Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides lyrics and two sound files of the 1921 Ragtime song "Strut Miss Lizzie". Information about the composer and lyricist of this song are also included in this post, along with information about the vocalist for the first rendition of that song that is presented in this post.

This post also includes definitions for the words "strut", "swagger", and "prance".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Henry Creamer and Turner Layton for their musicial legacy. Thanks also to all the vocalists and musicians who are featured in these examples. And thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube and all those who are quoted in this post.

This post serves as a companion to the following pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/soulful-struts-definition-examples-of.html"Soulful Struts (Definition & Examples Of Strutting)"

The African American playground singing game "Strut Miss Lucy" (also known as "Strut Miss Suzie" and "This a Way Valerie") was undoubtedly inspired by the Ragtime song "Strut Miss Lizzie". A pancocojams post on those playground games will be posted ASAP and its link will be added to this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE LYRICIST & THE COMPOSER OF "STRUT MISS LUCY"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Creamer
"Henry Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was an African American popular song lyricist. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, often collaborating with Turner Layton, with whom he also appeared in vaudeville.

Henry Creamer was a singer, dancer, songwriter and stage producer/director.[1][2] He first performed on the vaudeville circuit in the U.S. and in Europe as a duo with pianist Turner Layton, with whom he also co-wrote songs...

Also in 1926, Creamer and James P. Johnson wrote Alabama Stomp. In 1930 they achieved another hit with If I Could Be with You which was recorded by Ruth Etting. The song also became the theme song for McKinney’s Cotton Pickers and was also a hit for Louis Armstrong (Okeh 41448).[6]
Creamer was a co-founder with James Reese Europe of the Clef Club, an important early African American musicians and entertainers organization in New York City."...

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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_Layton
"Turner Layton (July 2, 1894 – February 6, 1978), born John Turner Layton, Jr., was an African American songwriter, singer and pianist. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1894, he was the son of John Turner Layton, "a bass singer, music educator and hymn composer."[1] After receiving a musical education from his father, he attended the Howard University Dental School, later coming to New York City in the early 1900s, where he met future songwriting partner, lyricist Henry Creamer. He is best known for his many compositions with Creamer, the best known of which is the standard "After You've Gone", which was written in 1918 and first popularized by Sophie Tucker. The two contributed music and lyrics to many Broadway shows, including the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917, 1921 and 1922, Three Showers (1920), Some Party (1922) and Creamer's own Strut Miss Lizzie (1922).[1]"...

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LYRICS - STRUT MISS LIZZIE
(Henry Creamer, Turner Layton)

At the barber's ball in the barber's hall
All the dusky belles were there
Such a glancing, prancing, strutting and dancing
They were doing for fair
All the belles and beaus prancing on their toes
Tried to do the cake walk swell
When a midnight blonde came prancing on
They were heard to yell

Won't you strut miss Lizzie
Get busy, I want to see you walk
For the folks all state the way you syncopate
Is the whole town talk
When you move so pretty it's a pity
The other girlies frown, but the men you meet
Like the way you shake your feet
Oh you knock 'em dizzy
Strut miss Lizzie Brown

They were stepping sweet they were stepping neat
They were stepping super fine
To the singing, swinging, fancy pigeon winging
They were falling in line
Every dame and dude struck at attitude
For to win that cake they tried
But when Lizzie Brown came prancing round
Everybody cried

Won't you strut miss Lizzie
Get busy, I want to see you walk
For the folks all state the way you syncopate
Is the whole town talk
When you move so pretty it's a pity
The other girlies frown, but the men you meet
Like the way you shake your feet
Oh you knock 'em dizzy
Strut miss Lizzie Brown

(I'll bet you've got the cutest little strut in town)

Source: http://www.lyricsvault.net/php/artist.php?s=44430#axzz3WYaNc1hB
-snip-
These are the lyrics that are found on the sheet music for this song that is displayed on the "In Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana [University] website.

Additional lyrics for an adapted form of that song that was recorded by Irving Mills & his Hotsy Totsy Gang from June of 1930 are the chorus as given above nd these words:
Go down the street, by the school,
Pack your feet you struttin' fool!
Strut your stuff by the kirk.
Trot your tootsies by the church!

Through the alley, dodge the cans,
Shake Miss Ellie's pots and pans.
Cool your dog, we're comin' through,
Except for Lennox Avenue!

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WHAT "STRUT" MEANS
From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/strut+one's+stuff
"1. parade, flourish. Strut and swagger refer especially to carriage in walking. Strut implies swelling pride or pompousness; to strut is to walk with a stiff, pompous, seemingly affected or self-conscious gait: A turkey struts about the barnyard."

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WHAT "SWAGGER" MEANS
From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Swagger
"to walk or strut with a defiant or insolent air."

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WHAT "PRANCE" MEANS
From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/prance
"3. To step in a lively and showy manner"...

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1: STRUT MISS LIZZIE - MARY STAFFORD & HER JAZZ BAND



lindyhoppers Published on May 24, 2012

STRUT MISS LIZZIE
Composed by Harry Creamer & J. Turner Layton
-snip-
[The text about Mary Stafford in the beginning of this sound file is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Stafford_(singer)
"Mary Stafford (ca. 1895 – ca. 1938) was an American cabaret singer in the classic blues style. In January, 1921, she became the first African American woman to record for Columbia Records. She toured widely throughout the mid-Atlantic in the 1920s and into the 1930s. She performed at the Lafayette Theater in New York City, where she appeared in Rocking Chair Revue in 1931 and in Dear Old Southland in 1932.[1] After 1932 she worked outside the music industry in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where she is thought to have died ca. 1938.[1]"

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Example #2: Victor Credenza Victrola, plays Hot Jazz from 1930, "Strut Miss Lizzie" The Hotsy Totsy Gang"

.

Bruce Victrolaman Young, Uploaded on Jan 19, 2009

Here is Irving Mills & his Hotsy Totsy Gang from June of 1930. The Composition is "Strut Miss Lizzie" by Cramer & Layton. This is considered one of the greatest "White" jazz bands of this era, and at times included such notables as Bix on Cornet, Hoagy on piano, Celeste and Vocals, Jimmy & Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Joe Venuti on Jazz Violin, and Miff Mole among others. The Record is 10" Brunswick #4983....

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides lyrics and five video examples of the African American and Caribbean children's singing game "This A Way Valerie" (also known as "Strut Miss Lucy" and "Strut Miss Susie").

The content of this post is presented for cultural, recreational, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown creators of these singing games. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos. And thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube and all those who are quoted in this post.

The African American playground singing game "Strut Miss Lucy" was undoubtedly inspired by the 1921 Ragtime song "Strut Miss Lizzie". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/strut-miss-lizzie-information-lyrics.html for a pancocojams post on "Strut Miss Lizzie".

Note that these singing games use longways set (Virgina Reel type) formation of two parallel lines facing each other with a space in the middle for someone to strut (or dance) down. These games are very similar to "Zudio" and that singing game formation was widely popularized in the American television show "Soul Train" as the Soul Train line". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/roots-of-soul-train-line-formation.html"The Roots Of The Soul Train Line Formation" for a pancocojams post that includes information and a video of "Zudio" (also known as "Here We Go Zoodio" and other similar titles.

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WORDS TO "HERE WE GO VALERIE" ("STRUT MISS LUCY"; "STRUT MISS SUSIE")
From http://www.folkstreams.net/context,201
"THIS-A-WAY VALERIE
References: Trent-Johns p. 14-17; Abrahams p. 130; Hawes-Jones (Zudie-0). I have also heard a tape of this game being played by Negro children in Austin, Texas. The children habitually played this game all the way through: That is, until everyone, whether skilled or inexpert, had had a turn to dance down between the lines. It is also notable that the basic formation never traveled during play; occasionally, the children, while holding hands during the first verse, would side-step slightly back to their original position. This was always done spontaneously, without direction or discussion.

This-a-way, Valerie,

Valerie, Valerie,

This-a-way, Valerie

All day long.

Oh, strut, Miss Lizzie

Lizzie, Lizzie

Strut, Miss Lizzie

All day long.

Oh, here come another one

Just like the other one,

Here come another one

All day long".
-snip-
A small clip of this children's game included in the Folkstream video given as Example __ below.

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From http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/thiswayvalerie.html
"This Way Valerie
"This game works best with a fairly large group. You will need to have the girls get a buddy and then form 2 lines with the buddies facing each other. As soon as you have them in 2 straight lines they can start singing the song:

This way Valerie, That way Valerie,
This way Valerie all the way home.

Girls join hands with their buddy and sing this part while moving arms in a sawing motion - back and forth

Strut Miss Lucy, strut Miss Lucy,
Strut Miss Lucy all the way home.

Head girl in one line passes between the 2 lines making up any movement she wishes and falls in at the foot of the opposite line

Here comes another one just like the other one.
Here comes another one all the way home.

Buddy of the previous girl copies the movements just done by her buddy as she passes between the 2 lines and then joins the foot of the opposite line.

Both lines move up a wee bit and repeat the song over and over and over again until everyone has had a turn. The girls will eventually start getting quite creative in their actions if you play this many times."

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From http://dragon.sleepdeprived.ca/songbook/songs3/S3_96.htm
"Strut Miss Lucy (This Way Valerie)
(to the tune of "Shortnin' Bread")

Thanks very much to Jean, Barb, and Gail, who all helped me to piece together this song.

The girls line up in two lines facing each other. Each girl grabs hands with their partner and move arms alternately forward and back while singing the verse:

This way Valerie, that way Valerie,
This way Valerie, all the way home.

Take a couple of steps back and the head couple do the next two verses while everyone else sings and claps their hands. The girl on the right side struts down the line doing any action she wants. When she gets to the ends she joins the line on the left:

Strut Miss Lucy, strut Miss Lucy,
Strut Miss Lucy, all the way home.

The girl on the left copies the actions of the first girl during the next verse and when she gets to the end she joins the line on the right.

Here comes another one, just like the other one,
Here comes another one, all the way home".

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FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube with the video with the oldest date given first.

Example #1: Pizza Pizza Daddy-O



folkstreamer, Uploaded on Aug 3, 2006

A 1967 film by Bob Eberlein and Bess Lomax Hawes that looks at continuity and change in girls' playground games at a Los Angeles school

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Example #2: this a way valerie



rosierose62010, Uploaded on Aug 3, 2009

my little cousin dancing
-snip-
Notice that the little girl is "strutting" (moving with a prideful, rhythmic step). For what it's worth, when I introduced the singing game "Here We Go Zudio" to (mostly) Black girls and boys [ages 5-12 years old] in the game song group that I held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and in nearby Braddock, Pennsylvania the children didn't know what "strut" meant and had some difficulty learning that way of walking. They usually ended up dancing instead of "strutting". That same unfamiliarity with "strutting" is shown in the following videos and in other YouTube videos of "Strut Miss Lucy" singing games being taught to children and adult music students.

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Example #3: Strut Miss Lucy



Rebecca Bichel, Uploaded on Oct 24, 2011
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWBQ8dxxqsI for a short video which shows the children learning this game.

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Example #4: Rob Amchin—University of Louisville—Strut Miss Mary



Robert Amchin, Published on Nov 26, 2012

A traditional singing game in "longway sets." The music education majors enjoyed struttin'
their stuff in this singing game! It was only a shame that we had to end class!

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Example #5: Troop 375 Strut Miss Lucy!



Claudette Davidson, Published on Apr 9, 2014

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part series on the history of and influences on Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority stepping (steppin).

This post provides excerpts from Elizabeth C. Fine's 2003 groundbreaking book SoulStepping: African American Step Shows (University of Illinois Press). An excerpt from Wikipedia's page on Stepping is also given in the Addendum to this post. This post also includes with some of my thoughts on the subject of early cultural influences on fraternity and sorority stepping.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/which-historically-black-greek-letter.html for Part II of this series.

Part II provides excerpts from comments on the subject of stepping that are part of a discussion thread for a 2013 YouTube video of an Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Stroll Off performance. That post also features that video of that performance.

I believe that the information and comments about the history of and sources for stepping that are included in this post can also be considered to be part of the history of and sources for what are now referred to as "stroll offs" and "party walks". Several pancocojams posts on stroll offs/party walks will be published ASAP and links to those post will be added to this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Elizabeth C. Fine for her research and writing on this subject. Thanks also to all others who are quoted in this post.

There are a number of pancocojams posts on historically Black Greek letter[ed] fraternity and sorority stepping. Click the tags found below or use this blog's search engine to find those posts.

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SUMMARY STATEMENT ABOUT THE BOOK SOULSTEPPING: AFRICAN AMERICAN STEP SHOWS
From http://www.amazon.com/Soulstepping-African-American-Step-Shows/dp/025207534X
"Stepping is a complex performance that melds folk traditions with popular culture and involves synchronized percussive movement, singing, speaking, chanting, and drama. Elizabeth C. Fine's stunningly elaborate and vibrant portrayal of the cultural politics of stepping draws on interviews with individuals on college campuses and steppers and stepping coaches from high schools, community groups, churches, and dance organizations. Soulstepping is the first book to document the history of stepping, its roots in African and African American culture, and its transformation by churches, schools, and social groups into a powerful tool for instilling group identity and community involvement."

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EXCERPTS FROM ELIZABETH C. FINE'S BOOK SOULSTEPPING: AFRICAN AMERICAN STEP SHOWS
[These quotes are given without the citations that are noted in that book.]

Pages 15-16
“The earliest written reference to what might be stepping appears in the 25 November 1925 [Howard University] student newspaper The Hilltop. In an article entitled “Hell-Week”, Van Taylor described pledging activities of Omega Psi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities;”What desire is this is that will cause young men, stalwart of frame and rugged of heart and mind, demurely and aesthetically to dance about the campus as if in time to the fairy Pipes of Pan?”. Hell Week, of course, is a colloquial expression for the intense pledge activities that probates must endure before the week before they are accepted into a society. The phrase fairy Pipes of Pan suggests that the men are performing to a music or beat that only they can heard, in other words, there is no accompanying music. The word demurelysuggests a certain restraint or gravity to their movements, as might befit initiates in a ritual; aesthetically suggests an artful quality to their movements. Within eighteen years of the formation of the first black Greek-letter society, a public ritual dance associated with pledging had developed.

Van Taylor’s description of dancing young fraternity men may also be an account of the ritual performance of group identity called “marching on line,” from which stepping evolved. During the pledge period, pledges ("probates”) demonstrate their newfound brotherhood or sisterhood by walking together across campus, all wearing their group’s colors, and symbols and cultivating the same style, and movement...

Pledging rituals photographed during the 1940s and 1950s reveal the linear formations of pledges marching on line."

P. 18
"The visual record of probates on line increased dramatically in the [Howard University yearbook] Bison during the 1950s. and marching on line often involved singing or chanting and syncopated and synchronized movements...

In contrast to the linear patterns in photographs from the previous two decades, the circle was the most commonly photographed pattern in both singing and1960s showed both singing stepping rituals during the 1960s. During that decade, twenty-four photographs in the Bison revealed some type of singing or stepping. Fifteen were of groups in circles, with eight of these showing circular movment. Six of the eight indicated counterclockwise motion. Prevalent in African dance, the counterclockwise pattern seen in earky step routines reflects the influence of African culture. Such patterns echo the circular, counter clockwise pattern of the ring shout and pattin juba, early African American dance (chapter 2)."

Page 19
"The first photographs of a formalized indoor stepping program called “Greek Weekend” appeared in the 1965 Bison....The Weekend included six individual sessions on Greek life as well as “a colorful pledge club program in the auxiliary gym of the New Men’s Gymnasium."

Page 23
"Photographs of the late 1960s showed both singing and stepping in Howard’s Yard, although the term stepping is not used."

Page 27
The words demonstrate and demonstration to describe stepping began to appear in campus periodicals in the 1960s....A 1969 Bison caption proclaimed “Brothers demonstrate “Omega Bop” for spectators on Fridays.”

Photographs of stepping and indoor step shows increased substantially in the 1970s. In most cases writers referred to stepping as a “demonstration.”... A 1973 photograph of the Kappas stepping in the Yard refers to “Kappa Stomping.” But in 1974, for the first time, the Bison contained one page of photographs of an indoor step show with the heading “Greek Demonstration”.

Page 28
"After 1975 the word demonstration no longer appears in conjunction with stepping."

Page 31
"Other stepping synonyms appeared in Kujaliwa Hukumu’s 1976 letter critical of black Greeks: “shout’ n foot stomp’n tribalism”, a “war dance”, and “marches”.

By the late 1970s, pictures of indoor step shows revealed large audiences and elaborate costumes. Malone* notes that during this period the administration at Howard began scheduling noon classes, so stepping in the Yard began to decline slowly. Yet Greek shows of stepping gained in popularity, and by 1976 the first competitive Greek show was scheduled for homecoming week."
-snip-
*Jacqui Malone, author of Steppin' On the Blues: The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1996.)

Page 42
"During the first half or the 1990s a heightened sense of competitiveness and a preference for cash-award competitions characterized the annual Greek show".

Page 43
"Howard university hosted the first national championship step show during homecoming in 1994. The grand prize winner received $2,500."

Page 45
"The published record of stepping at Howard University confirms claims from around the United States that stepping evolved from the marching on line and group singing inherent in pledging rituals. Marching on line, the first ritual performance photographed, appeared in the 1943 and 1947 editions of the Bison. Although Van Taylor suggests that fraternities may have stepped at Howard as early as 1935, stepping evolves at different rates on other campuses. ...[Accounts of stepping from Kappa members] corroborates Wall Street Journal’s statement that stepping’s synchronized and syncopated moves date back to the 1940s, when lines of fraternity pledges marched in lockstep around campus in a rite of initiation.”.Julian Bond remebers stepping contests during his student days at Morehouse College in the late 1950...Abbe Nutcgyn Davis, a Alpha Kappa Alpha who pledgesat Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, noteds that her sorority did not step during the 1950s but did more balletlike "synchronized dancing" than the "stomping kinds of things that men did"... Robert J. Cummings, chair of the African studies department at Howard University and alumnus of Florida A&M University, has said that in the early 1960s his fraternity Omega Psi Phi, has stepped and used the term stepping as well as the terms stomp and march."

Pages 83-84
The characteristic clapping and stomping movements of stepping have their earliest counterparts in African American dances that emerged during slavery. Pattin juba, perhaps the best known of these dances, may have originated in an African dance called guiouba and grown in popularity after slaveholers outlawed drums for fear they would be used to communicate revolts...

