Probable Sources For The Double Dutch Rhyme "Hey Concenration"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series

Part II presents lyrics for and videos of two songs that I believe are the probable sources for the Double Dutch jump rope rhyme "Hey Concentration".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/08/various-examples-of-double-dutch-rhyme.html for Part I presents various examples of the Double Dutch rhyme "Hey Concentration". An example of this rhyme which was published online as a circle game is also included in this post.

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The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational 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 these YouTube examples and thanks to the publishers of those YouTube examples.

****
This is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on Double Dutch (jump rope) and jump roping rope in general, particularly as those activities relate to African American females.

Click the tags below to find other posts in this series.

****
PART II
ONE VERSION OF THIS RHYME

"Hey concentration
Where have you been
Around the corner
And back again
Stole my money
Stole my honey
Mama's got the hiccups
Daddy's got the flu.
Now come on boys
Let's slice the ice.
Slice it 1
Slice it 2
Slice it 3 4 5
Slice it 6
Slice it 7
Slice it 8 9 10
Hey everybody
Come on and do your thing.
2 up bop, bop.
2 down bop, bop
2 up bop, bop.
2 down bop, bop
2 up"

Source: Eleanor Fulton, Pat Smith, Let�s Slice The Ice (published St. Louis, Missouri. Magnamusic-Baton, 1978, page 27)
-snip-
This is the earliest version of the Double Dutch rhyme "Hey Concentration" that I've found as of this date (August 2017). However, that rhyme probably was chanted before the 1978 publication of collection of street rhymes that African American children in St. Louis, Missouri chanted.

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PROBABLE SOURCE FOR THE "HEY CONCENTRATION" TITLE
My position is that the basic text of "Hey Concentration" Double Dutch rhymes was inspired by two previous compositions: 1) the 1967 Rock song "Concentration Baby" and 2) late 1960s American recordings of the old "Hambone" rhyme.

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PART A: CONCENTRATION BABY
The 1967 rock song "Concentration Baby" recorded from the British band "David Clark Five" advised a woman to concentrate so that she could see that the singer really loves her.

Here's that song's lyrics and a video of that song:

(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Ahh! that's what you need
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) That's what you need

Can't you feel what I'm tryin' to do
I'm tryin' to get through to you
Won't you listen carefully
Tell me baby, whatcha here to see

(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Got-ta got-ta got-ta see
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Ahh! that's what you need

Everything that I do
Never seem to get through to you
Keep your mind open, let me know
If you feel somethin' baby, mmm, let it show

(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Ahh! that's what you need
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Got-ta got-ta got-ta

Really try hard, baby I know
Pretty soon it's gonna have to show
Concentration pays in the end
Then you and me, honey child, won't have to pretend, no!

(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Ahh! that's what you need
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Mmm, got to, got to

I'll tell you one more time baby

(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Ahh! that's what you need
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) Concentration baby
(Hey-eh-eh-eh) That's what you need

Source: https://genius.com/The-dave-clark-five-concentration-baby-lyrics

**
The Dave Clark Five - Concentration baby



Sergio Walrus Published on Nov 11, 2013

The Dave Clark Five

Everybody knows / Concentration baby

Columbia UK DB 8286 - October 1967

**
Here's information about The Dave Clark Five
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dave_Clark_Five
"The Dave Clark Five (also known as "the DC5") was an English pop rock group. Their single "Glad All Over" knocked the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK Singles Chart in January 1964; it peaked at number 6 in the United States in April 1964.[1] "Over And Over" was a number 1 single in the United States for the group in December 1965.

They were the second group of the British Invasion on The Ed Sullivan Show, appearing in March for two weeks after the Beatles appeared three straight weeks in February 1964. For some time the Dave Clark Five was more popular in the US than in their native UK, but had a renaissance in the UK between 1967 and 1970. The group disbanded in late 1970. On 10 March 2008, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."
-snip-
In contrast to its use in the Rock song, in the "Hey Concentration" Double Dutch rhyme, the word "concentration" appears to be used as a person's nickname.

