Traditions Music Black Secularnon-Blues

TRADITIONS NON-BLUES SECULAR BLACK MUSIC THREE MUSICIANS PLAYING ACCORDION, BONES, AND JAWBONE AT AN OYSTER ROAST, CA. 1890. (Courtesy Archives, Hampton Institute) REV JAN 1976 T & S-178C DR. NO. TA-1418C © BRI Records 1978 NON-BLUES SECULAR BLACK MUSIC been hinted at by commercial discs. John Lomax grass, white and black gospel music, songs for IN VIRGINIA and his son, Alan, two folksong collectors with a children, blues and one anthology, Roots O f The Non-blues secular black music refers to longstanding interest in American folk music, Blues devoted primarily to non-blues secular ballads, dance tunes, and lyric songs performed began this documentation for the Library of black music (Atlantic SD-1348). More of Lomax’s by Afro-Americans. This music is different from Congress in 1933 with a trip to the State recordings from this period are now being issued blues, which is another distinct form of Afro- Penitentiary in Nashville, Tennessee. On subse on New World Records, including Roots Of The American folk music that developed in the deep quent trips to the South between 1934 and 1942, Blues (New World Records NW-252). * South sometime in the 1890s. Blues is character the Lomaxes cut numerous recordings, often at In recent years the emphasis of most field ized by a twelve or eight bar harmonic sequence state prisons, from Texas to Virginia.2 They researchers traveling through the South in search and texts which follow an A-A-B stanza form in found a surprising variety of both Afro-American of Afro-American secular music has been on the twelve bar pattern and an A-B stanza form in and Anglo-American music on their trips and blues, although recorded examples of non-blues the eight bar pattern. It is very emotional music recorded black examples of Child ballads, play black music have frequently cropped up on many and serves as one of the emotional releases for party songs, blues, cowboy songs, spirituals, so-called “blues anthologies” issued by small members of the black community. Blues, how native American ballads, ballads from British independent labels.4 There have been several ever, is just one component of the musical broadsides, and reels. This material remained in albums, however, dealing specifically with non network of the Afro-American community; the the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Song for blues secular black music. One unusual style of others are religious music and other forms of many years, but most of it has not been generally Afro-American music found primarily in the deep secular music. A comprehensive study of non available until recently when an English com South, fife and drum band music, has been well blues secular black music in America has yet to be pany, Flyright-Matchbox, initiated a comprehen documented on records, film and print by David written. Although scattered oral resources are sive reissue program of all of the Lomaxes’ field Evans, George Mitchell and Bill Ferris.5 There available, they have never been properly com recordings of black musicians from this era. These has also been some documentation of Afro-Ameri piled and analyzed. This essay gives a brief recordings are available on the Flyright-Matchbox can fiddle and banjo playing, particularly in North overview of these materials emphasizing oral Library of Congress Series: Volumes One through Carolina. Several full-length albums devoted to documentation and provides a more thorough Thirteen. non-blues secular black music from Piedmont and examination of the non-blues secular black music Along with the Lomaxes, other field research western North Carolina are available and feature found in Virginia, while the recordings on this ers were recording throughout the South. They examples of guitar playing as well as fiddle and album specifically focus upon such performances included Herbert Halpert, a field worker with the banjo tunes. For a listing of these records check recorded within the state. W.P.A. in the late 1930s, and Zora Neale the annotated discography at the end of this Hurston, a black woman novelist whose folklore essay. Research In America research was concentrated in Florida between the Recorded documentation of non-blues secular late 1920s and mid 1930s. Another field research Previoas Research In Virginia black music in America is incomplete. The er was Lawrence Gellert who concentrated on Virginia, like other southern states, holds a pioneer written collections of black secular folk collecting songs in North and South Carolina and wealth of non-blues secular black music. This music offer ballads, song texts, and fragments but Georgia. Gellert was active between 1933 and music has gone largely undocumented orally, but they are not satisfactory substitutes for recorded 1937 and his particular interest was protest songs. many historical references to it exist. Foremost documents. 