The juba dance was done in a counterclockwise circle with "both the words and the steps" in call-and-response form. It involved improvisation, the shuffle, and clapping...

Early circular stepping routines reflect the influence of pattin juba as well as another early African American dance, the ring shout, which still exists in small areas of the South...

Althoug hring shouts were part of black religious services, they also occurred in secular contestss-in schools and homes and among black soldiers-and were very popular with adults as well as children."

Page 87
"Groups frequently enter [the step show stage] to popular music, often performing what black fraternities and sororities label “party walks” and what Latino Greek organizations call “strolls”. [Jacqui] Malone defines a party walk as an ‘organized line movement performed around the floor at a party.” Party walks and strolls may or may not include the characteristic stomping and clapping of stepping, but they are performed to music.

Page 113
"Although the words [of chants performed by Latino Greek-letter organizations] conveyed Latino identity, the stepping differed little in style from that of black Greeks. In contrast, the Latino groups performed their strolls or party walks to popular Latino music and with many Latino dance movements from the salsa, rumba, and merengue."

Page 162
“Stepping in Omega Psi Phi fraternity may have been influenced by the lindy hop. According to Stephon D. Henderson (interview 25 May 1995), stepping began “at the Rho Chi chapter at Tennessee State –anywhere between 1941 and 1956” and was called “hopping” here. Brothers at Tennesee State and in that middle Tennessee area still refer to it as hopping , because it was first referred to as hopping.”. A photograph captioned the “Omega Bop” in the 1969 Bison (221) shows Omega brothers standing on their right legas and kicking to the side in a movment reminiscent of the kicks done in the lindy hop... Rouverol (“ 'Hot’, ‘Coo;’ and ‘Getting Down’”, 100) observes that the emphasis on unity, precision, and competition in tap, buck and wing, and chorus–line dancing “may have influenced stepping as we know it today”. Other possible influences, she notes, “include cakewalking, and in recent years, even cheerleading and party walks”.

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ADDENDUM
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepping_(African-American) [retrieved April 9, 2015]
"Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps. Though stepping may be performed by an individual, it is generally performed by groups of three or more, often in arrangements that resemble military formations.

Stepping may also draw from elements of gymnastics, break dance, tap dance, march, or African and Caribbean dance, or include semi-dangerous stunts as a part of individual routines. The speed of the step depends on the beat and rhythm the performer wants it to sound. Some forms of stepping include the use of props, such as canes, rhythm sticks and/or fire and blindfolds.

The tradition of stepping is rooted within the competitive schoolyard song and dance rituals practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, beginning in the mid-1900s[citation needed].

Stepping finds its origins in a combination of military close-order and exhibition drill, and African foot dances such as the Welly "gumboot" dance. It also originally drew heavily from the stage routines and movements of popular R&B groups such as the Temptations and The Four Tops.[citation needed] During the mid-20th century, historically-black fraternities and sororities on United States college campuses traditionally sang and chanted to celebrate "crossing over" into membership of their respective organizations. Stepping is also performed by schools, churches, cheerleading squads, and drill teams."
-snip-
That last sentence should also read "as well as by a number of Latino, multi-cultural, and other Greek letter and non-Greek letter university organizations."

"Stepping" (couples' dancing) is completely different from fraternity and sorority stepping and I've never read or heard fraternity/sorority stepping called "step-dancing".

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/chicago-stepping-information-videos.html for a pancocojams post on Chicago style stepping.

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OTHER PROBABLE CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON BGLO STEPPING
In addition to pattin Juba and the ring shout, I believe that two other 19th century dance forms -the cakewalk and the Grand March- should also be considered as early influences on the performance arts now known as stepping and stroll offs.

I also believe that the walkabout dance also influenced what is now known as fraternity & sorority stepping and stroll offs. "Walkabouts" also became part of the Chicago dancing known as the Bop and now known as Chicago Stepping. In the 19th century walkabouts -with its cakewalk dance- were lifted from African American dancing and used as a part of blackfaced minstrel shows.

I also believe that the popularity of the 1924 African American Ragtime song "Strut Miss Lizzie" and its resulting dances as well as other "strut", "walk" and "hop" dances such as The Lindy Hop, The Camel Walk also significantly contributed to historically Black Greek letter[ed] organizations' stepping and strolling.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/cakewalk-grand-march-usa-canada.html for for a pancocojams post on the 19th century African American originated dances called the cakewalk and "The Grand March". That posts also includes film clips of that dance.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/african-american-ring-shouts-origins.html for a pancocojams post on "ring shouts".

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/strut-miss-lizzie-information-lyrics.html for a pancocojams post on "Strut Miss Lizzie".

And click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkaround for a Wikipedia article about the minstrel show walkarounds.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part series on the history of and influences on Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority stepping (steppin).

This post provides selected quotes from the viewer discussion thread of a 2013 YouTube video of an Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Stroll Off performance.

The content of this post is presented for historial, folkloric, cultural reasons with regard to the subject of the early history of fraternity stepping.

I'm presenting these comments without taking any position about the statements that are made. However, I suggest that readers also consider those statements along with the information and comments that are presented in Part I of this series. Also, read my comments in that section below.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/when-did-historically-black-greek.html for Part I of this series.

Part I provides excerpts from Elizabeth C. Fine's 2003 groundbreaking book SoulStepping: African American Step Shows (University of Illinois Press). An excerpt from Wikipedia's page on Stepping is given in the Addendum to this post.

I believe that the information and comments about the history of and sources for stepping that are included in this post can also be considered to be part of the history of and sources for what are now referred to as "stroll offs". Several pancocojams posts on stroll offs will be published ASAP and links to those post will be added to this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in the video that is featured in this post, and thanks to the publisher of that video on YouTube.

There are a number of pancocojams posts on historically Black Greek letter[ed] fraternity and sorority stepping. Click the tags found below or use this blog's search engine to find those posts.

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FEATURED VIDEO: Omega Psi Phi 2013 Atlanta Greek Picnic Hop team @atlgreekpicnic



Atlanta Greek Picnic Published on Jun 10, 2013

2013 Atlanta Greek Picnic Omega Psi Phi Hop team/ Stroll Off ||

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THAT VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEdlpwUDd7M"Omega Psi Phi 2013 Atlanta Greek Picnic Hop team @atlgreekpicnic"

Editor's note:
A number of commenters in this video's disscussion thread mentioned that this Omega Psi Phi Fraternity stroll off was different than most stroll offs that they had seen members of that fraternity perform. The most commonly mentioned difference was the inclusion of Salsa music and Chicago footwork with the hops that Ques are known for. Commenters also mentioned that this Que stroll off was different because the men wearn't wearing boots (particularly the gold boots that Ques are known for.

The following exchange focuses on other opinions and points.

colors1387, 2013
"very nice show. glad to see the omegas diversifying their routine a bit with some Sigma elements.its all good as its about showmanship and entertainment. again,good job."

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Chris Perkins, 2013
"+colors1387
Sigma elements? Curious as to what those were in this show?"

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Malcolm Dicko, 2013
"+colors1387 curious to what "sigma elements " are do sigmas even have anything of their own ?"

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colors1387, 2014
"glad you asked,Malcolm.but the phrase should be 'what Doesnt Sigma have of their own'.first, the genesis of stepping has been attributed to us. the steps that most are doing now were originated by us back in the mid-late 70's.the style of omega steps now arent what they were 30 years ago.back in the day,they marched,not hopped. the very beginning moves are some mainstays in our routines. i could go on with this but my hope is that you get the point. in any event, step styles really dont matter as they change, are copied, etc. what Does matter is the organizations contributions to humanity,the adhering to founding principles,and the collective conduct of its members (especially in public). these are topics worthy of debate.that the omegas used some of our stuff doesnt matter as we didnt copywrite it."

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Chris Perkins, 2014
"+colors1387
...The Sigma's invented stepping? Don't think so bro...Would have to disagree with that. Modern day stepping originates directly from African dancing and the slaves used it as call and response chants during slavery as a means of communication, toss in the addition of influence from the Motown musical movement, (i.e Temptation, Four Tops, etc). No one frat or sorority "originated" stepping, so we'll agree to disagree there. Also stepping started becoming popular in the late 60s not the 70s as a right of passage to new inductees (Neo's) upon their introduction to the campus as full members....Greeks took elements from the motherland and the popular music at the time and it has morphed into what it is now. But what you said was true as far as the styles changing over the years, that is true...every orgs current steps are different than they were in the 70s and 80s."

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colors1387, 2014
"+Chris Perkins as a ChiCity G.O.M.A.B brother, i spit game but i most enjoy spittin knowledge.for you and anyone else please search/ type in 'Stepping (African American)' and go to Wikipedia. Please pay particular attention to the first paragraph under the heading 'History' .now let me first say that i would be Honored if artsygirlify is my soror but i dont know if she is.nevertheless, i have much love for her. and now to you - modern day stepping originates from the Sigmas who began the practice shortly after the turn of the century (which FAR pre-dates the 60's / 70's as you espoused).admittedly, sororities didnt step until the late 70's/early 80's. true, the art-form came from Africa by many sources including Kwame Nkrumah (a Sigma) who introduced a few steps, one of them with a staff / cane back in the late 30's / early 40's (that kills that nonsense from that other frat talking about cane stepping) but i digress. truth is we stepped before Nkrumah became a brother. stepping far pre-dates Mowtown so i needn't address that 'dead-end' point (though the Temptations Were Sigma men. hmm, imagine that). yup- one frat Did originate stepping and now you know who. so while you may agree to disagree, im not sure who you'll be disagreeing with.i could go on but i hope you get the point. last, i have only one request of you,frater; the next time this topic comes up either among your brothers or others, please give credit where credit is due. this is the honorable thing. Thnx"

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Chris Perkins, 2014
"+colors1387
Much love man, I enjoy building and spitting knowledge as well. But Bro are you really citing Wikipedia as a reference??? Dog, you know anybody can create edit and Wiki page right? I respect your opinion, but I won't be using Wiki as a reference tool bruh, for pretty much anything. Also can you clarify...The turn of the century? Meaning 1900? So are your saying that the founding Sigma's engaged in stepping?"

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colors1387, 2014
"+Chris Perkins no,no, the Most Honorable Founders most certainly were not concerned with such trivialities. im speaking about the short time thereafter. while wiki does not stand as the definitive 'end all,be all' of information, i cited it because it was in line with Our historical perspective. of note was that Your brotherhood was Also mentioned which is Also in our historical account (in fact Your fraternity is mentioned a few times in Our history book. had we not mentioned Omega as we did, it would have done Your frat a disservice. as Sigma men, we do not believe in diminishing the accomplishments of others just because they are not Sigmas. credit is given. such is the way of Sigma) .anyway, i have read enough of wiki to know that when it comes to Sigma history, it is reasonably accurate. That's why its cited . i extrapolated upon your knowledge in order to illustrate where You were correct and in line with Sigma history as well. my tendency is to be rather pragmatic about things. i have no interest in 'one upmanship'. as such, whether its me, and/or my brotherhood , or you and your brotherhood, i believe in giving credit where its due. the stepping distinction lies where it is. whether folks outside of Sigma acknowledge that is of no consequence to us. It Is what It Is. bytheway, i misinformed you about sorority stepping. the Zetas Were stepping in the mid- late 70's. i know because i watched them. and they were pretty good at it, i might say.get at me,frater. its a pleasure dialogueing with you. G.O.M.A.B / F.I.E.T.T.S."

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fred ramsey, 2013
"And For the RECORD, OMEGAS WILL NEVER LOOK LIKE SIGMAS WHEN IT COMES TO HOPPING! "WITH ALL RESPECT TO PHI BETA SIGMA" WE ARE THE ORIGINATORS OF HOPPING AND MARYLAND BRUHZ WILL ALWAYS SET IT OWT WITH MAD-E, CREATIVITY, AND SWAG, RQQ TO GOOD BRUHZ (PLEDGING DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE YOU GOOD BY THE WAY)"

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series on African American examples of historical and contemporary walk around (circle) movements.

Part I completely quotes an entry about African American walk around dances and other movements including the Chicago style walk that was written by Andrew Antonio Allen for the Personal Recollections: The History Of Stepping Project.

I happened upon that website when I was searching for information about the Bop [dance] and I have no other information about Andrew Antonio Allen. I decided to showcase this entry because I was impressed with both the style and the content of the writing. I've not received prior permission from Mr. Allen to showcase his writing, and will remove this post if he requests that I do so.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/african-american-examples-of-walk.html for Part II of this series.

Part II features examples of religious walkaround movements - videos of religious ring shouts and other religious expressions.

Part III features examples of non-religious walk around movements including the cakewalk, a children's ring game, Chicago stepping, and historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority stepping & strolling. These non-religious African American walkaround examples aren't meant to be a complete listing of such examples from that culture.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, cultural, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Andrew Antonio Allen for sharing his reflections and recollections with the general public. Thanks also to the steppershistory.org for archiving and sharing personal recollections and other information about Chicago Stepping with the world.

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Quoted Recollection: THE CHICAGO STYLE WALK by Andrew Antonio Allen
From http://www.steppershistory.org/personal-recollections.htm
Personal Recollections: The History Of Stepping Project [Chicago Stepping]

Era Referenced 1962
The Chicago Style Walk
By Andrew Antonio Allen

"We walk around in a ring an suppose. But, the secret sits in the middle and knowz." - Robert Frost

"Back in the day, the Walk Dance had it's camouflage existence, as comedy walks and high kicking steps. The really passionate Cakewalk was hidden away in the privacy of Afro American houses. The intimate walk 'round reappears centuries later, in the graceful Chicago Style Walk. We stand 'round the edge of the dance floor and watch the couples circling ever so slowly, as they walk solemnly in a circle. Staring at the hypnotic look on the dancers faces, convey a mystic atmosphere. The sweeping sound of the music takes the dancers emotions away. They move alluring, as their feet are slightly lifted. Their faces shine with a solemn glowing expression for the gliding steps, as if some mystical force keeps the flowing couples in harmony to the stream of music. Men and women perform the Walk Dance with such elegance and grace its performance always commands dignity and respect.

They go in a deliberate procession as if to recreate some long lost ritual from some long lost distant past. The cool sway of their bodies becomes a musical meter with the precision of a fine tuned watch. In their passage see the beauty of dance art in it's highest form. Ladies and gentlemen phrasing their accents to the timing of a drum-beat. They flow to the music like the graceful flow of a river. The suave gentlemen move slowly foreword in solemn movement of resolve. While the ladies retreat in elegant motions of sophistication. And we ponder and wonder with surprise. And we stand there not knowing what to ask, yet asking ourselves, "What does that mean? Even those unfamiliar with the dance will have to pause and ponder for its performances command attention. We gaze into a dance ceremony that only our rhythm remembers in our soul.

Thousands of years ago, African people believed that sound created the universe and dance gave it order. These dancers walk counter-clockwise to imitate the movement and direction of the stars. Egyptian dancers walk in a circle, paused-a-moment and made signs of the zodiac with their hands. They walk dance to synchronizes their bodies in motion with the motion of the universe. In the unbroken circle the dancers feel the presence of cosmic energy. To walk dance symbolizes "the harmony of nature amongst the chaos in the stars."

The Walk Dance came to the shores of DancelandUSA as a West African Circle Dance. The Walk 'Round Dance was held as a religious ceremony. This dance took on a spiritual nature and became known as the Ringshout Dance. To dance in a circle (ring). To sing (shout). Chanting voices, clappin' hands or slappin' the body and stompin', produced the accompanying rhythms of the dance. From this dance came the treasured ol' Gospel hymns. Afro American merged with the Court of Versailles the dance became a couple's social dance. The ladies and gentlemen dress in their fineries. With all its jesters of pomp and circumstances; the highbrowed struts, the elegant curtsies and flamboyant bows as they move.

Because, Afro Americans for the prize of a cake the dance was named the Cakewalk dance. In competition, the dancers walk 'round in a promenade or march-like step for the judges and the audience. The dancers with the most complex and unusual steps won the cake. The Cakewalk Dance became the first popular dance in America. By the time it hit the minstrel stage there were a variety of Cakewalks. On the minstrel stage became the grand finale on the chittlin' circuit. Later, the Walk 'Round Dance was introduced to America in Broadway shows and Hollywood musicals. Today, the church congregations exhibit essence of the Ringshout in songs, when the choir sways side to side or the choir lines-up in a procession and march down the aisle.

As a Teenager, I remember how the music and the dance delighted and enchanted us. We travelled throughout the city, any place had a jukebox or record player was playing, to get our dance on. Yet, It never occurred to me, why? Until, one evening I showed up at all alone, at Herb Kent's Friday night dance party held at St. Phillips High School. I had searched fro my 'ace-coom-booms' (best friends) Lumpy, Jim, Boston and Boxdell and sometimes, Haywood, all that day.
They hadn't been at our usual hangouts. So, I went home and got ready for the set feeling sure I'd see them that evening. As I walked into the large gymnasium it was packed with hundreds of teenagers. The entire basketball court sized dance floor was packed. As soon as I entered, I immediately started looking for them. I creamed around the dance floor weaving through the people dancing and wallflowers standing. For a minute, I began anxiously pushing my way, through the crowd. I just had to find my road dogs. For a while, I stood in one-stop and stared into the faces of the circling dancers as they walked past. I circled the place 4 or 5 times until I was exhausted. So I looked up and saw the darkly lit balcony. So I could get a better view of the dance floor. I thought a good vantage point, above the crowd; I could not miss sighting them from up there. Alone I quietly moved into the balcony. My tired feet announced themselves when I reached that top of the balcony steps.

When I started peering over the balcony railing for Jim n' nem the gym lights suddenly went off. The room for a few seconds went totally black. When the dim lights slowly came back up Herb Kent was standing center stage in the bright spot light. He announced, "Here tonight! Donald Jenkins and the Delighters... singing their latest hit song, 'Elephant Walk'!! They came out on stage looking cool in their slick shark skin suits. As soon as the music came on hundreds of teens began walkin' slowly around the dance floor. Later, little did I know the dance, to some, would take on the name of the popular song, 'The Elephant Walk.'