Besides sharing the word "concentration", I don't believe that the Double Dutch rhyme "Hey Concentration" is related in any way to the widely known hand clap rhymes "Concentration 64" or similar titles.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/11/concentration-64-handclap-game.html for a pancocojams post on the hand clap rhyme "Concentration 64".

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PART B: HAMBONE
Here's the text of the particular "Hambone" verses that I believe influenced the basic words of the "Hey Concentration" Double Dutch rhyme.

Hambone, hambone
Where you been?
Round the world and I�m going again

[...]

Hambone, hambone
Where�s your wife
Out to the kitchen, cooking rice (or "cooking beans and rice)
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/08/various-versions-of-hambone-songrhyme.html

**
The earliest 20th century recording of the 19th century song "Hambone" and its accompanying percussive body patting which probably influenced the post 1967 - 1970s Double Dutch rhyme "Hey Concentration" was
Red Saunders' with The Hambone Kid's 1952 record entitled "Hambone". That song was re-recorded in 1963. Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/08/red-saunders-his-orchestra-with-hambone.html for a pancocojams post on that record.

The 1964 record "Ham Bone" by Washboard Willie also probably contributed to American children's and youth's awareness of the "Hambone" song. wraised awareness in that year probably influencrarClick https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/08/washboard-willie-ham-bone-sound-file.html for a pancocojams post on that record.

Here's another sound file that probably also contributed to Americans' awareness of the old "Hambone" song in the 1960s:

Hambone (Pancho)



Bill Haley & His Comets - Topic Published on Feb 26, 2014

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises
-snip-
Information about Bill Haley & His Comets:
From http://www.lyrics.com/artist/Bill%20Haley%20%26%20His%20Comets/196116
"Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets (and variations thereof), was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of white America and the rest of the world. During the period late 1954-late 1956, the group placed nine singles into the Top 20, one of those a number one and three more in the Top Ten."
-snip-
Among this group�s hit songs were: Rock Around the Clock, Shake, Rattle & Roll, Skinny Minnie, and Razzle Dazzle [among the other songs that are listed on that page].
-snip-
From http://thegardnerfamily.org/haley/discography/songs.html, Bill Haley & His Comets' record "Hambone" (Pancho) was first released in 1966.

**
YouTube Vide #2:
Here's a video of three sons of the well respected (if not widely known) Bluesman R.L. Burnside "hamboning" (doing "Hambone" body percussion)
R.L. Burnside's sons hambone (1978)



Alan Lomax Archive, Published on Nov 2, 2011

R.L. Burnside's sons � Duwayne, Dexter, and Michael Joe � hamboning at home in Independence, Mississippi, shot by Alan Lomax, Worth Long, and John Bishop in August, 1978.
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread:
Rosenda Moore, 2016
"When I was growing up (mid 60's - early 70's) here in Los Angeles, a lot of boys at my school did hambone routines and they were FUNKY!! I LOOOOVED seeing that at school during recess, and the best ones would have these impromptu competitions after school, too.?
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As an aside from the topic of this post, "hamboning" (i.e. "doing the "hambone"; "pattin' juba") doesn't appear to be as well known in 2017 as it was in say 1967. The term "hamboning" means performing those movements to the song "Hambone" and other songs, as well as a percussive performance without any singing or chanting.

In spite of the fact that "hamboning" may not be as well known as it once was among African Americans and other American, those rhythmic, percussive body pats are sometimes included as part of steppin' routines of historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities.

For example, here's a video of a Phi Beta Sigma, Inc. step routine that includes "hamboning" ("pattin juba") [given without any transcriptions of the chants]

Phi Beta Sigma Old & Young Heads Stepping



Andrew DeRamus, Published on Aug 26, 2016

Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta Greek Picnic in the DMV. Steppers Pledging year ranging from 1980 - 2009

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This concludes Part II of this two part series on the "Hey Concentration" Double Dutch rhyme.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: African American fraternity and sorority stepping African American Rock And Roll American Rock and Roll body patting British Rock music Double Dutch jump rope rhymes Hambone

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Various Examples Of The Double Dutch Rhyme "Hey Concentration"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series

Part I presents various examples of the Double Dutch rhyme "Hey Concentration". An example of this rhyme which was published online as a circle game is also included in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/08/probable-sources-for-double-dutch-rhyme.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents lyrics for and videos of two songs that I believe are the probable sources for the Double Dutch jump rope rhyme "Hey Concentration".

