Annotation:Monkey on the Dogcart

Back to Monkey on the Dogcart

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MONKEY ON/IN A/THE DOG CART [1]. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; Mississippi, Missouri. C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB. The tune, which is loosely related to the "Liza Jane" tune family, was recorded for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph from Ozarks Mountain fiddlers in the early 1940's. However, the tune appears to have not been associated with Ozarks fiddling prior to the Mississippi band the Leake County Revelers' recording, which seems to be the source for the tune and title. Hoyt Ming and His Pep Steppers also recorded "Monkey in the Dogcart" in the 78 RPM era, a more restrained version than the Revelers' produced.

Leake County Revelers

Sometimes the following ditty is sung in the second strain:

Monkey in a dog cart, dollar in his hand;
Monkey in a dog cart, looks/dressed like a little man.

Hoyt Ming and His Pep Steppers

For Charlie Poole's tune by the same name, see "Monkey on the Dogcart (2)."

Source for notated version: Wil Gilmer with the Leake County Revelers [Phillips].

Printed sources: Levenson (Old Time Festival Tunes for Fiddle and Mandolin), 2009; p. 162. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1), 1994; p. 157.

Recorded sources: Columbia 15205-D (78 RPM), Leake County Revelers (1928). County 532, "The Leake County Revelers: 1927-1930 Recordings" (1975). Voyager 340, Jim Herd - "Old Time Ozark Fiddling" (Learned from the Leake County Revelers recording. Herd was originally from the Missouri Ozarks). Northwest Folklife (cass.), Jim Herd - "Washington Traditional Fiddler's Project, vol. 1" (1993).

See also listing at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Hear the Leake County Revelers recording on youtube.com [2]
Hear Hoyt Ming and His Pepsteppers' version on youtube.com [3]

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