The boys and girls on the dance floor had become a flowing sea of bodies riding on the flow of music. The Walk is purely a romantic dance. While the music made the couples dance smooth and dignified in style giving them a musical personality, as they travel gracefully around, it was a rhythmic tidal wave of faces that had me spellbound and stuck to that balcony railing. I stood there enchanted by a vortex of elegant movement and enchanting music below my feet. The couples in the center danced their Slow Drag Dance, moving ever so slowly, around and around on themselves. Giving the circle a center of permanence. The Cool Walk Dance of sophistication and poise, took up the bulk of the circle. Those dancers mid way in the revolving disc danced in a ceremonious Cool Walk,, without lifting their feet, but slightly from the floor. Harmonious to the music, they maintained their position mid way in the circle. The beat and swaying motion gave a coolness that mesmerized me as I watched them. On the outer edge of the dance floor making the rotation faster on the outside came the Skip Walk Dance; a kind of Foxtrot that gave the rotating disc its feeling of a spinning motion. Dancing smoothly, flowing on the sound of the music. Then on the outside came the Gouster's; the guys with their pleated baggy pants, wide brim hats and 'ol man comfort shoes. The Gouster girls in their pleated skirts and suspenders, white socks and Buster Brown shoes. The Gousters came whirling the outer edge of the circle with their faster skip movements. "Quick! Quick! Slow-quick! Quick! Slow." Sometimes trotting their path, allowing the disc a spinning motion. A red spotlight reflected off of the ballroom globe that hung from the ceiling. The red light shined down onto the dancers like the spokes of a wagon wheel, appearing to lead the dancers leisurely moving them round and around the floor. Wonderful beautiful faces, "Let it flow baby!" to the music in time. I was totally awe struck. It was truly wonderful to my senses. Now, it all came together as a giant wagon wheel rotating to the hypnotic song "crazy melody, always haunting to me, Elephant Walk." Circling in time to mystical rhythms that endured a lost history in time. At that moment I said to my self; "How beautiful they are!" When the music faded and the lights came up it took a minute or two for me to snap out of the hypnotic trance the dance had induced. And our dancing has never been the same for me since. Later, I would learn some ancient ceremony had come to life before my eyes. It was so amazing to me to see a hidden splendor of Afro American culture displayed in the heart of our community. To see them in their finest moment of artistic beauty blending dance and music. Since that amazing encounter of dance for me, has become a steppers way of life."

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Here's information about the term "Gousters"
From www.steppershistory.org/definitions.htm
"Gousters were cool and suave with an adopted style of fashion from the notorious Gangsters of the 40's and 50's, baggy suits and pleated pants, cool, calm, and collective. - Reproduced with permission DanLanProductions © From an article by: Mr. Daniel Land SteppersExpress.com all rights reserved.
-snip-
Additional information about "Gousters" is found on that website.

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From http://boomacious.com/2010/03/ivy-leaguer-or-gouster/
"Whether he was your lover, your good friend, or kind of like a play brother, back in those days, boys had one of two popular fashion styles, Gouster or Ivy League. An Ivy Leaguer was a collegiate wannabe, a 60’s version of J. Crew with just a touch of swagger. His style was straight-legged pants, sometimes with a belt buckle in back; a buttoned-down collar shirt; and tinted glasses.

Ivy Leaguers shopped at Brooks Brothers where they specialized in starched, buttoned-down shirts with French cuffs and cufflinks. The Ivy Leaguer would complete the look with a V-Neck, wool blend sweater thrown over the shirt to give us girls a thrill.

A Gouster’s style was dress-casual. He wore lose fitting, almost baggy clothes. His fine wool, alpaca and mohair sweater had three buttons at the neck, with a lazy, turned down collar. Pants with two pleats at the waist left a little room in the leg so that a Gouster could pimp. He usually pimped on down to Smokey Joe’s Fashion House to buy more fabulous outfits. As I said earlier, Gousters favored Jade East, while Ivy Leaguers spruced up with Aramis."

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on African American examples of historical and contemporary walk around (circle) movements.

Part II features examples of religious walkaround movements - videos of religious ring shouts and other religious expressions.

Part III features examples of non-religious walk around movements including the cakewalk, a children's ring game, Chicago stepping, and historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority stepping & strolling. These non-religious African American walkaround examples aren't meant to be a complete listing of such examples from that culture. These African American walk around examples aren't meant to be a complete listing of walkabout examples from that culture.

The comments in the beginning of the essay that is showcased in Part I provide some background to these walk around examples.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/reflections-on-history-meanings-of.html for Part I of this series.

Part I is a complete quotation of Andrew Antonio Allen's essay on African American walkabout dances including the Chicago style walk that was written for the Personal Recollections: The History Of Stepping Project.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, cultural, religious, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their posting dates on YouTube, with the exception of the ring shout examples which are presented first.

RELIGIOUS EXAMPLES
Example #1: Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters perform.MP4



hoshidas47, Uploaded on Jul 23, 2011
-snip-
The ring shout begins at 2:19 in that video. The religious song is "Give Me Two Wings".

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Example #2: Weeksville Heritage Center



Mireille Liong, Published on Jul 7, 2012

RUN MARY RUN: Jubilee Curator and choreographer Rashida Bumbray's newest installment of her dance work, RUN MARY RUN : Jubilee, considers the harmonic ideas and tonal vocabulary of the McIntosh County Shouters. Creating an active ritual for the ceremony of the ring shout, Bumbray and the performers take us on a ride through the cosmologies of the Low Country, Geechie Sea Islands, Tennessee Blues, P Funk, and Hip Hop. This iteration of Run Mary Run is developed in collaboration with Dance Diaspora Collective and special guest master dancer, Adenike Sharpley, Professor, Oberlin College.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
Azaka86, 2012
"I have to say as a member of The McIntosh County Shouters. This is by far the greatest reinactment of the ring shout in a ceremonal fashion I have ever seen. Growing up and watchin the ring shout as a child the elder never took the shout to the point it was taken in this clip, because of the rules of "church" against dancing but to see that you guy held true to the shuffling of the feet while making the circle truly make me proud. The only thing that was missing was the beating of the stick. :)"

**
Azaka86, 2012
[in response to the video publisher's thanks]
"You are most welcome and in shuffing your feet you must be in beat with the music. very awesome job just slow down allow yourselves to become one with the music and the song. That is when you really know you are shouting and not just going around in a circle. And whoever lead the song beautiful voice"

**
Roz Harden, 2015
"Ring Shout in in best form. I love this song "You Got A Right""

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Example #3: Crystal's run,shout praise



terence hobbs. Uploaded on Jul 10, 2009

Lord i'm running,trying to make 100, 99 1/2 won't do!!!
-snip-
Selected comment:
Blckberi, 2014
"You better run and praise Him! All of you who find this wrong should just shut right on up. If David danced and tore his clothes off while praising God, who are we to tell anyone else how to praise the Lord. Run, dance, clap, sing, cry, snap your fingers, leap, fall out, it doesn't matter. God wants all of our praise. Stop judging how someone expresses their love and appreciation for who God is in their life. Well if you ever come to my church, you better praise or move out of the way and give us room to do it."

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Example #4: MCHCA Ushers & Nurses Grand March



Mount Calvary Holy Church Inc, Uploaded on Aug 19, 2009

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Example #5: Ushers Day Celebration...and they Marched for Jesus



Uploaded by GodsBlessingU on May 3, 2010

Anointed One Ministries Ushers Day Celebration ... as the Ushers Strutted during offering. Services were held at Bethel AME Church in Cambridge, MD

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on African American examples of historical and contemporary walk around (circle) movements.

Part III features eight examples of non-religious walk around movements including the cakewalk, Chicago stepping (dance), Detroit stepping (ballrooming) dance, and historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority strolling.

This examples included in this post aren't meant to represent all examples of African American non-religious walk around movements.

The essay that is showcased in Part I of this series provides some background to these walk around examples.

Part I showcases Andrew Antonio Allen's essay about African American walk around dances and other movements including the Chicago style walk. This essay was written for the "Personal Recollections: The History Of Stepping Project. ("Chicago Stepping" is also known as "Chicago Bop" dance styles.) Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/reflections-on-history-meanings-of.html for that post.

Part II features examples of religious walkaround movements - videos of religious ring shouts and other religious expressions. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/african-american-examples-of-walk.html for that post.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their posting dates on YouTube, with the exception of the cake walk examples which are presented first.

Example #1: Cakewalk - Vintage Blues Dance



SwingcatVB, Uploaded on Dec 31, 2011

The Cakewalk dance was developed from a "Prize Walk" done in the days of slavery, generally at get-togethers on plantations in the Southern United States. Alternative names for the original form of the dance were "chalkline-walk", and the "walk-around". At the conclusion of a performance of the original form of the dance in an exhibit at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, an enormous cake was awarded to the winning couple. Thereafter it was performed in minstrel shows, exclusively by men until the 1890s. The inclusion of women in the cast "made possible all sorts of improvisations in the Walk, and the original was soon changed into a grotesque dance" which became very popular across the country.

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Example #2: THE CAKEWALK 1943



Bill Green, Published on Aug 7, 2013

From the movie: STORMY WEATHER 1943
The Cakewalk my not be a form of Swing Dance but it is one of the first African American dances to become popular with white audiences. Its origins go back to slavery days but it first became popular as theatrical dance in the Minstrel shows and Vaudeville of the 19th century. This more modern example features Lena Horne, Bill Robinson and an excellent chorus.

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Example #3: Steppin & Ballrooming N Detroit / Kitrel Williams



NVS Music Group, Uploaded on Jan 19, 2009

Steppin!! & Ballrooming!!
-snip-
These couples dance styles originated in Chicago (hence the name "Chicago Stepping" and "Chicago Bop"*). Couples move in a circle around the dance floor to (usually Soul music) records. Read information about these dances in the comments under Example #5 and Example #6.

*The contemporary dances known as the Bop (Dlow Shuffle) are completely different from the Bop styles that are featured in this post.

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Example #4: AKA Stroll



JeMarcTV, Uploaded on Apr 19, 2009

Albany State Universitys 43 P.E.A.R.L.S of the Gamma Sigma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha strolling to their old school song after their probate.
-snip-
"Strolling" (also known as "stroll offs" and "party walks") are non-competitive and competitive group struts and dancing performances to recorded music. Strolling shares the same history and early sources as historically Black Greek letter[ed] fraternity and sorority stepping and is now performed by Latino Greek lettered organizations, multi-cultural Greek lettered organizations, and others. Like sorority and fraternity "stepping", "strolling" has undergone and is still undergoing considerable performance changes. Click http://www.greekster.tv/page/greek-strolling-history-and for another definition of "strolling" and comments about the history of strolling (stroll offs, party walks). Also click the "stroll off" tab below for more pancocojams posts that about strolling or which feature examples of historic ally Black Greek lettered organization stroll offs.

"Old School" is a usually positive phrase that means something from the past. The AKA probates [new members] and their sorors [sisters] are strolling to the 1984 record "Set It Off" by Strafe.

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Example #5: Steppers: Winning Performances Cadillac Presents 21st Annual Steppers Contest



The Six Brown Chicks Uploaded on Sep 18, 2011

Cadillac presented the 21st Annual World's Largest Steppers Contest recently in Tinley Park, Illinois. This year's winners were judged in several categories, including routines and creativity. Special thanks to Yanni Brown, and organizers Pete Frazier, Terrance Pratt and Andre Blackwell.
-snip-
"Steppers" here refers to the dance styles that are known as "Chicago Stepping". Those dancers were previously known as "jitterbug" and "Chicago Bop". Notice that there are also similar dances from other midwest cities in the United States (such as "Detroit Stepping".) Here's some information about the dances that are referred to as "Stepping":
From http://www.steppershistory.org/definitions.htm
"The BOP was the most popular dance in Chicago; often sharing the popularity spotlight with individual dances like the Twist, The Monkey, The Mash Potatoes, The Twine Time, etc.. It also had The Walk, a slowed down version of The Bop. The intimate side of things, truly one of the most graceful aspects of Steppin one could ever witness and many around Chicago say actually existed before the Bop. The fact of the matter is, the Walk remain a major part of Chicago Steppin and continue to exist as the intimate aspect of the dance." - Reproduced pn that website with permission DanLanProductions ©From an article by: Mr. Daniel Land SteppersExpress.com all rights reserved

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Example #6: Walkers Competition at the 2010 Chicago's Largest Steppers Contest



StepperDJ Uploaded on Apr 13, 2011

This is video I shot from the 2010 Chicago's Largest Steppers Contest held at the Burbank Manor. Steppers put on their best walking shoes for the classic walkers competition. This is the walkers category. The audience judged the contest and some people got paid for their efforts. Visit SteppersUSA.Com for steppers events listings, Classes & workshops and more.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
jason brown, 2012
"What is walking?"

**
dru barrett, 2013
"Jason sorry no one has answered your question this long... Walking is a slow dance . You can skip, 2 step and others I can't recall. Usually dance close togather. Really e z. The music is slower. There is also a slow bop you can off time to. Hope that answers yo question. Look up walkers on u tube."

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Example #7: 2012 Stroll Contest - Sigma - Old School Alpha Epsilon - Part 1



BLUEandWHITEwknd, Published on Aug 22, 2012

(not so) Old school Alpha Epsilon Chapter frat (JCSU) at the 2012 Blue & White Weekend Charlotte stroll competition.
-snip-
sigmas = Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. JCSU = Johnson C. Smith University, a historically Black University in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Blue & White Weekend" = an event honoring members of Phi Beta Sigma and members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. both of whose colors are blue & white.
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc5llri1jeg for Part II of this video.

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Example #8: Delta Sigma Theta Strolling 2014



TwinZ Young Published on Mar 7, 2014

The Delta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc at Bethune-Cookman Cookman University strolling in the dining hall from bringing in the new Spring 2k14 line. Sorry for commentary behind me lol Congrats to the 59 tho! Enjoy!

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a sound file of the 1964 Soul record "Gouster" by the Five Du Tones.

This post also includes my attempt to transcribe the lyrics to "Gousters". Additions and corrections are very welcome.

The Addendum to this post includes information about Chicago Gousters.

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to The Five Du Tones for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE The Five Du-Tones - The Gouster



loempiavretermusicUploaded on Sep 2, 2008

Northern Soul
-snip-
The Five Du Tones are best known as for their original recording of the song "Shake A Tail Feather". Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five_Du-Tones to read a Wikipedia page of this group.

Here's a comment from another sound file of this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1JJj_dnNs4
Jiji Solomon. 2011
"Well, here's a little history. The Gouster was a style that had a counterpart called the 'Ivy League'. Gousters wore loose clothes and word suspenders or knitted Banlon shirts. The pants had pleats and the girls wore skirts with pleats. The Ivy leaguers wore tight clothes. The pants were usually high water or above the ankle. The shirts were buttoned down. Shoes, penny loafers. I was a Gouster... when my mother let me choose my clothes. LOL"

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LYRICS - THE GOUSTER
(recorded by The Five Du Tones)

Come on baby
Baby, it’s Gouster time.
Yeah
Come on baby,
Form a big boss line.
Try to do my ___ steps, baby
And keep in time.

Yeah!
Form a big boss line.
Keep in time.
One and ah two
And you know what to do.
This dance is something that you just got to do.
Come on!
Oh yeah
Come on!
Oh yeah
Come on!
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah

Well, my sister, I got to get me one of them Gouster vines
Yeah, I just got to get me one of them Gouster vines.
So the next time I go on __ street
I can join that big boss line.

Well this dance it started
In Chicago on the Southside
Yes, this dance it started
In Chicago, baby, on the Southside
But before I leave, baby,
We gonna try to make it nationwide.

Yeah!
Form a big boss line.
[Come on baby!] The soloist interjects an exhortation after each line that group sings
Keep in time.
One and ah two
And you know what to do
This dance is something that you just got to do.
Come on!
Oh yeah
Come on!
Oh yeah
Come on!

Repeat this section with the soloist vamping

The group sings "Doo be doo doo be doo" throughout much of this song
-snip-
Transcription from the recording by Azizi Powell. Additions and corrections are very welcome.

Explanations of some of the terms and phrases
"Gouster"= pronounced "GAWS-ter" = Chicago African American fashion styles and way of acting/dancing. Some information about Gousters is found in the Addendums' quotes.

Gouster vines - clothes that the Gousters wear

"Form a big boss line" = form a really hip [horizontal] dance line

"Boss" = a 1960s African American vernacular term that meant something that is excellent, really hip, really cool. Another synonym is "out of sight", which is also no longer used.

****
ADDENDUM - INFORMATION ABOUT "GOUSTERS"
From http://eastchatham.blogspot.com/2013_05_01_archive.html"Remembering Chicago during the 1950-1965"

Tuesday, May 7, 2013
..."I then started to think about the way we used to dress. Another Chicago Only peculiarity. Ivy League or Gouster. I was a Gouster. I loved the freedom. I believe a Southside Gouster was neater than a Northside Gouster. Most kids I grew up with were Ivy League, wore the tight pants, buttoned down collar, shirt buttoned all the way up and a collegian hair cut, very short and lined.
Well, I was just thinking about the Chicago Gousters and thought that I would go on Google to see if I could find some. I went to images, put in 'Chicago Gousters' and came up with a barrage of images, but not one Gouster. Not ONE. Yes, they had images of Cooley High, North side wannabes, but Gousters were very neat and loved their pleats....

By the way, Gousters also had props. The hat, the cane, suspenders, sunglasses.
Sometimes a chain or rings.

A dead give away for a Gouster, male or female was another prop...the belt. You NEVER tied or fasted you belt that looped through your jacket. The loops were not on the sides but were mostly near the rear on the sides and you just put the belt through the loops and let it hang. This way, you can also show off your suspenders.

Gouster girls wore the hoop earrings and fluffy hair. If it were the 70s, she would be the one with the Afro, but instead she wore the curly hair, puffed up. She wore pleated skirt with suspenders that matched. If she really wanted to roll, she and her boyfriend, best friend, or brother would visit Cherry the Tailor in Woodlawan at 63rd and Cottage Grove and he would create a pattern on a Banlon shirt to go with the skirt and when you walked down the street together you were so cool.

Usually the Banlon shirt was worn without the jacket or cane. But, every once in a while you would see a brother with a cane with his Banlon if it matched a hat (known as a crown) he had on.

These days you can see the Gouster 'look' on Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac on his DVDs of the Bernie Mac show.

Here is a picture of some Gousters in the late 50s, early 60s: Notice that the pants hit the shoes. Ivy Leaguers' pants were a little above the ankle, tight as they were."...