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to all those who contributed examples that are included in this post.

****
This is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on Double Dutch (jump rope) and jump roping rope in general, particularly as those activities relate to African American females.

Click the tags below to find other posts in this series.

If you know of any additional examples of this rhyme, please share them in the comment section below, along with demographic information (particularly the decade you heard or performed this rhyme and how you performed it, example: jump rope, hand clap game etc. Thanks!

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PART I: EXAMPLES OF THIS RHYME
These examples are given in the order that I found them or (in the case of the example that is given last), that the rhyme was shared with me.

I've numbered these examples for referencing purposes only.

Rhyme Example #1
"Hey concentration
Where have you been
Around the corner
And back again
Stole my money
Stole my honey
Mama's got the hiccups
Daddy's got the flu.
Now come on boys
Let's slice the ice.
Slice it 1
Slice it 2
Slice it 3 4 5
Slice it 6
Slice it 7
Slice it 8 9 10
Hey everybody
Come on and do your thing.
2 up bop, bop.
2 down bop, bop
2 up bop, bop.
2 down bop, bop
2 up"
-snip-
The authors noted that this is a Double Dutch Jump Rope rhyme. Here are the performance directions for jumping double dutch that the authors included with this rhyme:

"Two players face each other, holding two ropes, one in each hand. The right hand of one player turns one rope counterclockwise, and his left hand turns the other rope clockwise.

The right hand of the second player turns counterclockwise and his left hand turns clockwise. The right hand and left hands of each player correspond in moving.

One child "jumps in" when one rope is up in the air and the other is down. His foot pattern is a skip from side to side."

Source: Eleanor Fulton, Pat Smith, Let�s Slice The Ice ( published St. Louis, Missouri. Magnamusic-Baton, 1978, page 27)
-snip-
I've searched but haven't found any definitions for or references to the phrase "slice the ice". In the context of this rhyme, I think that "slice the ice" was probably a commonly used African American Vernacular English phrase that meant to perform a rhythmic movement or dance step in which the person slides from one side to another. Note that the authors write that the "foot pattern is a skip from side to side."

It's interesting that the authors used the pronoun "his" instead of "her" since traditionally most Double Dutch jumpers have been female. I think the use of that male pronoun reflects 1970s grammatical practices, and shouldn't be read to mean that the players were males.

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Rhyme Example #2

"Challenge, Challenge/Big Mac/Hey Consolation Medley
(Challenge is a competitive follow-the-leader game)

Challenge, challenge
1,2,3,4,5,6,7.8, 9,10

Big Mac, Filet o� Fish foot
And bounce
And hop
And turn
And walk
And criss

Hey consolation
Where have you been?
Around the corner, and back again
Stole my money
Knocked my honey
Papa�s go the hiccups
Mama�s got the ice
So come on baby
Let�s slice that ice

2, 4, 6, 8, 10 hop
2,4,6,8,10 turn
2, 4, 6, 8, 10 criss
2,4,6,8,10 turn walk
(1991, 1992, ;.1999, 1004

Only one song mixes modern commentary, traditional moves, and commercial messages. Although it mentions specific corporations, it is not a simple advertisement. The first two lines come from a rap by recording artist KRS-One, but the rest of the Mill School�s version diverges from the original yet stays true to its message of confidence. Tashi and Naisha gave it special status, and its words were sung with an eye twinkle. This one was different. It is complex in its layering of street competition, sarcasm. And African American traditional foot work. In this sense, it is much more than a traditional singing game"...


Source: from Recess Battle: Playing, Fighting, and Storytelling by Anna R. Beresin (University Press of Mississippi, Jackson; 2010) page 67
-snip-
I'm not sure which record the author refers to when she wrote that the first two lines of this rhyme are from a KRS-One rap.

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Rhyme Example #3
"Hey concentration, where have you been?
Around the corner and back again?
Stole my money, stole my honey,
Mama�s got the hiccups, papa�s got the flu!"