1 When Afro-American folk musi Recording on aluminum discs,3 he documented among these references are reports from colonial cians first appeared on records in substantial more than 300 Afro-American folk songs includ Virginia of blacks playing banjo. The banjo is an numbers during the mid-1920s, the record ing both solo and group work songs, blues, and instrument of African origin and it is not companies concentrated on blues and gospel unaccompanied solo protest songs. He focused on surprising that there are numerous reports in performers. A number of musicians were record songs protesting the cultural, economic, and early personal journals and travel accounts of ed, however, whose repertoires relied heavily on social ill-treatment of southern blacks and some of black banjo players. The first known account of a non-blues material. Guitarist John Henry How the best of these songs have been reissued by black playing banjo in Virginia is from a journal ard, for example, recorded “Little Brown Jug, ” Rounder Records as Negro Songs of Protest entry dated 1774.6 Colonial Virginia newspapers “ The Old Gray Goose, ” “ Gonna Keep My Skillet (Rounder 4004). also contain allusions to black banjo players. For Cool and Greasy, ” and “Where Have You Been The first conscious effort by a commercial example, the February 18, 1775, issue of the My Pretty Little Girl? ” for Gennett Records in record company to document non-blues secular Virginia Gazette carried an advertisement for a 1925. In 1931 the American Record Company black music came in the late 1940s when Folkways runaway slave ‘ ‘who plays exceedingly well on the brought Joe Evans and Arthur McClain in to their Records issued a series of recordings by Huddie Banjar, and generally carries one with him.” studio. The duo accompanied themselves on a Leadbetter, otherwise known as Leadbelly. This Accounts of Afro-Americans in Virginia play variety of instruments—guitar, piano, fiddle, and series included The Legacy of Leadbelly, Volume ing fiddle, a European instrument, occurred mandolin—and waxed traditional tunes like “ Old Three (Folkways 2024) and The Legacy of Lead earlier but less frequently than reports of black Hen Cackle” and “Sourwood Mountain” amidst a belly, Volume Four (Folkways 2034). These banjo players. The first such account dates from group of blues, gospel, and popular songs. These records were followed in the mid-1950s by another the 1690s in Accomac County. A dance started in examples suggest that a “songster” tradition Folkways series produced from field recordings the home of Reverend Thomas Teakle one existed among Afro-American musicians who by Frederick Ramsey. Ramsey concentrated his Saturday night during his absence. According to recorded commercially during this time. “ Song field work in Alabama and his efforts resulted in the county records, the dance continued until ster” in this context refers to older rural The Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Volumes One nearly eleven o’clock the next morning and the musicians whose repertoires included a wide Through Six (Folkways 4417-18, 4471-74). In the music was provided by a slave fiddler. This event range of materials: blues, dance tunes, hymns, late 1950s, Alan Lomax was back in the field so infuriated Reverend Teakle that he brought and ballads. recording material that appeared on the Atlantic legal action against his daughter’s friends, an act It was not until the mid-1930s, however, that label (Southern Folk Heritage Series) and on the that provided us with this documentation.7 intensive efforts were made to document through Prestige International label (Sounds of the South). Accounts of Afro-Americans using the fiddle recordings this “ songster” tradition that had only These series included records devoted to blue- and banjo continued to be written throughout the American and American Indian student body, a example, the Institute spon great deal of emphasis was placed on Afro-Ameri- sored a touring group, can and, to a lesser degree, Indian folklore. “Hampton Negro and Indian Numerous articles on black folklore appeared in Folk-Lore Concert,” which the Southern Workman, a magazine produced by gave performances all over Hampton Institute. The Southern Workman the country. According to published articles by students and faculty on one of their programs dated subjects such as “Conjuring and Conjure Doc March 7, 1892, the concert tors” (p. 209, December 1895), “ Brer Rabbit’s consisted of, among other Box” (p. 25, January 1899), and “ Popular Signs things, “game and dance and Superstitions” (p. 15, January, 1894). songs” and “labor songs.” During this same period, the Hampton The group toured with a Folk-Lore Society, along with numerous other “Jaw-bone orchestra, bird folklore groups across the country, was flourish whistler and quartette.” The ing. The society contributed a regular column to inclusion of the “Jaw-bone the Southern Workman and in the July 1894 issue orchestra’ ’ is particularly the transcript of an address to the Hampton Folk- noteworthy as it bespeaks the Lore Society by William Wells, “ The Importance continued importance of the and Utility of the Collection of Negro Folk-Lore,” jawbone in black music.

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