****
From http://www.voicesofeastanglia.com/2012/02/lesser-known-youth-culture-chicago-gousters.html

"It seems that back in the late 1950s through to the mid- 1960s in Chicago there were two main fashions amongst African American high school pupils – you were either an Ivy Leaguer or you were a Gouster....

In addition to the look what was also important, especially when it came to impressing the ladies, was how a man could dance. Gousters had their own dances – the Gouster Bop, the Gouster Walk and the Dip. These dances have evolved over the years and their roots can still be seen today in the dance style known as Steppin. The Steppers Express website based in Chicago traces the evolution of modern Steppin back to the Gouster Bop and further still than that. The music Gousters danced to was not unusual but instead tended to be the hits of the day – it was the dancing (and impressing the girls) that was the priority."...

****
From http://www.steppershistory.org/personal-recollections.htm
The Gouster (A Personal recollection from Bopdaddy)
"The radio legend Herb Kent, the Kool Gent helped push the concept, of Gouster and Ivy Leaguer. The Gouster phenomenon was much like the Flappers of the 20's and the Zoot Suiters or Jitterbugs of the 30's & 40's. Herb's radio show helped broaden and gave essence to the pop culture that was created. Herb's weekend Sets, at the Catholic Schools, gave Gousters a platform to dance their Gousters Bop (a fast paced ten-step dance). Each week a true Gouster went thru the ritual of preparing for the Set. The Gousters baggy pants had to have a crease so sharp you could cut butter with 'em. The Gousters clean white shirt, worn with suspenders, were so heavily starched it could stand-up by itself. Some shirts were colorful and they had extra long collars and coordinated with their outfit. Sometimes, Gousters spent half the night spit-shinin' their shoes until they shined to a mirror finish. You could see the stars at night twiklin' in yo' shoe. The hats of the Gousters Stetson and Barcellino and waxed beavers, with the gangster cross folded in. But, the real trademark of the Gouster was his Barracuda trench coat (like a baggy, belted London Fog except it came in any color, even iridescent. Our signature songs were, "Lookin for a Love" by the Contours, "Dear Lady Twist" by Gary U.S. Bonds. Plus, the signature dance was the 47th St. Strut. Yet, the dance they developed was the Gousters Bop. There was a step that came from an unlikely source the county jail and they called it the Jailhouse Bop. (it is characterized by the swivelin of the heels). Today, it's movement are called Freestyle. Also, the Gouster Gals had their own dress code as well. The Gouster phenomenon lasted 1961 - 1967. It's foreal- Bopdaddy"
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/reflections-on-history-meanings-of.html for other quoted descriptions of Gousters and another recollection/reflection essay from a Chicago Stepper.

Note that "Chicago Steppers" dances are different from syncopated, synchronized group movements that are known as "stepping" that originated with historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a video of Brazilian vocalist Jotta A.'s rendition in Portuguese of the Gospel song "Use Me, Lord". English lyrics for this song are given in sub-titles in that video and are included in this post.

Information about Jotta A is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, religious, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Jotta A for his rendition of this song. Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT JOTTA A
From http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jotta_A&prev=search
"José Antonio Viana Holland ( Guajará-Mirim , Rondônia , October 8 of 1997 ), better known as Jotta A is a singer-songwriter gospel Brazil . [1]

He began his career as a singer in a talent show presented by Raul Gil . Having gained, signed to record label Central Gospel , which released the album Essence, which earned him nominations for the award Trophy Promises . His discography also includes the generation of Jesus project, launched in 2013 with the participation of the singer Daniela Araujo as a music producer who was nominated for a Latin Grammy the following year.

The musician became known nationally and revealed a talent contest in Program Raul Gil in 2011. [2] After winning the program, [3] was hired by Central Gospel Music label and released their first album, called Essence, [4] [5] which has sold over eighty thousand copies and was certified platinum. [6] [7] [8]

On February 7, 2011, participated in the DVD recording When God the Causes Impossible next to David Sacer and the Ministry Feeding , group the singer admires. [9]

At the award of the Golden Trophy, the singer won the nomination for Best Singer. [10] He was nominated in several categories in Trophy Promises in 2012, especially Revelation, Best Singer and Best CD with Essence. [11] But the singer won the only indication of Revelation. [12]"...
-snip-
Summary statements of other Jotta A. videos indicate that the 2011 Raul Gil program that he was a contestant on and won is very similar to "Britain's Got Talent".

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO - Use Me Lord by Jotta A a Beautiful Performance



TheArnel30, Uploaded on Nov 1, 2011

****
ENGLISH LYRICS - USE ME, LORD
(from sub-titles)

Search me, oh Lord
And know me
Break my heart
Change me according to your word
And fill me up with your presence.
Until I overflow.
So, use me, Lord
Use me.

Like a lighthouse that shines at night
A bridge over waters.
A shelter in the desert.
The arrow that hits its target.
I want to be used in a way that pleases you.
Anytime, anywhere.
Here is my life.
Use me, Lord!
Use me.

Search me, oh Lord
And know me
Break my heart
Change me according to your word
And fill me up with your presence.
Until I overflow.
So, use me, Lord
Use me.

Like a lighthouse that shines at night
A bridge over waters.
A shelter in the desert.
The arrow that hits its target.
I want to be used in a way that pleases you.
Anytime, anywhere.
Here is my life.
Use me, Lord!
Use me.

Search me.
Break me.
Change me.
Fill me.
And use me.

Search me.
Break me.
Change me.
Fill me.
And use me, Lord.

Like a lighthouse that shines at night
A bridge over waters.
A shelter in the desert.
The arrow that hits its target.
I want to be used in a way that pleases you.
Anytime, anywhere.
Here is my life.
Use me, Lord!
Use me.
Use me.

Search me.
Break me.
Change me.
Fill me.
And use me, Lord.
And use me, Lord.
-snip-
Information about the composer of this song would be appreciated.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a video of Netherlands vocalist Luigiano Paals' 2011 audition for the British Talent Show "X Factor", a rendition of Bill Withers' song "Ain't No Sunshine".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Luigiano Paals for his rendition of this song. Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO - luigiano Paals



Pitt Graph, Published on May 5, 2013

Mise en ligne le 30 août 2011
-snip-
Here's a summary from another video of this same performance (with additional footage of the vocalist conversing with people from the show) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e902jNKIcmA
"Luigiano comes from the Netherlands. He was previously involved in xfactor in the Netherlands and there was the sixth. Now he wants to win xfactor uk.
-snip-
I can only find a little bit of information about Luigiano Paals. Here's an excerpt from http://www.tellymix.co.uk/auditions/38035-dutch-x-factor-reject-luigiano-paals-wows-the-judges-in-liverpool.html
"18-year-old Luigiano Paals tried out during the auditions held at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on Thursday.

Part of a family of 7, Luigiano told the panel – Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh, Tulisa Contostavlos and Kelly Rowland – how he had lived Holland for four years and tried out for their version of the show.

TellyMix can reveal how Luigiano had made the live finals of the 2009 version of the Dutch version of the hit reality talent show aged just 16. Unfortunately for Luigiano he found himself repeatedly in the bottom two and was eventually given the boot in Week 6.

Asked what he did as a living his audition here in the UK, the cheeky teenager replied: “I don’t work, I’m 18.”...

****
Here's a brief excerpt from http://www.lgiano.com/luigiano-paals-exclusive-behind-the-scenes/
"After X Factor UK L.Giano went to the US to record a few demos. These were busy days for him. It was literally sleep, eat, studio, studio, studio, eat some more, sleep and studio again. It didn’t matter to L.Giano. Music is his passion. It didn’t feel as if he was working. No, it was fun and a satisfying experience."
-snip-
Additional information about Luigiano Paals would be appreciated.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a sound file of Scott Joplin's 1902 composition "Ragtime Dance". Joplin's lyrics and dance instructions are also featured in this post. Information about the stop-time feature of this composition and selected comments from this YouTube sound file's discussion thread are also included in this post.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Joplin for information about Scott Joplin. Also, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unGmMmD8kPQ for the more widely known shortened instrumental version of Scott Joplin's Ragtime Dance" (1906)

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Scott Joplin for his musical legacy. Thanks also to the publisher of this soundfile on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT JOPLIN'S "RAGTIME DANCE" INCLUDING ITS STOP-TIME FEATURE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop-time
"In tap dancing, jazz, and blues, stop-time is an accompaniment pattern interrupting, or stopping, the normal time and featuring regular accented attacks on the first beat of each or every other measure alternating with silence or solos.[2] Stop-time appears infrequently in ragtime music.[3] The characteristics of stop-time are heavy accents, frequent rests, and a stereotyped cadential pattern...

Joplin's "Stoptime Rag" (1910) employs stop-time throughout; it even lacks his characteristic four-bar introduction. Stop-time in Joplin's rags is characterized by directions in the music for performers to stomp their foot to the beat. Joplin's "Ragtime Dance" contains the direction,[5] "Notice: to get the desired effect of 'stop time', that the pianist will please stamp the heel of one foot heavily upon the floor at the word 'stamp'. Do not raise the toe from the floor while stamping."

****
LYRICS & INSTRUCTIONS- RAGTIME DANCE
The Ragtime Dance
Words, Instructions and Music by Scott Joplin
[Note that all specific stage directions are given in italics, while references to the directions in the lyrics are in "quotes." PBE]

Introduction I attened [sic] a ball last thursday [sic] night, Given by the dark town swells...Ev'ry coon came out in full dress alright [sic], And the girls were society belles...
The hall was illuminated by electric lights, It certainly was a sight to see;
So many colored folks there without a razor fight... 'Twas a great surprise to me.

Interlude: There was little Sam' Smith the great "lady's [sic] man",
Who>had the honor of being manager of the floor...
Told the people to get ready for the time is near at hand,
And the dance begins at nine o'clock you know.
Then the orchestra began to play the sweet entrancing music
Of the most popular dance of the day.
Ev'ry couple took their places all the coons had smiling faces
While they waited for the caller to say, well;

1st Verse, Begin "rag time dance."
Verse A1: Let me see you do the "ragtime dance"... [music]
Turn left and do the "Cake walk prance"... [music]
Turn the other way and do the "Slow drag"... [music] 1st and 2nd verses, Begin "Slow drag."
Now take your lady to the worlds fair and do the "ragtime dance."

2nd Verse, Begin "Clean up dance."
Verse A2: Let me see you do the "clean up dance"... [music]
Now you do the "Jennie Cooler dance"... [music]
Turn the other way and do the "Slow drag"... [music] 1st and 2nd verses, Begin "Slow drag."
Now take your lady to the worlds fair and do the "ragtime dance."

Form a "Square"
Verse B1: Now "rag" and "circle to your left", Be careful to do your best. 1st verse, begin "Circle."
Take your time, stay in line, you are the ragtime guest.
Take partners do the "rag two step", I know you are enjoying yourselves, 1st verse, begin "Rag two step"
You are representatives Begin "Rag time dance" of dark town's wealth. Stop where you are!

Verse B2: Ev'rybody now "form a line", Dance nothing but the real ragtime. 2nd verse, "Form line"
Do your best, "forward four steps", you are all very fine. 2nd verse, begin "Forward four steps."
Let me see you do the "back step prance", Be graceful at ev'ry chance. 2nd verse, begin "back step prance"
You are now enjoying Begin "Rag time dance" the "ragtime dance". Ev'ry body sing.
1st verse, begin "Cake walk."

Verse C1: "Cake walk" soft and sweetly, be sure your steps done neatly.
Keep up a slow advance, 'twill put you in a trance.
Now "form a line" as you did before, you're dancing with your best beau, 1st and 2nd verses, "Form line."
But the only real thing is Begin "Rag time dance" the "ragtime dance". Ev'rybody turn;

2nd verse, "Turn to your right." 2nd verse, begin "Dude walk."
Verse C2: To your right do the "dude walk", 'tis a wonderful sight is the "town talk",
This is your only chance, enjoy it while you can.

Now "form a perfect straight line", get ready for the "Stop time", 1st and 2nd verses, "Form line."
You are the "easy winners" in Begin "Rag time dance" the ragtime dance.

Notice. To get the desired effect of "Stop Time" the pianist will please Stamp the heel of one foot heavily upon the floor at every word "Stamp." Do not raise the toe of the foot from the floor while stamping. Author.

1st Lady........"dance."}
2nd Lady........"dance."}
3rd Lady........"dance."}
4th Lady........"dance."}

After the ladies area through dancing then the
1st Gent........"dance."
2nd Gent........"dance."
3rd Gent........"dance."
4th Gent........"dance."

Pianist will pause until last Gent has finished dancing.

Final Section 1: [Descending thirds] Turn left walk around,
[Descending thirds] Walk "Sedidus" now.

2nd verse, begin "Sedidus walk" Everybody "in line" with last dancer.
Final Section 2: [Descending thirds] We've finished in a prance,
[Descending thirds] The "Rag time dance."

Source: http://www.perfessorbill.com/lyrics/lyragdnc.htm
-snip-
My guess is that "sedidus" is an African American Vernacular English (AAVE) word that means the same thing as the AAVE word "sadity" [from the word "society", meaning high society, upper class]. A sadity person is snobbish, and treats people in an arrogant, condesending manner. In the context of this song, "sedidus" probably means the same thing as means "strut".

****
SHOWCASED SOUND FILE The Ragtime Dance - SCOTT JOPLIN (1906) Ragtime Piano Legend



Keeper1st, Uploaded on Feb 3, 2012

While the shortened instrumental from 1906 is well known, the original song version from 1902 is rarely heard -- and never with the lyrics. So here it is in its full form with dance instructions. There were full dance instructions available originally but they have been lost to history. Some of the dance steps mentioned are a mystery today.

You can download the sheet music of this song version here:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cat

You may be wondering why Joplin, an African-American, would have used the word "coon" which is considered highly racist today. At the time, the word was as innocuous as "redneck" is today. It referred to a specific segment of the African-American population in the same way that "redneck" refers to a specific segment of the white population.

****
Read my comment below in the Selected Comment section that disagrees with the video publisher's statements about the meaning of the word "coon" in Joplin's "Ragtime Dance". That said, "coon" sometimes was and is still used [mostly by non-Black people] as a pejorative referent for Black people.

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMUi03yEB9I [the showcased sound file]
F0nkyNinja, 2011
"Is Scott Joplin steppin' in his grave from 3:07 forward?"

**
Keeper1st, 2011
in reply to F0nkyNinja
"@F0nkyNinja Heh... that is indeed a "footstep" sound. It's the best I could come up with for the stoptime, which Joplin explains as stamping the heel of your foot without lifting the toe off the floor."

**
Keeper1st, 2011
in reply to F0nkyNinja
"@F0nkyNinja Even in the U.S. this history is mostly forgotten. But yes, ragtime was the music of rebellious youth, so it and its dances were pretty much designed to shake up Victorian sensibilities. In many towns, ragtime and its dances were banned. My own home town had an anti-ragtime ordinance! I read a newspaper article from 1912 describing the first arrest made -- a bandleader who began to play a request, then was rushed by police. He tried to escape through a vent but they caught him."

**
F0nkyNinja, 2011
in reply to Keeper1st
"@Keeper1st
Thanks for the history lesson. I didn't know any of that. I suppose you could say it was the Rock'n'Roll of the early 20th century. As they say, if you ignore history, it's doomed to repeat itself."

**
Keeper1st, 2011
in reply to opinionbug
..."As explained in the description, "coon" at the time was as innocuous as "redneck" is today. It wasn't actually racist; it referred only to a specific segment of the black population, which is why Joplin was perfectly comfortable using it. The song actually is extolling the virtues and civilized behavior among the black population, counter to the racism of the time. "You are representatives of dark town's wealth," he wrote."
-snip-
I disagree that the word "coon" as Scott Joplin used it in 'Ragtime Dance'"referred to a specific segment of the African-American population in the same way that "redneck" refers to a specific segment of the white population." While "redneck" is a pejorative term that refers to poor Whites, my sense is that the first use of "coon" in that song is similar to how "brothers" is used today as a colloquial referent for Black men. Notice that Joplin wrote that "the coons were in full dress alright [sic], And the girls were society belles". My interpretation of those lyrics is that the brothers were dressed to kill (had on their best formal attire and the sisters were attractive women who were part of the Black elite social class. The comparison of the word "coons"-in this song- to "rednecks" is further discounted by Joplin's lyrics that describe those in attendance at that dance as "dark town swells", "representatives of dark town's wealth".

The second use of "coon" in Scott Joplin's "Ragtime Dance" - "Ev'ry couple took their places all the coons had smiling faces" probably refers to both males and females and in that sense is like the contemporary use of the informal non-pejorative term "Black folks".

As to Joplin "extolling the virtues and civilized behavior among the black population", I believe that he may indeed have been praising the Black elite but I regret that he did so while throwing shade -dissin' (insulting) lower income Black people with his line that "So many colored folks there without a razor fight... 'Twas a great surprise to me."

**
Keeper1st, 2013
in reply to TheKnitwit09
"I think the Jennie Cooler and the Worlds Fair are lost to history -- maybe the Clean-Up Dance too."

****
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Visitor comments are welcome

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases the YouTube video "6 Things Not To Say To a Mixed Person".

This post also includes twenty selected comments from that video's viewer discussion thread.

The Addendum to this post includes an excerpt from http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/13/1377533/-Six-things-not-to-say-to-a-mixed-race-person-And-some-personal-notes"Six things not to say to a mixed-race person. And some personal notes" by Meteor Blade.

Additional comments can be read in that diary.

While that video focuses on people who are mixed race, other commenters indicated that they also encountered the same problematic questions and comments about their racial identity/nationality. Those commenters included people who were transracially adopted, and/or People of Color who live in majority White communities or nations, and/or people who don't fit the stereotypical physical appearances that society has for a particular race/nationality, and/or (closely related to the last point), people who others consider to be of ambiguous race or ethnicity.

The content of this post is presented for sociological and cultural reasons.

Thanks to Marina Watanabe for publishing this video and thanks also to Meteor Blade whose dailykos diary on this video is excerpted in this post's Addendum. And thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and who added serious comments about this subject that aren't included in this post.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO 6 Things Not To Say To a Mixed Person



marinashutupPublished on Mar 27, 2015

Check out Everyday Feminism! http://everydayfeminism.com

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THAT VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
These comments are presented in chronological order based on their posting date. All are from weeks or days after this video was published on YouTube. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only. They may not be in consecutive order.