Source: http://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2015/09/hey-concentration.html
-snip-
The editor of that website categorizes this song as an "American folk song: circle game" and provides the following performance instructions:

Hey concentration = two small steps forward (half note = beat)
Where have you been = Put hands out in �Where?� motion (pulse hands twice)
Around the corner = Turn around in circle once
Back again = two steps back
Stole my money = turn and face partner and pat own knees twice
Stole my honey = High five both partner�s hands
Mama�s got the hiccups = Pat knees twice
Papa�s got the flu = Turn and face inside of the circle, ready to start over

Optional ending:
Mama�s got the hiccups = Facing partner, walk past partner to the next person (new partner)"

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Rhyme Example #4
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
This example is included in an online blog post about the opening credits scene for Spike Lee's 1994 movie Crooklyn. That name is a purposely adapted nickname for Brooklyn, New York. I've included an excerpt of that post along with the "Hey Concentration" rhyme example.
From https://bigmediavandal.blogspot.com/2008/02/imagery-saturdays-games-people-play.html Saturday, February 09, 2008, "Imagery Saturdays: Games People Play", By Odienator

"My favorite opening credits sequence of Spike's is the one that opens Crooklyn. There's a lot wrong with Crooklyn as a feature: Spike Lee can't write a female character to save his life, the film is fragmented and meandering, and the entire anamorphic sequence, while bold, is annoying. Still I love this movie for the sense of nostalgia it evokes. In an argument with a film critic buddy of mine, I completely acknowledged every flaw he pointed out. "But I was there," I told him, "and I think that's what Spike's going for in this movie. He's preaching to the choir of kids from the 70's."

Crooklyn opens with a quick survey of a Brooklyn neighborhood, and as it plays out, we see a whole slew of games being played by the neighborhood kids. The scene is scored to the Stylistics' People Make the World Go Round, a song that kicks in as the Universal logo spins on the screen. I'm not going to lie; I felt 4 years old when I saw these games on the screen. My eyes got wet and a flood of memories came back to me. That's what I hope to invoke with this free association rant about the images below. So, ask your Mom if you can come out and play with the Odienator. Hurry up. The streetlights come on in an hour.

[...]

Another "girl" game I partook in was double dutch. The girls swung their bodies with attitude while they turned the rope, and I'd get tingly feelings I didn't know anything about until much later. In my neighborhood, jumping rope was verboten for boys, but honestly I didn't care. I didn't have any male friends anyway, except for my cousins, and the guys in my hood were too busy yelling at me because I was the smart kid, calling me "professor" and "White boy" because "keepin' it real" hadn't been coined yet. This was a way I could get close to the girls, and it paid off later when I joined one of the double dutch troops who competed in things like the McDonalds contests. We kicked ass, and I met a lot of women. So nyaah.

Another thing I loved about double dutch was that it got the adults involved. My cousins would be outside jumping, and my Mom or one of my numerous aunts would come outside and ask for a jump. Now, keep in mind that, to us, these women seemed older than dirt. In actuality, my Mom was in her 20's and some of my aunts were in their late teens. They would kick off their shoes and then, after that hilarious back and forth motion everybody did before jumping into the rope, would jump in and jump like the experts they were. Sometimes they showed off, too, jumping in what we called "hot peas and butter," a really fast turn of the rope. Whenever we tried that, we'd get whelped up and look like the zebra on the Fruit Stripe gum package.

And remember those songs the girls would sing, using the rhythm of the rope and their feet as percussion:

"Hey Concentration
Where have you been?
Around the corner and back again.
Stole my money
And my honey
Papa got the hiccups, Mama got the slice.
So come on baby let's slice that ice,
Slice 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!
I knew an old lady who lived in a town.
She tried to do the jump but she turned around.
She tried to do the split but she did the kick.
Oh my Lawd now what is this?"
-snip-
The authors's "Hurry up. The streetlights come on in an hour" statement refers to the fact that for many African American children (and probably other children), the rule was that children had to be in their homes when the street lights came on. I remember this well from my childhood in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1950s.

I haven't found any definitions online or offline for the phrase "slice the ice". My guess is that "slice the ice" was an African American Vernacular English phrase that had the same or very similar meaning as "cut the rug" = "to enthusiastically perform social dances".

