599. The Sloop John B (Traditional Bahamas)

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Friends from Melbourne, Nick and Jill Demytko stayed with us in Hong Kong for a few days and they just happened to be here at the right time for the monthly session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man. They thought they would just come along and listen in, but we managed to persuade Nick (after enough drinks) to lead us all in "Sloop John B" - with a little help from John Walsh. Also known as "I Wanna Go Home" and "John B Sails," the song originated in the Bahamas. Carl Sandburg collected an early version from John & Evelyn McCutcheon of Treasure Island, West Indies where, according to Sandburg, "time & usage have given this song almost the dignity of a national anthem around Nassau. The weathered ribs of the historic craft lie imbedded in the sand at Governor's Harbor, whence an expedition, especially sent up for the purpose in 1926, extracted a knee of horseflesh & a ring-bolt. These relies are now preserved & built into the Watch Tower". An interesting theory is that the sloop's bad luck was due to its name. "John B," which, in Afro-Carribean culture, sounds like "jumby" - a West African term referring to the undead creature that has been anglicized to "zombie." Alan Lomax collected a version from Cleveland Simmons group at Old Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas in 1935. Blind Blake Higgs, a popular Nassau entertainer, recorded a string band version with the Royal Victor Calypsos in 1952. The first version I heard was by The Weaver's, recorded in 1951. It was also recorded by The Travellers in 1952. Lonnie Donegan recorded the song in 1960, as did Bud and Travis, and The Kingston Trio had a big hit with it in 1962. Probably the best known version these days is the one by The Beach Boys (1966) It has been recorded by many other artists, including Johnny Cash, Jimmie Rodgers and Roger Whittaker.

Category: Music
Uploaded: October 14th, 2008 @ 11:21 am
Author: raymondcrooke

Length: 03:36
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Tags: beach boys canny demytko folk kingston man nick song trio

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