I selected comments that are representative of those made in that discussion, although most of the comments that I selected are from people who are of some Black descent.

1. Ainsley Jey 2 weeks ago
"I relate to this video so much. I'm not mixed race, but what I like to call "ambiguously brown". One the first point- people have guessed: Mexican, Italian, Indian, Filipino, Arab, Native American, etc. And it's never friends who guess- it's total strangers who I have 30 second conversations with. And then they get mad when I imply they're being rude."

**
2. hahizzle
"+Friendly Malkavian not trying to speak for anyone here, but I get asked questions about my race and ethnicity a lot too (I'm mixed race), and I find it intrusive, annoying and unnecessary, ESPECIALLY when they're strangers and ESPECIALLY when they think they know "what" I am. Just because it doesn't seem personal and disrepectful to those who ask me these questions, it doesn't mean it's fine for me too."

**
3. andreastory800 2 weeks ago
"In another of one of you're videos, I mentioned that many races people didn't think Black people couldn't be beautiful unless they were mixed. " What are you? " was something people would ASK me all the time, and I always tell them that I am black, yet they have the nerve to ask " But really what are you? cause you don't look or sound black " and It pisses me off to the end. I'm so GLAD you talked about this, another great video Marina."

**
4. Hana Tyrell 2 weeks ago
"I absolutely love this video. I'm mixed race but I don't know my dad's ethnicity (just that he's Asian) and I grew up with my mom who is white, so people often tell me that I'm "technically white" or that I'm "not Asian enough to identify as mixed" or they flat-out don't believe me when I say I'm mixed. It's really hurtful because I feel like it erases a huge part of my identity, a part that I struggled a lot with before I accepted it. When I was younger I used to lie and tell people I was white and I used to only make friends with white people. I tried to make my skin look paler, dyed my hair lighter, I wanted eye surgery etc. to look more white because growing up in a predominantly white country made me think that's what was beautiful. Being on the internet around people of color and other mixed race people has helped me a lot with accepting myself. I wish I'd seen this video when I was 12!"

**
5. kurayamidesu 2 weeks ago
"Thank you SO MUCH for this. I'm black, white, and Native American, and I have Hebrew ancestry, and people ALWAYS try to guess what I am. I've been told I like I'm Mexican or East Asian. And when I tell them what I am, they say "Oh, I thought you were __", sounding slightly disappointed, like I was supposed to tell them what they wanted to hear?

And I've always felt torn between my identity, because I'm also Jewish (both by heritage and by actual beliefs). When I tell people that, they act like being a mixed-race Jew is something weird (which it totally isn't)."

**
6. kimkimkaboom 2 weeks ago
"Another great video, Marina! While I'm not a mixed person, I'm an Asian American adoptee with white adopted parents so I definitely can relate. I've been told/asked every single thing you mentioned in this video. I wish I had the patience and eloquence you do to explain why those comments are hurtful. But I think after watching this, I might be able to open a healthy dialogue when someone says one of these again because, unfortunately, it's not going to stop anytime soon."

**
7. The Four Queens 2 weeks ago
"Awesome video full of valid points. It seems ridiculous that people would demand that someone of mixed race 'pick a side'. People really need to do as you suggested and look within themselves to find out why they are so irked by anyone who doesn't fit conveniently into an obvious and predefined 'box'..."

**
8. Mackenzie McClane 2 weeks ago
"This was a really good video... I live in an area that is basically the opposite of diverse and henceforth I have no experience talking to someone about their racial heritage. It's nice to know ahead of time the types of statements that could be considered offensive."

**
9. xHaniffax 2 weeks ago
"I've encountered most of these and I'm not mixed but I suppose I people view me as being ethnically ambiguous in the sense that I don't look like where I'm from. Very annoying indeed."

**
10. Hannah Jensen 2 weeks ago
"This is a fantastic video. I like the fact that you addressed the issue that some mixed race people like myself have where we have trouble identifying with one side or both sides of our ethnicity. As someone who is half- white, half Puerto - Rican, I always felt out of place in both cultures. I ended up identifying more with the white side of my family because I felt like I wasn't "Puerto Rican enough". For example, I don't speak Spanish, and nearly everyone on that side speaks it and asks me why I wasn't taught. But, a loud, fat brown girl with opinions doesn't exactly fit quiet Scandinavian households, either. It feels so frustrating sometimes trying fit in because you feel like you straddle this fence between two yards, wondering if one is greener on the other side, but you find out both are just as yellowed and dying as the other."

**
11. noimaginationstation 1 week ago
"I really love this. I'm not mixed race but I am slightly light skinned black person. I was also born and raised in England and the amount of times I get the surprised gasp and accompanying sentence "I didn't expect you to sound so intelligent" (I should mention I am the only black female on an astrophysics degree in a top uni), is infuriating. I've never been to Jamaica where my family is from and when people essentially ask me "why do you sound so white/ where are you really from" is so [profanity deleted] stressful because they don't mean it in a bad way."

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12. MarthaDahhling 1 week ago
"Really enjoyed this video, I'm not biracial but I think a lot of monoracial (new term I learnt from this video) who were raised outside of their "countries" (for example I'm from Cameroon, west Africa but I've lived in England all my life) can identify with this video. The Where are you from question really gets me because I identify as equally British as Cameroonian."

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13. KaraLou 1 week ago
"Racial ambiguity is something too many people are uncomfortable with and it's kind of crazy. I cannot even count the number of times I've been asked what I was, and then when told asked "really" or "but you don't look half black." Thanks for shining light on this subject, definitely subscribed!!"

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14. mstly4lg 1 week ago
"I really liked that you brought that 5th issue up as my self am half Jamaican and half Greek and there is this one girl at my school who'd always says stuff to me basically like "you're white" (because my mum has light skin) and she'd always suggest that I can't relate to the same issues a person of color faces. this always offended me as in her saying that she denies the cultures of both my backgrounds, separated me from the people that i related to and also placed me into a group that I have never related or identified with. I don't know why but my day was always ruined by this. She's stopped now after I talked to her about how she was making me feel but I just want anyone who sees this to know never to label a person or assign them to any sort or group without asking and talking to them first."

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15. Corbinite 1 week ago
"I personally am fascinated by human genetic variation and all the different backgrounds people can have, so I at least like to think it doesn't come from a place of categorizing people (although I don't doubt that the part of me conditioned by western society to do just that would contribute its share to that fascination). So I typically won't ask people what their ancestry is unless I know them and have gotten a feel for their boundaries. Although I do worry I come off as putting them under a microscope or seeing them as an academic curiosity. I wouldn't doubt that feels not unlike the exotic label, just less sexualized."

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16. PennyLayne4Life 4 days ago
"I think it's important to listen when a person of color states that certain phrases or questions are offensive. As a mixed woman of color I relate to every thing she is saying and I do find offense when these questions are asked. Now, the people that have said these things to me may have meant nothing by it but honestly being called "exotic" or getting asked "where are you (really) from" is offensive to me. It makes me feel as if I am an "other"- like I am not normal. There is nothing wrong with asking someone what their ethnicity is. I will gladly and with pride tell someone I am Puerto Rican and Black. But I do not appreciate being asked these questions by complete strangers or being asked in a way that creates assumptions, puts down another race of people, or simply puts me in a box (which is what those phrases from the video do-whether intended or not). You may have asked some of these questions and meant nothing racist or prejudice by it (but then you might not have ever said these phrases at all, I don't know you), but I would hope that you take this video into consideration and perhaps think about how a person of color might perceive these terms before you actually say them. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your ethnicity?" is totally different and much less offensive then "So where are you really from?" or "But you're not REALLY_____? Right?""

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17. Bethanne Smith-Craig 4 days ago
"You kind of acknowledged it in no.5, but I get all the time "How can you be (insert race here)? You look white." It's annoying to have people constantly tell you what you are, because you don't "look" like the stereotypical representation of your race (which was perpetuated by white media)."

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18. bexojo 4 days ago
"+pikakiko Reposting something I commented earlier but Well a couple of these things are downright rude like "But you're not REALLY that" or "Where are you REALLY from?". Nobody has an obligation to answer stranger's personal questions, but if a person decides to answer, it's beyond rude to say that the answer to the personal question is wrong or to demand a different answer.
And exotic is generally used in a weird way. I don't assume you'd like it if people came up to you all the time to say "You look different," sometimes with an implied sexual undertone.
Mixed raced people aren't saying that this stuff bothers them because they're overreacting or one weird person said it once. I have had two separate people demand to know my race and say "you look exotic" or "But where are you REALLY from" this week alone at work. It gets really tiring, especially when you include in all the backhanded racist compliments I get as a mixed person.
"You're black? But you have good hair."
"But you're not like other black people."
"When I said that, I wasn't referring to you - just to, like, ghetto black people.""

**
19. bexojo 3 days ago
"I've heard 2 of these this week from separate strangers, as a mixed race woman. It can get pretty annoying, and the whole "mixed race people are most attractive" thing has become an obnoxious trope/gag on certain tv shows. No - my racial identity is not a gag for tv audiences and I can't "just take the compliment" because it's rude and reduces people to stereotypes. I would feel this way regardless of my heritage."

**
20. bexojo 3 days ago
"+Mitch Crane Well a couple of these things are downright rude like "But you're not REALLY that" or "Where are you REALLY from?". Nobody has an obligation to answer stranger's personal questions, but if a person decides to answer, it's beyond rude to say that the answer to the personal question is wrong or to demand a different answer.Second of all, it's not offensive to assume that when people ask you a ton of personal questions about your race, they're doing so in order to make assumptions about you, particularly if they say that you can't really be that race because XYZ. It's one thing to say "Do you mind my asking where you're from?" or "I'm from XYZ - are you from there too?". It's different to say "Where are you from." and when the person says "California" to say "No, where are you really from. Like your parents?". "No, you're really half black? Do you mean your mom is half black?" Like, what difference does it make to the random person I come across at work that I'm half black. It shouldn't make any difference

And exotic is generally used in a weird way. I don't assume you'd like it if people came up to you all the time to say "You look different," sometimes with an implied sexual undertone.
Mixed raced people aren't saying that this stuff bothers them because they're overreacting or one weird person said it once. I have had two separate people demand to know my race and say "you look exotic" or "But where are you REALLY from" this week alone. It gets really tiring, especially when you include in all the backhanded racist compliments I get as a mixed person.
"You're black? But you have good hair."

"But you're not like other black people."

"When I said that, I wasn't referring to you - just to, like, ghetto black people."
It's too much, and I hope that you'll be able to prepare your daughters to deal with this kind of regular intrusion, which can often be rude, annoying or downright ugly."

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ADDENDUM - Daily Kos diary http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/13/1377533/-Six-things-not-to-say-to-a-mixed-race-person-And-some-personal-notes"Six things not to say to a mixed-race person. And some personal notes" by Meteor Blade.

..."the "you don't look Indian" remark, [is] something that happens a lot to those of us with lighter skin. When the members of my Seminole family used to come together for reunions, the skin colors of the 25 or so people who showed up—all of us closely related by blood—went from very light to as dark as Michelle Obama, a product of the tribe's long history of intermarrying not only with other tribes but also with whites and blacks.

Appearance is often a poor judge of someone's racial background. Take the Dawes Rolls, for instance. These were established by the government in the late 1800s to determine who among the "Five Civilized Tribes" were Indian and, therefore, entitled to an allotment of land. (These allotments were a means of breaking up the tribes and grabbing "surplus" tribal land. Nearly three-fourths of the land in Indian hands prior to 1887 had been expropriated via this means by 1935.)

The determination of whether somebody was an Indian or not for the Dawes Rolls was accomplished in many instances by a white bureaucrat sitting at a table and looking at the person for half a minute. Thus were families split up. Sometimes brothers and sisters with the same father and mother were categorized differently, one an Indian, another not. It was just one more pernicious practice of a pernicious law.

Historically, there have been two different rules for Indians and African Americans. For the latter, it's the "one-drop rule" actually codified into law at one time in Louisiana. Any African American blood at all and you were black. For Indians, something almost opposite has been the case. If you weren't a full blood, then you were not viewed as a "real Indian." Half breed was a common perjorative term even for people quite a bit younger than I. During my 16 years in the American Indian Movement, I probably had to explain a couple of hundred times why my phenotype doesn't match what most people—both Indian and non-Indian—think my genotype should show...

As [Marina] Watanabe points out in her video, mixed-race Americans—even when they are the same mix—are affected quite differently by how that mixed racedness is seen by people we come into contact with. Although there are stereotypes specific to our groups, we're unique. The various cultures of our ancestors plus our everyday life determines that uniqueness. We're blended, but even among people of the same blending, how prejudice against mixed-race people plays out is not one-dimensional.

Watanabe's video offers people who want to confront their prejudices with an upbeat lesson on how to get started."

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases three videos of the 1930s African American social dance called "The Big Apple". This post also includes history and comments about The Big Apple, including the fact that it evolved from the religious ring shout.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the creators and choreographers of this dance. Thanks also to all those who a re featured in these videos, the publishers of these videos, and all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT "THE BIG APPLE"
From http://www.lindycircle.com/history/big_apple/
"Origins of the Big Apple
Despite it's name the Big Apple did not actually originate in New York. It evolved and first became recognized as a dance form in Columbia, South Carolina. Putting an exact date to the creation of a dance is always difficult. It seems most likely to have formed in the early 1930's with the dance slowly gaining popularity and spreading into other areas of South Carolina through to the mid 1930's. At that time of racial segregation the dance evolved solely in the African American community. However, as with many dances of the era it was soon picked up by the whites and quickly gained popularity and became more widespread as a result.

Betty Wood an original white Big Apple dancer said "It all began at an abandoned synagogue that had been turned into a Juke Joint". In 1930 she was aged sixteen and heard music coming from a juke joint when out driving with friends. They went in and were allowed onto a mezzanine reserved exclusively for whites. The racial segregation of the time meant there was no mixing of races (particularly in the deep south). The main floor and dance area were only for African-Americans with the whites confined to watching from a mezzanine above. They were inspired by watching the dancers doing lots of different Jazz steps and improvisations on the floor below them. They recognized some of the steps as coming from other dances they already knew such as the Charleston, Black Bottom, and original 8-count Collegiate Shag.

They came away with the idea of a dance made up of individual jazz steps, performed in a circle, as called by a leader. The dance was an instantaneous hit in the white community with people coming to South Carolina from all over the country to see the new Big Apple dance they'd heard about. There are also accounts that after a while a new variation developed called the "Little Apple". This form involved fewer dancers and people would take it in turns to grab a partner and move to the center of the circle and dance for a while in styles similar to Lindy Hop, Shag, or other dances of the era.

The spread across America
In 1937 the Roxy Theatre chain commissioned a travelling stage show based around the Big Apple. They held the auditions for dancers in Columbia and 16 local kids were selected (Betty Wood was one of those chosen few). The show was a great success playing for two years at Roxy Theaters all over the country. While the show was in New York it was seen by Herbert (Whitey) White, the manager and driving force behind Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. Whitey described the dance to his lead dancer Frankie Manning, asking him to create a Big Apple piece for their group.

Frankie had never actually seen the Big Apple but remembered the summers he'd spent as a child at his father's family farm near Aiken in South Carolina. This would have been in the 1920s and he recounts often seeing African American farm workers doing what he called a "ring shout". The workers would get in a circle, sing and clap, urging each other to get in the center and improvise. He reminisces "I remember my grandmother putting me in that circle". Many of the steps that Whitey had described were already part of the Lindy Hop. Frankie simply combined these into the circular concept and created the historical blue print for what is now often remembered as the Big Apple. He says "It had already exploded in New York. We started doing it in the Savoy every Saturday night, but it wasn't always the same Big Apple."

The version that Frankie created for Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was used in the movies and has thus been preserved for all to see. The film was called "Keep Punching" and is about a young black boxer on his way to the top. It premiered in Harlem on December 7th 1939 and the cast includes some famous black actors and performers of the time. The Big Apple sequence features one of the Whitey's Lindy Hoppers' troups [sic] including of course Frankie Manning."...
-snip-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Apple_(dance) credits a different group of White young people discovering the dance that they termed "The Big Apple" from Black dancers in Colombia, South Carolina. That page includes information about the early dances and later days of the Big Apple dance that aren't included in the page that is excerpted above.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order based on their publishing dates on YouTube with the examples with the oldest dates presented earliest.

Example #1: Whitey's Lindy Hoppers performing the Big Apple (1939)



Tanoa Stewart, Uploaded on Jan 25, 2007

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers performing the Big Apple followed by some crazy Lindy Hoppin'. From the movie Keep Punching, 1939 - Brought to you by the San Francisco Jitterbugs, www.jitterbugs.info
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread:
Latinsoul65, 2009
"African Americans are the innovators of so many american dances. THANK YOU!!! for posting this video. It's not that often I get to see film footage of African Americans dancing american popular dances like: swing, jitterbug, lindy hop, charleston etc on film. It's a shame that even though most of these popular dances stem from African American communites they never really spotlighted African Americans on screen dancing these dances especially the Charleston which is an African American dance."

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Example #2: Big Apple Dance



judysavoy Uploaded on Jul 31, 2010

History of the 1937 swing dance craze that swept the nation. Fascinating look at the African-American roots of this dance in the Ring Shout from the days of slavery. Savoy Ballroom footage shows Whitey himself with Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. Columbia, South Carolina roots of the Big Apple.
-snip-
The dance segment begins at .40 of this video.

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Example #3: The Big Apple & Shag 1937 (Very Rare)



Bill Green, Published on Jun 20, 2013

From the short:THE BIG APPLE WITH THE ARTHUR MURRAY SHAG DANCERS 1937
I have posted this entire film short because of it's rarity. It may be called The Big Apple but is really more about the Collegiate Shag, but who cares, it's great stuff. I only wish the print quality was better.

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases seven examples of Cameroonian musician & vocalist Jean Bikoko Aladin, the king of Cameroonian Assiko music. Information about Jean Bikoko Aladin and Assiko music is also included in this post.

The content of this post is provided for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyright remains with their owners.

