Saturday Night at the Oldies: Some 40’s Proto-Rock

Freddie Slack and Will Bradley Trio (1940), Down the Road A Piece.

If you like to boogie woogie, I know the place.
It's just an old piano and a knocked out bass.
The drummer man's a guy they call Eight Beat Mack.
And you remember Doc and old "Beat Me Daddy" Slack.

Man it's better than chicken fried in bacon grease
Come along with me, boys, it's just down the road a piece.

Ella Mae Morse (1945), The House of Blue Lights. Shows that 'square' and 'daddy-o' and 'dig' were already in use in the '40s. I had been laboring under the misapprehension that this patois first surfaced in Beat/Beatnik circles in the '50s.

Posted

May 9, 2009

Music

Bill Vallicella

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3 responses to “Saturday Night at the Oldies: Some 40’s Proto-Rock”

ocham

May 10, 2009

And the introduction goes: “What’s that, Homey? If you think I’m goin’ dancin’ on a dime, your clock is tickin’ on the wrong time.”
From Google: “People used to tell me, ‘I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you sing like a black girl,’ and I’d wonder what other way is there to take that than as a great compliment,” Morse says.
(Hoping I haven’t missed the point here, heh).

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Philoponus

May 10, 2009

Thank you, Bill. Ella Mae also does a good job with some of my theme music (“Money Honey”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj-cjmOT0wI&NR=1

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Bill Vallicella

May 10, 2009

Hi O,
I was struck by the ‘homey’ as well.
Phil,
You’re welcome. Ella Mae was rockin’ before there was rock.

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