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Rhyme Example #5:
"Hey concentration Where have you Been
Around the corner and back Again
Stole my Money and my Honey
Papa's got the hiccups
Mama�s got the Slice"

Source: https://books.google.com/books?id=hvy0BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT93&lpg=PT93&dq=hey+concentration+where+have+you+been&source=b "Hip Hop Family Tree Book 1: 1970s�1981" By Ed Piskor, page 93
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's note:
This book is a comic book, graphic novel. The page that is quoted above is a series of comic strip panel drawings whose words and pictures refer to a ten minute news segment on the national news series 20/20 about how Hip Hop music was entering the American mainstream. The text that is given above specifically refers to one of the drawings that depicts three black girls in matching blue shirts and white shorts jumping double dutch on a city sidewalk chanting the rhyme "Hey Concentration".

Here's the text that was given above that drawing:
"The piece also does a good job relating the deeper origins of the culture to long-standing traditions in the black south like the CALL AND RESPONSE elements of church sermons, rhyme talk in games, and old story rhymes."
-snip-
It's interesting that out of all the possible Double Dutch rhymes that the author of this book could have chosen for the girls to chant, he chose "Hey Concentration".

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Rhyme Example #6
"Hey concentration
Where have you been
Around the corner
And back again
Stole my money
Stole my honey
Mama's got the hiccups
Papas got the mumps.
Now come on baby
Let's slice that ice.
Slice 10 9 8 7
6 5 4 3 2 1
Gypsy Gypsy, Rosalie
Who on earth can your old man be?
Is he a rich man, poor man
baker man, chief?
Dr, lawyer, store man, thief.
Now spell your name on one foot.
That's a N-i-n-a
Nina's a girl from overseas
She don't dig no boys in dungarees.
She lives uptown, she lives downtown
She lives all around
Now let's get down.
(then you hot jump as fast as you can for as long as you can)"

Source: vis email from Nina Gonzalez (Jersey City, New Jersey)

Nina also added this comment. "I love this. when i was a little girl in jersey city nj we had a variation of hey concentration which was/is my favorite rope song"
-snip-
Thanks Nina!
-snip-
Unfortunately, there's no other demographic information for this example (such as the decade that Nina remembered chanted this rhyme.).

Nina emailed me this rhyme on 8/6/2017, writing that she had tried to add it as a comment to this page on my cocojams2 blog: http://cocojams2.blogspot.com/2014/10/g-h-hand-clap-jump-rope-rhymes-examples.html.

With considerable regret, I disabled the comment feature on cocojams2 blogs (and my other blogs except for pancocojams), because of the large number of spam comments that I received on those blogs. However, I have added Nina's example to that blog post page on hand clap and jump rope rhymes that begin with the letters g-h.

Comments for those blogs can be sent to my email address azizip17 dot com at yahoo dot com for possible inclusion in a specific post on those blogs.

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This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series on "Hey Concentration" Double Dutch rhymes.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Categories: Double Dutch jump rope rhymes Hambone

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Red Saunders & His Orchestra With The Hambone Kids - Hambones (sound file & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases two sound files of Red Saunders & His Orchestra With Dolores Hawkins & The Hambone Kids's "Hambone" record (1952, 1963).

Information about Red Saunders is also included in this post along with information about The Hambone Kids
The lyrics to the 1963 version of this record are also provided in this post.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Red Saunders & His Orchestra and Dolores Hawkins and The Hambone Kids for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing series about the "Hambone" song and percussive body patting activity.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/pattin-juba-hambone-and-bo-diddley-beat.html
for a 2011 pancocojams post on Hambone (pattin juba) beat and body percussion.

Click the tag below for other pancocojams posts that are also part of an ongoing series on "Hambone".

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INFORMATION ABOUT RED SAUNDERS & HIS ORCHESTRA
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Saunders_(musician)
"Theodore Dudley "Red" Saunders (March 2, 1912 � March 5, 1981)[1] was an [African] American jazz drummer and bandleader. He also played vibraphone and timpani...