Thanks to Jean Bikoko Aladin and all others who are featured in these examples. Thanks also to the producers of these videos and their publishers on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT JEAN BIKOKO ALADIN AND ASSIKO MUSIC
From http://blogs.voanews.com/music-time-in-africa/2009/09/16/jean-bikoko-aladin-the-king-of-assiko/"Jean Bikoko Aladin The King of Assiko" by Matthew Lavoie, Posted September 16th, 2009
..."I know of a Senegalese percussion style called Assiko, that may have had its roots in Sierra Leone- where I have also heard of Assiko percussion- recently the Gangbe Brass Band from Benin named one of their albums ‘Assiko’, and in Cameroon there have been at least three different genres of Assiko, sung in different languages with different histories and different offshoots. About a month ago I started going through a set of reels that Radio Doula gave us back in 1974 and a large stack of Cameroonian vinyl, and the more I listened (especially to the recordings of one Jean Bikoko Aladin) the more I yearned for taxonomic clarity and a deeper knowledge of Assiko. Now, several weeks of phone calls and interviews later, here is what I learned about Cameroonian Assiko music and especially about the gifted Jean Bikoko Aladin.

Today, to speak of Assiko music in Cameroon is to speak of the music of the Bassa people from Southern Cameroon. The foundations of Bassa Assiko are the interconnected relationships between the glass bottle and the guitar, and between the earth and the feet; the name Assiko is derived from the Bassa words ‘Issi’ for earth and ‘Go’ for foot. Assiko, like so much of 20th century African music is a syncretic form; it developed, probably over one hundred years ago, when the acoustic guitar, first brought to Cameroon by Portuguese sailors, was married to the Ngola rhythm of the Bassa.

Over the first half of the 20th century Assiko music was the rhythm of celebrations throughout Bassa country, performed by guitar players who traveled the Assiko circuit that took them to Eséka, Mésondo and Edéa, and through all of the villages in between, with detours to the Bassa neighborhoods of Douala. These migrant guitar players, accompanied by a percussionist keeping the pulse on a glass bottle beat with two iron rods, kept Bassa audiences dancing late into the night. And it was on this circuit, performing his way through the villages of Bassa land, that Jean Bikoko Aladin cut his teeth.

Considered the father of modern Assiko music, Jean Bikoko Aladin is one of Central Africa’s great unsung guitar masters. He was born around 1939 (his actual date of birth is unknown) in a village not far from Eséka. After a few years of elementary school at the Catholic Mission in Eséka, Jean Bikoko left his family to find work, and while still in his mid-teens was hired as a cook and servant for a logger in the forest village of Bonepoupa, located 65 miles northwest of Eséka. It was in Bonepoupa that Jean Bikoko first tried his hand at the guitar, building his own rudimentary instrument out of bamboo and bark, and studying the techniques of local guitar players Albert Dikoumé and Hiag Henri….

The last half-dozen years have seen… the resurgence of Jean Bikoko Aladin (his fretboard wizardry earned him the Aladin nickname)....

This first set of four tracks was given to the Voice of America by Radio Douala back in 1974 and features some of Jean Bikoko’s earliest recordings. I haven’t been able to identify dates for any of these tracks; in the absence of written records, none of my interlocutors could recall when individual songs were recorded. These radio recordings could all have been made in the early 1970s, just as they could be archival recordings that Jean Bikoko made in the 1960s. Regardless, all of these tracks illustrate Bikoko’s effortless virtuosity and rhythmic punch….

First up is ‘Mawan Na Ndong Len’, which opens with Jean Bikoko saying, ‘these days there are no longer any real friends’. This theme, however, is not developed in the rest of the song. In between guitar riffs Jean Bikoko repeats the question, ‘what am I going to do since I’ve come to this meeting?’ Assiko has always been, first and foremost, dance music, and this track is a good example of how Jean Bikoko got his fans on their feet. Before Jean Bikoko came on the scene the Bassa danced the Assiko with their elbows and their torso, with individual dancers taking turns in front of the musicians. Jean Bikoko was the first Assiko musician to tour with a group of dancers who put on an ‘Assiko show’; a show that featured a new style of dancing that shifted the dancer’s center of gravity south to the hips and buttocks. Jean Bikoko’s dancers were also the first to wear the ‘pagne’-the wraparound skirt-with a rolled waistband, an innovation that accentuated the rocking of the hips....

Jean Bikoko Aladin’s music continues to influence a new generation of Assiko artists, from the Paris based Assiko player Kristo Numpuby and the Douala based Yvette Bassoga, to the successful ‘crossover’ Bassa singer Blick Bassy. But perhaps even more than his guitar playing it is his showmanship that has changed Assiko music. Today, Assiko dance performances are a mainstay of Cameroonian cultural festivals, and specialized Assiko clubs in Douala and Yaoundé feature very popular acrobatic Assiko dance troupes. (To get an idea of the modern Assiko dance show check out the videos of the Olivier de Clovis Assiko group on Youtube)."...

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their posting date on YouTube with the oldest dated examples given first.

Example #1: Jean Bikoko Di Yana



C Hopson, Uploaded on Feb 16, 2009
Best African Dance Cameroon Basaa
-snip-
Here are two comments from that video's discussion thread:
Didier J. MARY, 2014 • Shared to African Music Forum
"Assiko Godfather Jean Bikoko Aladin (R.I.P)
Music & dance from the Bassa people around Douala #cameroon
Note the way the guitar is played..."

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magnan007, 2010
"R.I.P Jean Bikoko Aladdin!!!
Un grand de la musique camerounaise.
Merci pour ton génie.

Google Translate from French to English:
R.I.P Jean Bikoko Aladin !!!
A great Cameroonian music [musician].
Thank you for your genius."

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Example #2: JEAN BIKOKO ALADIN



MrBidjoo, Uploaded on Sep 28, 2010

Le pape de l'assiko, première vidéo extraite d'une longue serie. une production SUN CITY PRODUCTIONS BRUXELLES. sunctyproductions@yahoo.fr

Google Translate from French to English:
The Pope of assiko first video taken from a long series. production SUN CITY PRODUCTIONS BRUSSELS. sunctyproductions@yahoo.fr
-snip-
Here's one comment from that example's discussion thread:
SylvieLaCamer, 2014
"awesome genius, mastery, and grace of this most fascinating dance and music of the bassa people in cameroon. it leaves one speechless."

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Example #3: Jean Bikoko Aladin - Concert le cinquantenaire de l'indépendance du Cameroun



moanang, Uploaded on May 21, 2010

Jean Bikoko Aladin, chanteur, guitariste du rythme assiko, Bikoko grand promoteur de la culture du pays bassa au Cameroun

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Example #4: bikoko aladin



pol paolo, Uploaded on Oct 15, 2010
-snip-
Here's one comment from that example's discussion thread (with an English translation from Google Translate):
Franklin Nyamsi, 2013
"Mon ami, le doyen Jean Bikoko Aladin, nous apprend ici en langue basaa que "masé ma nola béé", "la joie ne tue pas". L'Ancien vénérable distingue donc la joie, profonde communion avec l'absolu, du contentement, qui n'est que la crispation éphémère du plaisir dans l'instant présent. La joie, selon le Pape de l'Assiko, est un mode de vie, une connaissance adéquate de soi et du monde qui produit la plénitude, grâce à la fréquentation assidue de l'idéal. Près de la mort même, la joie triomphe!"
-snip-
"My friend, Dean Jean Bikoko Aladdin tells us here that language Basaa "Masé my nola Bee", "joy does not kill." The Old venerable thus distinguishes joy, profound communion with the absolute contentment, which is only ephemeral clenching pleasure in the moment. Joy, according to the Pope the Assiko, is a way of life, an adequate knowledge of self and the world that produces fullness, through regular attendance of the ideal. Near death itself, the triumph joy!"

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Example #5: JEAN BIKOKO en live



thoms903 Published on Sep 20, 2013

Jean Bikoko de cameroun

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Example #6: Jean Bikoko Aladin - bayamblag (likalo - Productions lyde 1986)



RealC38 Published on Nov 22, 2013

Guitare, auteur, compositeur: Jean Bikoko Aladin
Bass: Abou Bass
Claviers: Erick
-snip--
from the screen shot of the album cover: Likalo =message

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Example #7: Jean BIKOKO Aladin - Kena me Dokta



Camer-italie Diasporatv, Published on Dec 1, 2014

Né en 1939 à Eséka, une petite ville de la forêt équatoriale au Centre du Cameroun, Jean Bikoko Aladin tombe amoureux de la guitare en écoutant des virtuoses de la commune forestière de Bonepoupa comme Henri Hiag, Massing et surtout Albert Dikoumé considéré comme l’un des précurseurs de l’assiko contemporain.
Devenu la vedette de l’assiko, Jean Bikoko Aladin & ses Hetlers sont invités dans plusieurs pays d’Afrique et participent à nombre de manifestations officielles dont le Festival Culturel Panafricain d’Alger en 1969, l’année de la sortie de son 33T Wanda ntet, et le Festival des Arts Nègres de Lagos en 1977.
Source:afrisson.com

Google Translate from French to English:
Born in 1939 in Eséka, a small town in the equatorial forest in central Cameroon, Jean Bikoko Aladdin falls in love with the guitar by listening virtuoso forest town Bonepoupa as Henry Hiag, Massing and especially Albert Dikoume considered one precursors of contemporary assiko.
Became the star of the assiko, Jean Bikoko Aladdin & his Hetlers are invited in several African countries and participate in many official events including the Pan-African Cultural Festival of Algiers in 1969, the year of the release of his 33 rpm Wanda NTET and the Black Arts Festival in Lagos in 1977.
Source: afrisson.com

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases five videos of Frankie Manning's choreography of the Shim Sham (Shim Sham Shimmy) dance routine. Information about Frankie Manning and information about the Shim Sham are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Frankie Manning for his dance legacy. Thanks also to all those who a re featured in these videos, the publishers of these videos, and all those who are quoted in this post.

A pancocojams post on James Lunceford's composition "Tain't What You Do" will be published ASAP. That composition has become closely associated with the Shim Sham dance.

Other pancocojams posts that feature Frankie Manning can be found by clicking the Lindy Hop tag or the Big Apple tag that are found below.

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INFORMATION ABOUT FRANKIE MANNING
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Manning
"Frankie Manning (May 26, 1914 – April 27, 2009)[1] was an American dancer, instructor and
choreographer. Manning is considered one of the founding fathers of the Lindy Hop.
Biography

Manning was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1914. He moved to Harlem at the age of three, with his mother, who was a dancer. Frankie began dancing as a child, then started attending the early evening dances for older teens at the Renaissance Ballroom. When he was older, he started going to the Savoy, which was for better dancers. He frequented Harlem's Savoy Ballroom in the 1930s, eventually becoming a dancer in the elite and prestigious "Kat's Corner," a corner of the dance floor where impromptu exhibitions and competitions took place. During a dance contest in 1935, Manning and his partner, Frieda Washington, performed the first aerial in a swing dance competition against George "Shorty" Snowden and his partner, Big Bea, at the Savoy Ballroom. The airstep he performed was a "back to back roll" and was danced while Chick Webb played "Down South Camp Meeting," which was Manning's request after having heard the song earlier in the evening. The airstep went flawlessly to the music and astonished the more than 2,000 audience members.

Career
In 1935, Herbert White organized the top Savoy Ballroom lindy hop dancers into a professional performance group that was eventually named Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. Manning created the troupe's first ensemble Lindy Hop routines and functioned as the group's de facto choreographer, although without that title. The troupe toured extensively and made several films. While with Whitey's, Manning also danced with Norma Miller, who became known as the Queen of Swing. Whitey's Lindy Hoppers disbanded around WWII when many of the male dancers were drafted. After the war, in 1947, Manning created a small performance group called the Congaroos. When the Congaroos disbanded in 1955, Manning quietly settled into a career with the United States Postal Service. Some 30 years later Frankie Manning started his second career in dancing: travelling the world as a renowned instructor and inspiratory...

In recent years, Manning's annual birthday celebrations have drawn together dancers and instructors from all over the world....

Before his death in April 2009, Manning had been planning to celebrate his 95th birthday in May 2009 in New York City at a special Lindy Hop dance event over Memorial Day weekend. The event, commonly referred to as Frankie Fest or Frankie 95, proceeded without him but in his memory and gathered dancers and instructors from around the world. In anticipation of the event, dance groups from all over the globe posted more than 160 videos to YouTube of local performances of the Shim Sham (a swing line dance long associated with Manning) as well as many videos of a Savoy-style routine choreographed especially for the Frankie 95 celebration by noted swing dancer and Lindy instructor Peter Strom. On Sunday of Frankie 95, attendees attempted to set three Guinness world records in Central Park, including one for the greatest number of people dancing the Shim Sham simultaneously in one place.

Proceeds from the five-day Frankie 95 celebration were used to create a Frankie Manning Foundation.[4]."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHIM SHAM (Shim Sham Shimmy)
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shim_Sham
"The Shim Sham Shimmy, Shim Sham or just Sham originally is a particular tap dance routine and is regarded as tap dance's national anthem.[1] For swing dancers, today it is a kind of line dance that recalls the roots of swing.

History
In the late 1920s, when Leonard Reed and Willie Bryant were with the Whitman Sisters troupe on the T.O.B.A. circuit, they danced what they called "Goofus" to the tune Turkey in the Straw.[1][2][3] The routine consisted of standard steps: eight bars each of the Double Shuffle, the Cross Over, Tack Annie (an up-and-back shuffle), and Falling Off a Log.[1][3][4]

In early 1930s, the Shim Sham was performed on stage in Harlem at places like Connie's Inn,[3][4] Dickie Wells's Shim Sham Club,[1][3] the 101 Ranch,[5] the LaFayette Theatre,[1] and the Harlem Opera House.[1]

At the end of many performances, all of the musicians, singers, and dancers would get together on stage and do one last routine: the Shim Sham Shimmy. Tap dancers would perform technical variations, while singers and musicians would shuffle along as they were able.[3] For example, in 1931 flash dance act The Three Little Words would close their show at Connie's Inn with the Shim Sham, and invite everyone to join in, "and the whole club would join us, including the waiters. For awhile people were doing the Shim Sham up and down Seventh Avenue all night long," according to Joe Jones.[4]

According to tap dancer Howard “Stretch” Johnson the word "Shim" was a contraction of the term "she-him", a reference to the fact that the female chorus line dancers at the 101 Ranch were played by men.[5]...

Variations
There are several variations of "shim sham" choreography. There is the choreography used by Leonard Reed and Willie Bryant, as well as a number of variations by Leonard Reed and others. Other "shim sham" choreographies include ones by Frankie Manning, Al Minns and Leon James (also called the "Savoy Shim Sham"), and Dean Collins....

The Dance
The Shim Sham is 10 phrases of choreography (each phrase lasting four 8-counts), so it does not usually take up an entire song. After the Shim Sham was over, the dancers then would exit either stage left or right, depending on what was agreed upon for that show.

Today in the Lindy Hop scene, once the Shim Sham choreography is over, dancers typically grab a partner and break into lindy hop for the remainder of the song. During this portion of the song, the band or a DJ may call out "Freeze!" or "Slow!" instructing the dancers to either stop where they are or dance slowly, then call out "Dance!" to tell everyone to resumes normal dancing. The Frankie Manning version repeats the basic choreography (replacing each of the break steps with an 8-beat hold), then adds two Boogie Back/Boogie Forward phrases and two Boogie Back/Shorty George phrases to the end of the second repetition of the basic choreography.[9] Only after the final Shorty George is completed do the dancers break into freestyle Lindy Hop.

The Shim Sham goes best with swing songs whose melody lines start on beat eight, as does the choreography. An obvious choice is The Shim Sham Song (Bill Elliot Swing Orchestra), which was written specifically for this dance and has musical effects (e.g., breaks) in all the right places. However, today the Shim Sham — particularly the Frankie Manning version — is danced more often to "'Tain't What You Do (It's The Way That Cha Do It)" by Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra, or "Tuxedo Junction" by Erskine Hawkins. In fact, it is typical now at a Lindy dance party for dancers to start up a Shim Sham whenever "'Tain't What You Do" is played. There is also a recording "Stompin' at the Savoy" with the George Gee band where Manning himself calls out the moves."

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FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order based on their publishing dates on YouTube with the examples with the oldest dates presented earliest, with the exception of Examples #4 and #5.

Example #1: Shim Sham



Peter Blaskowski Uploaded on Apr 14, 2006

Demo of the classic line dance "Shim Sham", from the instructional video starring Frankie Manning

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Example #2: Frankie Manning, Shim Sham

.

SwingPatrol Uploaded on Oct 2, 2006

Frankie Manning comes to Melbourne and leads 'The Shim Sham', a Lindy Hop 'stroll', at the Swing Patrol Frankie Manning Ball, 2002 (full DVD available from swingpatrol.com.au).
-snip-
The song is Bill Elliot Swing Orchetra's "I Wanna Learn Shim Sham." Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JE0hTnrAb4 for a video of performance of that song while the Shim Sham is being danced.

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Example #3: Frankie Manning's Funeral Services - Shim Sham led by Chazz Young - 2009-05-02



vwluong, Uploaded on May 7, 2009
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread:
Dreambro1, 2014
"This is not a funeral, This is a Home going Celebration. ! ;-)"
-snip-
"Home going" is an African American contemporary term for a funeral service that include celebratory elements such as dancing (particularly when the person who died was a dancer or enjoyed watching dancing. The funeral service is referred to as a "home going service" since the person who "passed on" is going home to be with God.

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Example #4: Shim Sham for Frankie



stuartmath Uploaded on Mar 17, 2009

Frankie's Wednesday Nite Hoppers, sometimes Thursday Nite, now Monday Nite perform the Shim Sham for Frankie's 95th birthday at the You Should Be Dancing Studios in NYC. Happy Birthday Frankie!
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's viewer comment thread:

Sing Lim, 2009
"Hahahhahahahahaaha! no fair! u have Dawn!!!"
-snip-
"Dawn" is "Dawn Hampton" (the older woman in the video). Dawn Hampton was a vocalist who was a contemporary of Frankie Manning. Click http://www.swingsistah.com/index.php?id=17 for Dawn Hampton's biography.

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Example #5: Frankie100 Birthday Shim Sham



DowntownswingPublished on May 27, 2014


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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a sound file of the Jimmie Lunceford band's record "Tain't What You Do" (It's the Way That You Do It)" and includes lyrics for that song. Information about James Lunceford orchestra and "Tain't What You Do" as well as information about "Tain't What You Do"'s association with the Shim Sham dance are also also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to James "Trummy" Young & Sy Oliver for composing this song and thanks to Jimmie Lunceford and the rest of his band for their musical legacy. Thanks also to the composers of "Tain't What You Do" and all others who are featured in these videos. In addition, thanks to the publishers of these videos, and all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT JAMES LUNCEFORD
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Lunceford
"James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era...

