Annotation:House of David Blues (The)
Tune properties and standard notation
HOUSE OF DAVID BLUES. American, Country Blues (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Tennessee's Fiddlin' Arthur Smith (d. 1971), along with his group the Dixieliners (later to become the Delmore Brothers) recorded this old blues song in 1937. At the turn of the 20th century the House of David, a religious sect, was perhaps better known as the sponsors of a touring baseball team than for their spiritual tenets. The team was made up of bearded acolytes. Lyrics to the melody go:
Gee, but ain't it grand, don't you hear that band,
Play those House of David Blues.
All the folk in town are gatherin' around
To see the funny thngs they do.
When ham was selling for a dollar a pound,
Eat so many rabbits, made me hop all around;
Gee, but ain't it grand, don't you hear that band,
Play those House of David Blues.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Kuntz (Ragged But Right), 1987; pp. 181-182. Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 73, p. 27.
Recorded sources: Folkways, "The Red Clay Ramblers with Fiddlin' Al McCanless." Lowe Stokes - "Brandywine Festival 1982."