Saunders remained in control of the Club DeLisa house band until the club closed in 1958, apart from a hiatus between 1945 and 1947 when he led a smaller band at other venues in Chicago. Among his sidemen were Leon Washington, Porter Kilbert, Earl Washington, Sonny Cohn, Ike Perkins, Riley Hampton, singer Joe Williams and Mac Easton. Among the arrangers he employed were Johnny Pate[3] and Sun Ra.[2]
He made his first recordings as bandleader for Savoy Records in late 1945, and later accompanied such rhythm and blues performers as T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner, Sugar Chile Robinson, Rosetta Tharpe, Willie Mabon, Little Brother Montgomery and LaVern Baker (then credited as "Miss Sharecropper") on sessions. He continued to record under his own name with relatively little commercial success for several years, until early 1952 when his recording of the traditional children's song "Hambone" on the OKeh label, with Dolores Hawkins and the Hambone Kids (who included Dee Clark), reached some R&B charts. In 1956, he recorded with Guy Warren on Warren's album Africa Speaks�America Answers![2] Despite his regular gig and disinclination to go on the road, Saunders also played with Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Woody Herman. He continued to lead a band at the Regal Theater in Chicago into the 1960s, and played with Little Brother Montgomery and Art Hodes at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in the 1970s."....

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE "HAMBONE" RECORD BY RED SAUNDERS AND HIS ORCHESTRA WITH DELORES HAWKINS & THE HAMBONE KIDS
From http://www.somanyrecordssolittletime.com/?cat=2010 Hambone / Red Saunders & His Orch. with Delores Hawkins & The Hambone KidsSUNDAY, JULY 8TH, 2012
"Red Saunders found his first successful footing in the depression era Chicago clubs. His endless singles, on many labels, seemed to finally reach an early doo wop/RnB mix of ghetto wildness, a frenzy evident here.

First released in February 1952, the record was accompanied by large display ads in Billboard showing The Hambone Kids performing in front of Red Saunders and his drums. The originally issued take of �Hambone� included Dolores Hawkins� whistling but lacked her vocal interjections that appear on this version; it also included a brief passage for the full band and a tenor sax solo. The Kids� rhythmic practice was known as hamboning or patting juba: slapping various body parts as a substitute for drumming. Dee Clark, one of those Hambone Kids, also loudly stamped his heel on the 2nd and 4th beats.

Peaking at #20 on the Billboard RnB chart, it was, like Screamin� Jay Hawkins� �I Put A Spell On You�, a consistent seller. By �63, parent company CBS decided to reissue �Hambone� as Okeh 7166, pictured here. And then again in �67 (Okeh 7282). These reissues used an alternate take running 2:13, in which The Hambone Kids and Dolores Hawkins are accompanied throughout by guitar, bass, and drums only; the rest of Red Saunders Big Band / Orchestra contributing only shouts of �Hambone!� at the beginning and end of the piece.

There are many versions of �Hambone� floating around this earth, as was the case with all big selling black records in the 50's, endless vanilla white artists watered them down for middle America consumption. This here is the real deal though."

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS RECORD
From The Virgin Encyclopedia of The Blues by Colin Larkin[Google books, page 1879]
"He [Red Saunders] recorded on Sultan, Savoy, and Supreme before securing a contract with OKed. The featured vocalist on his 1950/1 session was "Jumpin' Joe Williams, some years and a coat of polish before his stint with Count Basie. Sanders also claim to fame was a ramshackle 1952 novelty hit 'Hambone'. 'The Hambone Kids', Sammy McGrier, Ronny Strong, and Delecta Clark (who grew up to become Dee Clark), patted 'juba', slapping their bodies in syncopated rhythms, between singing childish verses that anticipated Bo Diddley, while Dolores Hawkins ejaculated 'Yeah!' at the end of each stanza."

