"Turkey in the Straw"

With all the Trimmings!

Sometimes a Song is written by that most prolific and variously talented composer, a fellow known as Anonymous. Today’s song is one of his, a folk which until relatively recent times was familiar to almost every American, though its history has been tracked down to an original tune from the British Isles called “The Old Rose Tree” (published in 1795). Who wrote “The Old Rose Tree"?” Why, Anonymous, of course, although in its travels across the pond different lyrics were given to the tune, and it became popular through a range of adaptations, sometimes performed by minstrel shows which were popular in early 19th-century America. The tune has endless potential for contrafactum, and you may know it set to other lyrics. (When I was a child, one version of the song that all the kids sang was “Do Your Ears Hang Low?”)

By the early 20th century, scholars were deliberately collecting and publishing all sorts of folk tunes in order to preserve them from oblivion. Recall that these were days when recording was new and not yet widely available. But for the deliberate effort to discover and preserve these folk songs, many of them might well have been lost and gone forever like “My Darling, Clementine.” The work of these folk music conservators not only saved the tunes, it contributed to the great folk revival of the mid-century, which in turn played a significant part in the development of popular music in the rest of the century. But it wasn’t only the revival of interest in folk tunes which preserved “Turkey in the Straw” from fading into oblivion. It was the nature of the tune itself, as a stand-alone instrumental, suitable for dancing.

For folks in rural areas could not easily muster a full dance orchestra. But “Turkey in the Straw” is custom-made for fiddle and banjo, even harmonica and tin whistle, instruments which might easily be taken to out-of-the-way places. The song became a staple tune for American square dancing, which was developed from the English country dancing that early settlers brought with them when they emigrated from abroad. Of the many different formations for the country style of dancing, the square with four partners is still the most popular in America. Tunes such as “Turkey in the Straw” provide a perfect accompaniment to the rhythms and bouncy steps and energy of the dance. With only a barn or a grange, a “caller,” and a couple of musicians, rural Americans had everything they needed to hold a formal dance, even in the hills or out on the frontier. And that they did! And it’s a loss to those of my generation and younger that we didn’t.

So, let’s listen to some music. Today, I am sending you along a couple of versions of “Turkey in the Straw,” each wonderful in a different way.

The first clip is performed with standard lyrics by that master folk singer, Burl Ives, who made a career as a folk singer in mid-century America.

The second clip is a hillbilly takeoff on the song, with some slightly bawdy humor slipped in under the radar. See if this one doesn’t make you chuckle. I can find no further information about this performance except that it is reportedly the first known video recording of the song.

And the third clip, which I think is the best of the lot, comes from a surprise performer who — for all the jokes about his showmanship — was a genuine piano virtuoso who didn’t think it beneath him to play a hillbilly song — and play it to the hilt.

Today’s song was suggested by my daughter and fellow music lover.

ENJOY!

From the collected folksongs of Burl Ives …

From an early television kinescope recording ..

And from that great showman, Liberace. Listen for some boogie woogie, some blues, and even a subtle nod to “The Volga Boat Song.” For the full video with the full introduction, Click Here. The Youtube video provides the whole song, but not the charming introduction.

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