In 1927, while an athletic instructor at Manassas High School in Memphis, Tennessee, he organized a student band, the Chickasaw Syncopators, whose name was changed to the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra. Under the new name, the band started its professional career in 1929, and made its first recordings in 1930.[4] Lunceford was the first public high school band director in Memphis. After a period of touring, the band accepted a booking at the Harlem nightclub The Cotton Club in 1934 for their revue 'Cotton Club Parade' starring Adelaide Hall.[5][6] The Cotton Club had already featured Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway, who won their first widespread fame from their inventive shows for the Cotton Club's all-white patrons. Lunceford's orchestra, with their tight musicianship and the often outrageous humor in their music and lyrics, made an ideal band for the club, and Lunceford's reputation began to steadily grow.[7] Jimmie Luncefords band differed from other great bands of the time because their work was better known for its ensemble than its solo work. Additionally, he was known for using a two-beat rhythm, called the Lunceford two-beat, as opposed to the standard four-beat rhythm.[8] This distinctive "Lunceford style" was largely the result of the imaginative arrangements by trumpeter Sy Oliver, which set high standards for dance-band arrangers of the time.[4]

Though not well known as a musician, Jimmie Lunceford was trained on several instruments and was even featured on flute in "Liza".[9]

Comedy and vaudeville played a distinct part in Lunceford's presentation. Songs such as "Rhythm Is Our Business" (featured in a 1937 musical short with Myra Johnson (Taylor) on vocals), "I'm Nuts about Screwy Music", "I Want the Waiter (With the Water)", and "Four or Five Times" displayed a playful sense of swing, often through clever arrangements by trumpeter Sy Oliver and bizarre lyrics. Lunceford's stage shows often included costumes, skits, and obvious jabs at mainstream white bands, such as Paul Whiteman's and Guy Lombardo's."...

On July 12, 1947, while playing in Seaside, Oregon, Lunceford collapsed and died from cardiac arrest during an autograph session, aged 45. Allegations and rumors circulated that he had been poisoned by a fish-restaurant owner who was unhappy at having to serve a "Negro" in his establishment.[10] This story is given credence by the fact other members of Lunceford's band who ate at this restaurant were sick within hours of the meal.[citation needed] He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "AIN'T WHAT YOU DO" AND THE SHIM SHAM (Shim Sham Shimmy) DANCE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shim_Sham
"The Shim Sham Shimmy, Shim Sham or just Sham originally is a particular tap dance routine and is regarded as tap dance's national anthem.[1] For swing dancers, today it is a kind of line dance that recalls the roots of swing...

... today the Shim Sham — particularly the Frankie Manning version — is danced more often to "'Tain't What You Do (It's The Way That Cha Do It)" by Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra, or "Tuxedo Junction" by Erskine Hawkins. In fact, it is typical now at a Lindy dance party for dancers to start up a Shim Sham whenever "'Tain't What You Do" is played."
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAEDx0BEsPQ for a sound file of "Tuxedo Junction" by Erskine Hawkins

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LYRICS - 'TAIN'T WHAT YOU DO
(James "Trummy" Young & Sy Oliver, 1939)

When I was a kid about half past three,
My ma said, "Daughter, come here to me";
Says, "Things may come and things may go,
But this is one thing you ought to know!"

Oh, 'tain't what you do, it's the way that you do it,
'Tain't what you do, it's the way that you do it,
'Tain't what you do, it's the way that you do it,
That's what gets results!

'Tain't what you do, it's the time that you do it,
'Tain't what you do, it's the time that you do it,
'Tain't what you do, it's the time that you do it,
That's what gets results!

You can try hard, don't mean a thing;
Take it easy, breezy, then your jive will swing!

Oh, it - 'tain't what you do, it's the place that you do it,
'Tain't what you do, it's the time that you do it,
'Tain't what you do, it's the way that you do it,
That's what gets results!

You've learned your A B C's
You've learned your D F G's,
But this is something you don't learn in school;

So get your hep boots on,
And then you'll carry on,
But remember if you try too hard,
It don't mean a thing, take it easy!

'Tain't what bring do, it's the way that you bring it,
'Tain't what swing do, it's the way that you swing it,
'Tain't what sing do, it's the way that you sing it,
That's what gets results!

(scat)
That's what gets results, rebop!
-snip-
Information and lyrics from http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/t/taintwhatyoudo.shtml

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Tain't What You Do - Jimmy Lunceford



L. Heitmann, Uploaded on Mar 25, 2009
-snip-
Here are a few selected comments from that sound file's discussion thread:
dudedad629, 2010
"Lunceford was a high school music teacher in Memphis and his 1928 band was so good that he basically told them that they were going pro. His band was a very discliplined one, and you can hear the marching band in them."

**
bwfeliciano, 2010
"This is the version that the dance hall I go to plays weekly during the shim sham shimmy. I love swing dancing.... <3" ** Rosie Michell, 2011 "Gotta love Swing Dancing. It makes me so happy ^_^ I love this song as well, makes me wanna dance and sing a long!!! Shim Sham Shimmy all the way!" ** Cleftonefan, 2012 "Great. Vocal by James "Trummy" Young who co-wrote it with Sy Oliver. I believe both were in Jimmie Lunceford's band at the time." ** Letty Lem-Burruel, 2014 "My Godfather was Kurt Bradford, an alto and tenor saxophonist in the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra and I grew up loving this music and him with great fervor. He taught sax until the day he passed, his students even visiting him in hospice- so great was his love for jazz and all music. It wasn't until very recently when one of his daughters handed my father two of Lunceford's CD's with several personal photos of my godfather with the band laughing and performing that I began to look more deeply into this history on the Internet for my father, who is now 83 years old and was my godfather's best friend. Btw: His real name, in fact, was not Kurt, but Mustapha Hashim; social norms being what they were back then, and even now, he found it necessary to adopt a stage name. I hope people are more accepting and just focus on his contributions to music rather than his race/culture. I know my family is an eclectic mix of every race you can get except perhaps penguin. Thanks Jazz! And thank you to whoever is putting up these videos and mp3s. More kids should know where all their music came from: it started here." ** u89worlds, 2015 "i knew mustapha aka kurt bradford in the early 80s in sf, ca. what a beautiful character and what a wonderful tone! i wish someone would write his biography. alto saxophonist of the first degree, he was one of arthur blythe's teachers. thank you for the update, letty. peace to the maestro. great band." **** Example #2: Shim Sham

Peter Blaskowski, Uploaded on Apr 14, 2006

Demo of the classic line dance "Shim Sham", from the instructional video starring Frankie Manning


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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a three part series on the English slang word "bae". This post provides a definition for the word "bae", and includes quotes from several online sites, as well as my thoughts about an early contributing source for that English slang word.

Part II of this post provides another excerpt of an article about the word "bae" as well as comments from that article. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-bae-really-means-where-it-came.html for that post.


Part III of this series contains selected comments from Pharrell Williams' 2014 Pop record "Come Get It Bae"'s video discussion thread. That YouTube video is also included in that post. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/comments-about-word-bae-from-youtube.html for that post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and etymological reasons.
I'm most interested in the general topic of how the English language has changed and continues to change because of its incorporation of slang in general and African American slang, in particular.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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WHAT I BELIEVE THE ENGLISH SLANG WORD "BAE" MEANS
The English slang word "bae" (pronounced "bay") is a shortened form of the word "baby" or "babe", meaning a person's girlfriend or boyfriend, i.e. someone who is special to you. The word "bae" has recently been expanded to mean something that is special to you, something that you like alot.

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SOURCES OF THE ENGLISH SLANG WORD "BAE" AND HOW IT IS USED
The best Internet article that I've found about the word "brae" is "Behind the Dictionary Lexicographers Talk About Language: "Bae" Watch: The Ascent of a New Pet Name" by Neal Whitman, March 27, 2014 http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/dictionary/bae-watch-the-ascent-of-a-new-pet-name/. The author of that article, begins by indicating that "bae" is a new way of saying "boo" (The meanings he gives that word are "sweetheart, "darling", but "boo" [which rhymes with the word "you"] can also be a mildly affectionate referent for a friend - as voiced by a male to a female or a female to another female.)

Here's a rather lengthy excerpt of Neal Whitman's article:
"Like boo, bae originates in African American English. The Oxford English Dictionary speculates that boo might come from beau, but ultimately judges its origin uncertain. Bae, on the other hand, has a pretty straightforward etymology: It started as a clipped form of baby or babe. Or did it? (More on that later.) The earliest evidence I've found for the existence of bae is a chart generated on the website Rap Genius, which indicates that bae has been turning up in rap songs since 2005, although their search interface makes it hard to confirm.

In late 2012 and on into 2013, bae spread into wider awareness thanks to several internet memes...

The "Bae caught me slippin" meme consisted of people pretending to be as clueless as the hypothetical Mikayla, and posting increasingly ridiculous sleeping selfies. This meme, in fact, prompted lexicographer Grant Barrett to nominate bae as the American Dialect Society's Word of the Year for 2013 (though that title ended up going to because)...

A few months after "Bae caught me slippin'" caught on, the meme "Cooking for bae" was started on Instagram and Twitter by an anonymous Georgia woman. This stream of photos shows disastrous dishes (often referred to as "struggle meals," but that's a topic for another time) served up by people trying to cook something "for the bae."

More recent still is the meme "You got a bae? Or nah?" As far as I've been able to pinpoint this one, it originated in late 2013 with Tina Woods, aka Too Turnt Tina, a teenage user of Vine, the social media site that lets you share looping 6-second video clips...

Coming back to the etymology of bae, it turns out that for a few years, a very different origin story has been going around: It's an acronym for "before anyone else." The earliest example of someone making this connection that I've found is this tweet from 2011:
My girl hates being called bae but i still call her that bc it stands for Before Anyone Else

Hundreds of tweets, and several Urban Dictionary entries, promulgate this idea, and it's amazing how easily people will believe it, based on nothing but the say-so of some ordinary person on the internet....

Aside from the existence of many bogus acronymic etymologies, including such old favorites as "port outward, starboard home" and "for unlawful carnal knowledge," there are several other reasons not to buy this BAE story.
1. Occam's Razor, part I. Given the meaning of bae, the simplest origin is that it derives from babe via deletion of the final consonant.

2. Timing. The first references to bae as standing for "before anyone else" appear six years after the earliest attestations of bae that I've found.

3. Spelling variation. Going back at least five years, you can find the word spelled bay, as it is in this tweet: "going to breakfast with my family....coming back home to work on my essay for nursing school n going out with my bay later. u?"

4. Non-romantic usage. In addition to referring to a lover, bae/bay turns up in the phrases bae bro and bae sis ("baby brother,""baby sister"), as in this tweet from 2009: "And Max's bae bro was down with dude from Spic N Spanish. It's all too much!"

5. Occam's Razor, part II. There are more elaborate etymologies for bae that are still more plausible than the acronymic explanation. For example, in the same way that police becomes the po-po, initial syllable reduplication of baby gives bay-bay or bae-bae, which are both attested on Twitter. For example, here's a tweet that seems to be from a mother taking her kids to see the movie that killed the previous Spider-Man franchise: "Seeing spider man 3 with the bay bay's." Bay/bae could then be produced by haplology.

6. Occam's Razor, part III. Alternatively, bay-bay could be a result of "lowering" the final vowel of baby, in the same way as party gets twisted into par-tay. Haplology for the finishing touch as above. This is the least likely of the three possibilities, in my opinion, but even this one is based on linguistic processes that are attested.
-snip-
The word "haplology" is hyperlinked to this Wikipedia page on that word: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplology
"Haplology (from Greek ἁπλός haplos "simple" and λόγος logos, "speech") is defined as the elimination of a syllable when two consecutive identical or similar syllables occur. The phenomenon was identified by American philologist Maurice Bloomfield in the 20th century."

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Wood F, a blogger wrote this comment about Neal Whitman's article:
"I think the spelling deserves some attention. In English the vowel combination 'ae' only appears in words borrowed from Latin (e.g. 'alumnae'). Seeing this spelling in AAE-derived internet slang is jarring. Why did this spelling catch on instead of 'bay,' which would be the traditional way of spelling a word ending in the long 'a' vowel?"
-snip-
As to Wood F's question, my guess is that the spelling "bae" for the shortened form of "baby"/"babe" was used more than the spelling "bay" at least in part because the word "bay" already has two rather well known meanings-
"a body of water enclosed by land but having a outlet to the sea" and aromatic leaves from several plants used for cooking.

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BEBE AS A SOURCE OF THE WORD BAE
Neil Whitman wrote that "The earliest evidence I've found for the existence of bae is a chart generated on the website Rap Genius, which indicates that bae has been turning up in rap songs since 2005, although their search interface makes it hard to confirm." I'm not going to attempt to suss out which Rap songs that website refers to. However, it occurred to me that the word "bae" may have been a clip of the word "bebe" [pronounced bay bay] which was popularized by the 1992 African American animated movie BeBe’s Kids.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9b%C3%A9's_Kids
"Bébé's Kids (released on home media as Robin Harris' Bébé's Kids) is a 1992 American animated comedy film produced by Reginald Hudlin and Hyperion Pictures, directed by Bruce W. Smith, and released on July 31, 1992 by Paramount Pictures.

The first animated feature to feature an entirely African-American main cast, the film is based upon comedian Robin Harris'"Bébé's Kids" stand-up comedy act. It features the voices of Faizon Love (in his film debut), Vanessa Bell Calloway, Marques Houston, Nell Carter, and Tone Lōc. Tom Everett, Rich Little, and Louie Anderson also lend their voices."...
-snip-
Based on that comedy routine and movie, "Bebe's Kids" has become a referent for two or more children whose behavior is out of control. "Bébé" is a female's nickname whose source probably is from the French word "bebe" which means "baby". That nickname shouldn't be confused with the name Bebe (pronounced bee bee) that some African Americans (and presumably other people) have. Two famous African Americans with that name are the male Gospel & R&B singer BeBe [Benjamin] Winans and author Bebe Moore Campbell (February 18, 1950 – November 27, 2006), whose first name was "Elizabeth".

Urban Dictionary.com contains a number of entries for the word "bebe" that documents its use as a synonym for "baby", "babe", "boo". Here are several of those entries:
From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bebe
Top Definition
"bebe
Another way of saying baby to your baby
Hey bebe, fetch me a sandwhich ^_^"
by Jeldah May 07, 2004

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"bebe
(n.) A nickname used to show affection towards your boyfriend or girlfriend. Synonymous to babe, baby, honey, etc. The person's name may also be attached to the end of the word "bebe" as in the example below.
I love you so much bebe!

You are my one and only Bebayjay!
by hachimitsu June 11, 2010
-snip-
Notice how the word "bebe" is spelled "bebay" in the second example. This suggests that "bebe" was sometimes spelled "baybay".

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"Bebes
A kickass way to call your beloved :]]
Gio: Hi amor :]
Mari: AMFG!!! Hi bebes! How is you???
Gio: *Freaked out* ... Fine... o_o
by Mari G June 24, 2009

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"bebe
term of endearment. Usually used by couples because baby is just too mainstream.
1. hello bebe I've missed you!

2. Water you doing bebe?

3. Bebe lets sleep.

by captain amewica August 19, 2012

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"bebe
a very sexy and sweet guy who you want to be with forever; attractive with beautiful eyes; highly intelligent; caring and understanding
Bobby, my love, is one hot bebe."
by Christine May 02, 2003

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In summary, I believe that "bae" is a clipped form of the word "baby" and "babe" which was preceded by the term "bebe".

Like Neil Whitman who was quoted above, I believe that the acronym "before anyone else" that is attributed to the word "bae" was made up years after the word "bae" was first used. I also believe that the statement that "bae" means "bacon and eggs" is mostly facetious,and the statement that "bae" is Danish for "poop" is irrelevant to any discussion about the meaning of that word in English slang, since any number of words that are spelled the same or similarly in one language may have completely different meanings in another language.

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This concludes Part I of this series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part series on the English slang word "bae". This post provides an excerpt of a 2014 atlantic.com article about the word "bae" as well as comments from that article's discussion thread.

Part I provides a definition for the word "bae", and includes quotes from several online sites, as well as my thoughts about an early contributing source for that English slang word. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-english-word-bae-really-means.html for that post.

Part III of this series contains selected comments from Pharrell Williams' 2014 Pop record "Come Get It Bae"'s video discussion thread. That YouTube video is also included in that post. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/comments-about-word-bae-from-youtube.html for that post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and etymological reasons.
I'm most interested in the general topic of how the English language has changed and continues to change because of its incorporation of slang in general and African American slang, in particular.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
WHAT I BELIEVE THE ENGLISH SLANG WORD "BAE" MEANS
The English slang word "bae" (pronounced "bay") is a shortened form of the word "baby" or "babe", meaning a person's girlfriend or boyfriend, i.e. someone who is special to you. The word "bae" has recently been expanded to mean something that is special to you, something that you like alot.