****
From http://www.madmusic.com/song_details.aspx?SongID=4306
"Re-popularized in the early 60s by NYC kids host and former radio actor Sandy Becker on his show on WNEW Channel 5 in NY. He developed a character called Hambone [dressed in a bizarre marching-type uniform, pith helmet with huge feather and 6"-long "glasses"] and would strut and stride around on camera while the song played, and would also put up words on signs on a board to form a witty saying. Becker was also a cartoon voice actor (Go Go Gophers, others) and is fondly remembered by kids of the 50s & 60s from the NY area. The 1952 release was re-released in 1963 due to the popularity of Becker's character, and was a re-edited take with Becker squealing "Yeaaaahhhhhhh!!!" in character over the original record. Among the Hambone Kids was a young Dee Clark, who would later have hits such as "Raindrops", a staple of oldies radio."

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILES:
Example #1:Red Saunders - Hambone (Original Version)



Michael McKenna, Published on Feb 15, 2013

This is the first version of Red Saunders' "Hambone" from 1952 - released as OKeh 6862 - which has a saxophone break in the middle of the song - does not have the drawn-out "YEAH!" exclamations found in the later version - and does not have the "false fade"prior the the last exclamation of "Hambone!". The later version was issued with "Rumble Mambo" by Link Wray on the reverse side as OKeh 7166 in 1963 and OKeh 7282 in 1967.

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Example #2: Hambone - Red Saunders and his Orchestra with the Hambone kids - HQ



jrocuts, Published on Aug 14, 2010

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LYRICS: HAMBONE (Version #2)
Hambone!

Hambone!

Hambone, hambone
Have you heard?
Papa�s gonna buy me a mocking bird
And if that mocking bird don�t sing
Papa�s gonna buy me a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring don�t shine
Papa�s gonna take it to the five and dime
Hambone!
Yeah!

Hambone, Hambone, where you been?
Round the world and I�m goin' again
Hambone Hambone, where's your wife?
In the kitchen cookin' rice.
Hambone
Yeah! Yeah!

Look at him holler, look at him moan*
He always called for his hambone.
We he get it he eat it fast
That ole hambone just wouldn't last.
Hambone!
Yeah! Yeah! Ah Yeah! Ah ha!

-snip-
This is my transcription of this song from that sound file. Additions and corrections are welcome.

*I can't decipher what is said in this line. I got those words from this version of "Hambone" which is partly attributed to Red Saunders

Categories: African American Blues Hambone

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Washboard Willie -Ham Bone (sound file and lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the 1964 record "Ham Bone" by Washboard Willie". Information about Washboard Willie is included in this post along with information about the washboard instrument and information about Washboard Willie's 1964 record "Ham Bone".

A sound file of and lyrics for that song are also included in this post..

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Washboard Willie for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this psot and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing series about the "Hambone" song and percussive body patting activity.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/10/pattin-juba-hambone-and-bo-diddley-beat.html
for a 2011 pancocojams post on Hambone (pattin juba) beat and body percussion.

Click the tag below for other pancocojams posts that are also part of an ongoing series on "Hambone".

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INFORMATION ABOUT WASHBOARD WILLIE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washboard_Willie
"William Paden Hensley (July 24, 1906[1] or 1909 � August 24, 1991),[2] known as Washboard Willie, was an [African] American Detroit blues musician, who specialised in playing the washboard. He recorded tracks including "A Fool on a Mule in the Middle of The Road" plus "Cherry Red Blues", and worked variously with Eddie "Guitar" Burns, Baby Boy Warren, and Boogie Woogie Red.[2]

Hensley was born either in Bullock County, Alabama, in 1906,[1] or in Columbus, Georgia, in 1909.[2] "Washboard Willie", as he became known, did not take up music until his thirties. By 1948 he had relocated to Detroit,[3] and in 1952, he watched Eddie "Guitar" Burns performing and played along with Burns' backing group. He impressed the proprietor and ended up with a three-year residency with the band.[4]
Working full-time washing cars for a living, he decided to name his own musical ensemble, Washboard Willie and the Super Suds of Rhythm, working off of the name of a once-popular laundry detergent![4][5] He graduated from just playing the washboard to incorporate a bass drum and snare and, in 1955, gave Little Sonny his first booking.[4] In 1956, Hensley made his own debut recording of "Cherry Red Blues," with "Washboard Shuffle;" and then "Washboard Blues Pt. 1 & 2."[6] His recording career continued until 1962 utilising Boogie Woogie Red on piano accompaniment. The recordings were not issued until 1969 on Barrelhouse Records. However, in 1966, Willie did release a single with the tracks "Natural Born Lover," and "Wee Baby Blues." His band remained in demand playing nightly in both Detroit and Ann Arbor.[4]
In 1973, he toured Europe with Lightnin' Slim, Whispering Smith, Snooky Pryor, Homesick James and Boogie Woogie Red; he also played at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival that year on the Saturday afternoon "Detroit Blues" show. A compilation album, American Blues Legends '73 was issued on Big Bear Records with Willie contributing the tracks, "I Feel So Fine" and "Kansas City."[4][6] Six years later he stopped playing professionally.[4]"

