;n&quot; Lem he cussed 'n' Bill he swore.

Chorus

Me 'n' Lem Briggs 'n' ol' Bill Brown,
We lost no time in a jumpin' dowon,
An' we wiped them ducks up on the groun'
Fer kickin' my ol' dawg aroun'.

Chorus

Folks say a dawg kain't hold no grudge,
But wunst, when I got too much budge,
Them town ducks tried to do me up,
But they didn't count on ol' Jim-pup.

Chorus

Jim seed his duty thar an' then,
An' he lit into them gentlemen,
And he shore mussed up the cote house square
With rags 'n' meat 'n' hide 'n' hair!

Chorus<br><br>Post edited by: clairdelalune, at: 2007/07/01 13:06

Nice links, thanks !
And btw, LostChords .. congratulations to your new homepage, very impressive !

Thanks for the link to the Georgia Fife &amp; Drum Band.

Buffy St. Marie recorded it on &quot;I'm Gonna Be A Country Girl Again&quot; (1968):
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;sql=10:gxfoxqu5ldae

It's also included on Howard Fishman's recently released Basement Tapes Live CD:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;sql=10:gzfexzl5ldke

nice version here: http://www.myspace.com/thetallboysstringband