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ARTICLE EXCERPT "The Lamentable Death of Bae: A divisive word remembered" James Hamblin
Dec 30 2014
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/the-lamentable-death-of-bae/384086/
..."At that point [in October 2014 that the International House Of Pankakes had tweeted] "Pancakes bae <3”, the term bae had already been used by the official social-media accounts of Olive Garden, Jamba Juice, Pizza Hut, Whole Foods, Mountain Dew, AT&T, Wal-Mart, Burger King and, not surprisingly, the notoriously idiosyncratic Internet personas of Arby’s and Denny’s. Each time, the word was delivered with magnificently forceful offhandedness...an attempt at hipness through dubious cultural appropriation... Our brains are cannily adapted to sense inauthenticity and come to hate what is force-fed. So it is with a heavy heart that we mourn this year the loss of bae, inevitable as it was. Bae was generally adored as a word in 2014, even finding itself among the runners-up for the Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year. (Along with normcore and slacktivism, though all would eventually suffer a disappointing loss at the hands of the uninspired vape.) Oxford’s blog loosely defined bae as a “term of endearment for one’s romantic partner” common among teenagers, with “origins in African-American English,” perpetuated widely on social media and in music, particularly hip-hop and R&B. The lyrical database Rap Genius actually traces bae back as far as 2005. But after nearly a decade of subcultural percolation, 2014 was the year that bae went fully mainstream. It was in July, after the release of Miley Cyrus and Pharrell’s nonsensical collaboration “Come Get It, Bae” that Esquire asked with measured incredulity, “What the Hell Is Up With ‘Bae’?” Writer Natasha Zarinsky there proclaimed “the dawn of ‘bae.’” Of course, any time dawn is breaking, so is dusk. Slang tends to go one of two ways as it gets picked up by masses, linguist Tyler Schnoebelen told Time in the publication’s bae investigation that same month: A term either calcifies, or it bleaches. Calcification would mean bae, in its current form, becomes solidly part of the lexicon. Bleaching would mean that bae persists as a grammatical entity but loses its intention, the force of its meaning appreciably diminished through generalization. That seems to have begun, like when people use an adjectival bae to generally express affection for anything. As in, when eating a particularly good scone, “This scone is bae.”... In the case of bae, Urban Dictionary entries date back years and have been very widely read. One user on the site defined it as “baby, boo, sweetie” in December of 2008, pegging its usage to Western Florida. Even before that, in August of 2006, a user defined it as “a lover or significant other”—though in the ensuing years that definition has garnered equal shares of up-votes and down-votes, with an impressive 11,000 of each. It’s impossible to parse how many of those readers disagree with the particulars of the definition, and how many are simply expressing distaste for the word. Video blogger William Haynes, who would be among the down-votes, made an adamant case in his popular YouTube series in August that “unknown to the general populace, bae is actually an acronym.” So it would technically be BAE. And according to Haynes, it means Before Anyone Else. That theory has mild support on Urban Dictionary, though it first appeared long after the initial definitions. Katy Steinmetz in Time aptly mentioned another, more likely origin story earlier this year—one that also accounts for the uncommon a-e pairing—that bae is simply a shortened version of babe (or baby, or beau). “Slangsters do love to embrace the dropped-letter versions of words,” she wrote, noting that in some circles cool has become coo, crazy cray, et cetera"... -snip- That article continues with a summary of Neil Whitman's article that is quoted above and other comments about the corporate use of slang to sell products. Here are a few comments from that article's discussion thread: [All of these comments are from January 2015] James "Great fun! The intercultural attempt to use slang is always a dicey strategem, because one main usage of slang as a tool is to separate the in-group from the outs. In this it's similar to the usage of technical jargon by professionals in law or medicine to condescend to clients and patients, keeping them in their place. The appropriation of slang by the mainstream destoys its usefulness, just as rock and roll destroyed blues as a tool used by black people to voice their experience to each other, and made way for funk and, later, hip hop, both of which, when new, were largely unintelligible to the mainstream (white) audience." ** Ici Radio Canada "I am officially adopting as my motto "The intercultural attempt to use slang is always a dicey strategem." Done. Just hover the mouse pointer over my avatar and ye shall see." ** James > Ici Radio Canada
"I'm honored and glad to be of service."

**
Pamela Ivins Dobuler > James
"Well, it is a great sentence.

**
Christine Laing, January 2015
"Bae is a weird case. The hatred of bae seems to have been with it since the beginning. Bae-bashed are all over Twitter. It's one of those hipster things where the real hipsters are making fun. The inappropriate use of "bae" by advertisers who think it "enhances a social media brand" isn't helping much. The irony of having Pizza Hut call someone a word that means "lover" on a medium used to mock the word is too delicious.

Meme: When some gross Pizza tries to call me bae!"

**
Ici Radio Canada
"Bae is bleaching only if one says "this scone is bae" where scone rhymes with cone.

Otherwise, bae is calcifying."

**
DeclanPatrickCoker
"Oh dear Lord Jesus, people having been saying "bae" in the South forever. Let me die with the Philistines."

**
SerenaJoy
"I had no idea Bae was a thing, was still getting over Boo. Is Boo all done now?"...
-snip-
My response to SerenaJoy to her question "Is Boo all done now?" is no, based on the use of the word "boo" in the 2014 and 2015 comments posted in to the discussion thread of Usher & Alicia Key's 2004 R&B song "My Boo". However, a number of those comments were that if that song was released now it would be titled "My Bae" instead of "My Boo". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPgf2meEX1w.

Also, a comment posted to Pharrell's record "Come Get It Bae" one week ago [in April 2015] includes the referent "boo" (there meaning someone who you are friendly with)
Jen Sworthout
"Pharrell...you're a GENIOUS!!!! THANK U for your creativity boo!!!"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfGMj10wOzg

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This concludes Part II of this series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part series on the English slang word "bae". This post quotes selected comments from the discussion thread of Pharrell Williams' 2014 Pop song entitled "Come Get It Bae". The video of that Pop song is also included in this post.

Part I provides my definition of the word "bae" as well as online excerpts from an article and comments about that word. Click for that post. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-english-word-bae-really-means.html for that post.

Part II of this post provides another excerpt of an article about the word "bae" as well as comments from that article. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-bae-really-means-where-it-came.html for that post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and etymological reasons.
I'm most interested in the general topic of how the English language has changed and continues to change because of its incorporation of slang in general and African American slang, in particular.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to Pharrell Williams and others featured in that video and thanks to the publisher of that video on YouTube.

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FEATURED VIDEO: Pharrell Williams - Come Get It Bae



PharrellWilliamsVEVO, Published on Jul 23, 2014

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THAT VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
These selected comments about the word "bae" are representative of those in that discussion thread but aren't meant to be the only such comments in that thread. I've presented these comments in relative chronological order with the oldest comments given first. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order.

Numbers have been assigned to these comments for referencing purposes only.

Note that this video's discussion thread contains a number of comments that include profanity, homophobic language, and/or sexually explicit references. Those example aren't quoted in this post.

1. Super C 3 months ago
"Can we please leave the term "Bae" in 2014? It's stupid, overused, not funny and simply does not make any sence."

**
2. Mark Miller 3 months ago
"Bae Is A word Now It is Created By the American Main Stream Slang It's Definition Is 'Before Anyone Else' To Those Of You Who Didnt Understand It is Also slang For 'Babe'"

**
[Editor: These next two comments were posted in response to a statement that "bae" is Danish for "poop"]
3. Mangatamoon 3 months ago
"But the song isn't Danish
Did you know that pain is bread in French?"

**
4. Crystal Productions 3 months ago
"Did you know I'm not taking a danish or a french class? Im good."

**
5. iRok Note3 3 months ago
"Whenever a new "slang" becomes mainstream and I hear the so-called "purist" vent and blast off about how that slang should die off and how "not-so English" it is, I laugh till my ribs hurt.

WHAT IS LANGUAGE?: the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and CONVENTIONAL way.

Ask yourself this common sense question - HOW WAS LANGUAGE DEVELOPED - The masses largely create language. Do you have any idea the percentage of words recognized by the academia that came out of the masses ...?
ALMOST EVERY WORD IN ANY WRITTEN LANGUAGE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD AND EVEN IN KLINGON .... DUMMY. We the masses create language. We EVOLVE LANGUAGE.

And for those saying "Bae" means poop in Danish .. so what? ... do you know what most English and medical words sound like in Ashanti, Mandarin, Ibo languages etc. which we used to make fun off back in high school?

Call up any ethnic individual, they will always find a word in English or from another language that sounds horrible/ weird in their mother tongue. GET OVER YOURSELVES.
Language was not created by Kings and Queens. It was created by Apes, Adam and Eve or some Anthropod... what ever belief rocks your boat.

My point is ... WE THE MASSES CREATE LANGUAGE ... not your high and mighty tight-up "Oxford Dictionary mentality"

FYI - Oxford Dictionary like many others is responsible for over 100 new words added to the English dictionary every year that was BORROWED from the streets and other languages."

**
6. A Ria 2 months ago
"If you're complaining about the word "bae" and say the English language is dying I'm guessing you have never used "babe" or "baby" to refer to your significant other so just stop"

**
7. Jessica Licis 1 month ago
[Editor: This was written in response to a comment from Fraser which I didn’t find.]
""Oh, Fraser, Fraser, Fraser... I know you posted this comment three months ago. I know it's probably pointless to respond at this point. But, I just have to try. Bae, Fraser, is a shortened version of Baby. Perhaps, in your homogenized, sterilized world this word is not used. But, to the rest of us... Yes, Fraser, Bae is in fact a word. I tell you this as someone who is a native English speaker. Just a thought, take it or leave it, you know what they say about opinions... (Or perhaps, on second thought, you don't. Opinions are like assholes, Fraser, everyone has one.) You may want to work on not displaying your ignorance so freely. Gotta tell you, Fraser, you also sound a little racist. (No, no, no, let me guess, some of your best friends are black...?) Just something to think about."

**
8. Evan Terry 1 month ago
"Babe is a slang word too so don't know why everyone is fussing over Bae, a lot of words we use in English aren't even proper or used in the correct way, but we still use them anyway... It's not the end of the world if someone uses the word (Bae), now it doesn't mean I don't think the word is overused, but you don't hear me complaining, it's nice to hear people using words that aren't meant for offensive, sexist, racist etc... purposes"

**
9. channelingStephanie 1 month ago
"Why are people so upset about the word "bae?" Languages evolve, that's what American English is doing now. A person from the 1800's would be appalled at how we speak today, saying the exact thing people have been saying in the comments, "Learn proper English!" I find it interesting how our languages are evolving to fit more into our lifestyles and express what we like."

**
10. BrankoP85 4 weeks ago
"What is this bae [profanity deleted]?? I hear it everywhere...Seriously, just stop saying bae..Its [profanity deleted] annoying!!"

**
11. B Nagy 3 weeks ago
"Bæ/bae is a Danish word for poop. Also used by people on the internet who think it means baby, sweetie etc."

**
12. Teagan Farmer 3 weeks ago
"come get it bae come get it babe lol i like this song"

**
13. Rachel Victoria 3 weeks ago
"It's annoying how people keep saying this [that bae means poop in Danish] when the song isn't even in danish??"

**
matthew felkins 2 weeks ago
"Bae is danish for poop so the title is "Come Get It Poop""

**
SisiaVogel 2 weeks ago
"yes, it means poop in danish, but who cares if there's an identical word that means something else in another language? kiss means pee in swedish, gift means poison in german. nobody's whining like "omg!!! stop using kiss it means pee in swedish!!!!" nobody gives a [profanity deleted] what it means in another language. when you're speaking english, you're using the meaning it has in english. when you're speaking danish, you can use the meaning it has in danish.

also, bae is a word, whether you like it or not. languages change and evolve over time.
your most used word was also "stupid teenager slang" just a few decades ago, and yet with time it became so used and known that it was assimilated by the english language. your grandkids will probably affectionately call their best friends or lovers "bae" without knowing the context in which this word evolved, just how you have always used the word "gross" to mean something that is revolting, disgusting, without knowing that it is slang and that its original meaning was "large", and that's okay because that's how words [profanity deleted] work.

and don't say "but it's not in the dictionary!!" all words weren't in the dictionary until they became widespread enough to be included in it. languages aren't dictionaries, languages are people. we decide what are and aren't words, we control language. we write dictionaries. and who, specifically, "creates" new words? the youth. teenagers. all the common words you use today exist because teenagers once upon a time - decades, centuries ago - started using them while freely talking to their friends.

and that's okay. that's how languages work. languages are just sounds and grunts that we associate with signs and letters. we created this. we control this. dictionaries and textbooks are there to help us better know the language we speak and to better communicate with each other, but in the end we control language by simply speaking.

in closing,im sorry this is so long, but i've seen people saying these things so often that it's annoying me. and also excuse my english cause im not a native speaker.

and chill bruh."

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This concludes Part III of this series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases seven examples of the African American Spiritual "A City Called Heaven" (also known as "I Heard Of A City Called Heaven"). The now standard lyrics to this Spiritual are also included in this post along with selected comments from some of these featured sound files and videos. In addition, this post includes information about African American arranger and choir director Hall Johnson and the Hall Johnson choir (after Example #6).

I consider Examples #2 and Example #4 to be what I refer to as "gospelized Spirituals", that is Spirituals that are performed in a particular Gospel style. And it seems to me that the sound file of Sarah Vaughn singing this song that is given as Example #3 has a hint of Jazz.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, religious, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composer/s of this African American Spiritual. And thanks to the all of the arrangers, singers and musicians who are featured in these examples. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube and all those who are quoted in this post.

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STANDARD LYRICS: I HEARD OF A CITY CALLED HEAVEN
(composer/s unknown)

I am a poor pilgrim of sorrow
And I'm left in this whole wide world alone
No hope have I for tomorrow
I'm trying to make heaven my home.

Sometimes, I am tossed and driven, Lord
Sometimes I don't know where to roam
I've heard of a city called heaven
And I'm striving to make heaven my home

My mother has reached that pure glory
My father's still walkin' in sin
My brother and sister won't own me
Because I am tryin' to get in

Source: http://www.metrolyrics.com/a-city-called-heaven-lyrics-shirley-caesar.html
-snip-
"won't own me" = "have disowned me" (won't have anything to do with me)

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order by their publishing dates on YouTube with the example with the oldest dates given first.

Example #1: Mahalia Jackson- "A City Called Heaven"



DaSourcespr06, Uploaded on Jul 20, 2008

The Queen of Gospel singing one of her greatest masterpieces, "A City Called Heaven", an old Negro spiritual. This is one of several versions of this song she sung.
-snip-
The referent "Negro" was retired in the 1960s and eventually replaced with the referents "African American" and "Black".

Here are two comments from that sound file's discussion thread:
PennTrafford, 2008
"Mahalia loved singing the old songs - they were so rich with emotion and meaning. Thank you for posting this, DaSourceSpr06!"

**
Bell Head , 2013
the late Josephine Johnson sang this as the sermonic hymn at First Baptist Church in Baltimore in 1982. Same style and tempo, slow and sweet but in a high soprano voice. She sang it to the high heavens and when she finished she stomped her feet and got happy and that very High Baptist church took off. Oh that was CHURCH!!!
-snip-
"got happy" and "took off" = felt the Holy Spirit and as a result, did Holy dances and/or praises God in other ways

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Example #2: I Heard of A City Called Heaven.mp4



autocat12, Uploaded on Feb 12, 2010

Pastor O.W. Davis
Union Chapel MB Church
Huntsville, Al 35811
-snip-
Notice the Ghanaian/Ivory Coast kente cloth stoles/sashes or ties that the choir wears. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/02/kente-cloth-worn-by-american-gospel.html for a pancocojams post on the custom of African American Gospel choir members wearing kente cloth stoles.

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Example #3: City called heaven - Sarah Vaughan - 1951



Jan van den Belt Uploaded on Jul 7, 2011

City called heaven
Sarah Vaughan with orchestra under the direction of Norman Leyden

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Example #4: Amber Bullock sings "A City Called Heaven" (Audio Only)



AJM89 Uploaded, on Aug 16, 2011

Amber Bullock from Sunday's Best!
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Best_(TV_series)
"Sunday Best is a reality television Gospel singing competition series which airs on BET." [Black Entertainment Television.]

This is an example of a gospelized Spiritual that also has a Jazz flavor.

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDXgMI3A-Jc for a not very clear video of this performance that was recorded from an android phone.

Here are three comments from the festured sound file's discussion thread:
Larika Ritchie, 2011
"Amber so far you are my best Sunday Best winner. You brought so much to the world of Gospel. We have to change up the monotany of singing shouting and screaming and just enter into the presence of God with ease. I love this song love this song please please put this on your award winning album because i am now a fan. Bless your heart girl and kiss your baby for me. That voice, that voice...Hallelejah.. U brought Jazz to gospel hellllooo"

**
lilsiskeke, 2011
"AMBER TOOK THIS SONG'A CITY CALLED HEAVEN' AND JUST RAN WITH IT. SHE MADE GOSPELS SOUND SO HIP. I'M A CHRISTIAN AND I LOVE GOSPELS BUT THIS SONG WAS JUST OUTSTANDING."

**
anon6782, 2011
"Gospel & jazz, the annointing plus this woman's incredible God-given talent. What more could you ask for? 1:16 made the hair on the back of my neck stand up! This was the performance that made me stand up and take notice, then she just killed it with her version of "For Every Mountain". Can't wait to get her CD."

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Example #5: Rev. Roosevelt Geddis - "I've Heard of a City Called Heaven"



Canaan United Methodist Church, Published on Apr 28, 2013

Rev. Roosevelt Geddis singing "I've Heard of a City Called Heaven" at Canaan United Methodist Church in Ridgeville, SC, on April 28, 2013. Isreal Singleton on organ. Johnny Rice on drums.

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Example #6: Hall Johnson Choir- I've Heard Of A City Called Heaven



Nico Fournier Published on Jun 9, 2014
-snip-
Here's information about Hall Johnson and the Hall Johnson Choir from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_Johnson
Hall Johnson (March 12, 1888 – April 30, 1970) was one of a number of American composers and arrangers—including Harry T. Burleigh, R. Nathaniel Dett, and Eva Jessye — who elevated the African-American spiritual to an art form, comparable in its musical sophistication to the compositions of European Classical composers...

In time, however, he became more interested in choral music, forming the Hall Johnson Negro Choir, the first of many choral ensembles, in 1925. Hall Johnson and his choir became renowned through their participation in the 1930 Broadway production of Marc Connelly's The Green Pastures as well as in national and international tours of the play, radio versions, the 1936 film adaptation, and Hallmark Hall of Fame television broadcasts.

Johnson would also go on to arrange music for and conduct his choir in more than thirty feature-length Hollywood films, as well as a number of short films and cartoons...

Johnson wrote of the spiritual:
"True enough, this music was transmitted to us through humble channels, but its source is that of all great art everywhere—the unquenchable, divinely human longing for a perfect realization of life. It traverses every shade of emotion without spilling over in any direction. Its most tragic utterances are without pessimism, and its lightest, brightest moments have nothing to do with frivolity. In its darkest expressions there is always a hope, and in its gayest measures a constant reminder. Born out of the heart-cries of a captive people who still did not forget how to laugh, this music covers an amazing range of mood. Nevertheless, it is always serious music and should be performed seriously, in the spirit of its original conception." [1]

Johnson was fluent in both German and French. Among the singers he coached were Marian Anderson, Robert McFerrin and Shirley Verrett. His arrangements of the spirituals have been recorded by some of the world's finest artists."...

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Example #7: I've Heard of a City Called Heaven [Pearl Bailey]



Various Artists - Topic, Published on Nov 12, 2014

I've Heard of a City Called Heaven

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Visitor comments are welcome.