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE WASHBOARD INSTRUMENT
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washboard_(musical_instrument)
"The washboard and frottoir (from Cajun French "frotter", to rub) are used as a percussion instrument, employing the ribbed metal surface of the cleaning device as a rhythm instrument. As traditionally used in jazz, zydeco, skiffle, jug band, and old-time music, the washboard remained in its wooden frame and is played primarily by tapping, but also scraping the washboard with thimbles. Often the washboard has additional traps, such as a wood block, a cowbell, and even small cymbals. Conversely, the frottoir (zydeco rubboard) dispenses with the frame and consists simply of the metal ribbing hung around the neck. It is played primarily with spoon handles or bottle openers in a combination of strumming, scratching, tapping and rolling. The frottoir or vest frottoir is played as a stroked percussion instrument, often in a band with a drummer, while the washboard generally is a replacement for drums."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT WASHBOARD WILLIE'S "HAM BONE" RECORD
From http://www.somanyrecordssolittletime.com/?cat=2010 Ham Bone / Washboard Willie
SUNDAY, JULY 8TH, 2012
"Roger Armstrong played me �Ham Bone� in �07. I�d never heard the version prior, but hunted for it ever since. Let me tell you, this was one hard record to find. Forget about price, it was all about a copy turning up at all. Subsequently I�d been searching unsuccessfully for ages, but just prior to our London trip last week, the first pressing to list on eBay in years appeared. Not about to lose it, I put in a crazy high bid, and luck was on my side.

Funny enough, the auction closed while I was in the UK, sitting in Camden�s Spreadeagle pub with Roger himself. No lie. What a nice email alert to get anywhere, but nicely full circle in this case.

By far the most successful version, according the BILLBOARD chart number, is that by Red Saunders & His Orch. with Delores Hawkins & The Hambone Kids. Love it as you will, still Washboard Willie�s is clearly in a class of it�s own.

Having turned professional in �52 at thirty years old, a very late bloomer even then, this full time car washer�s apparent first stroke of genius was to name his band Washboard Willie & The Super Suds Of Rhythm. Now who wouldn�t want every record they made on name alone?

Originally playing only his washboard from work, his second stroke, by �55 he added a bass and snare drum, his third. Listen to Washboard Willie�s performance on �Ham Bone�, from �64, and you�ll hear how he mastered a most primal idea, thereby achieving for himself a permanent slot in music history."...

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: Washboard Willie - Ham Bone



DeepGospel, Published on May 9, 2015

Great solo drums/vocal record, produced by Detroit's legendary Joe von Battle. [1964]

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LYRICS - HAM BONE
(Washboard Willie)

Ham in the hambone pat�em on the shoulder
If you get a pretty girl, I'll show you how to hold her.
Up to the big house down to the kitchen
Come on get your hook and line Let�s go fishin�
Mama caught a red bass I caught a hammer
Mama caught a big fish, big enough for dinner
Hambone!
Hambone Hambone where you been?
All around the world and back again
Come on gal let�s go where it�s found
come on gal let�s mess around
come on gal let�s go to school
come on gal let�s cut the fool

Hambone

Hambone is a good ole man
He washed his face with a frying pan
He combed his hair with a wagon wheel
He died with a toothpick in his heel
Hambone.
-snip-
These lyrics are spoken rather than sung and are accompanied by a snare drum .

This is my transcription of this song from that sound file. Additions and corrections are welcome.

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Categories: Afican American Blues Bo Diddley Beat Hambone washboard

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