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Kitty Puss
Traditional Old-Time, Breakdown- southwestern Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Nebraska, Kentucky.
ARTIST: learned by Buddy Thomas (Ky.) from his grandfather, via the whistling of his mother [Old-Time Herald];
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Early 1900’s
RECORDING INFO- KITTY PUSS: Land Norris “Kitty Puss” (OK 40212-1925); CA-01, Charlie Acuff - "Left Handed Fiddler" (1990. This privately issued cassette was recorded by 70 year old fiddler Acuff, from Alcoa, Tennessee). County 788, Clyde Davenport (Monticello, Ky.) - "Clydeoscope: Rare and Beautiful Tunes from the Cumberland Plateau" (1986. Learned from an old time fiddler from Rock Creek, Tennessee, by the name of Will Phipps, who was buried with his fiddle in his coffin). Rounder 0032, Buddy Thomas (Northeast Ky.) - "Kitty Puss: Old-Time Fiddle Music From Ky." Rounder 0320, Bob Carlin & John Hartford - "The Fun of Open Discussion" (learned from fiddler Charlie Acuff).
RECORDING INFO BLACK-EYED SUSIE: Roscoe Holcomb, "Blackeyed Susie", New Lost City Ramblers, "Blackeyed Susie". Anachronistic 001, John Hilt - "Swope's Knobs." County 405, "The Hill-Billies." County 713, Cockerham, Jarrell, and Jenkins - "Down to the Cider Mill." County CO-CD-2711, Kirk Sutphin - "Old Roots and New Branches" (1994). Davis Unlimited 33015, Doc Roberts - "Classic Fiddle Tunes." Folkways FA 2492, New Lost City Ramblers - "String Band Instrumentals" (1964. Learned from J.P. Nestor & Whitter's Virginia Breakdowners). Gennett 6257 (78 RPM), Doc Roberts (Ky.), c. 1928. Marimac 9009, Rafe Stefanini - "Old Time Friends" (1987). Marimac 9060, Jim Bowles - "Railroading Through the Rocky Mountains" (1992). Okeh 40320 (78 RPM), Whitter's Virginia Breakdowners (Henry Whitter, John Rector, James Sutphin). Rounder 0032, Buddy Thomas (northest Ky.) - "Kitty Puss: Old Time Fiddle Music From Kentucky." Victor 21070 (78 RPM), J.P. Nestor and Edmonds (Galax, Va.) {1927}. Victor 40127 (78 RPM), Jilson Setters (as Blind Bill Day; b. 1860, Rowan County, Ky.) {1928}. MacArthur, Margaret. Them Stars, Whetstone WS 04, CD (1996), cut# 3; Gellert, Dan. Tribute to the Appalachian String Band Music Festival, Chubby Dragon CS 1001, Cas (199?), cut#A.04; Summers, John W. (Dick). Indiana Fiddler, Rounder 0194, LP (1984), cut# 15; Addiss and Crofut. 400 Years of Folk Music, Folkways FA 2404, LP (1962), cut#B.02d; Alden, Ray. Old Time Friends, Marimac 9009, Cas (1987), cut# 19; Bird, Elmer. Home Sweet Home, Windy Ridge WR-10002, LP (1982), cut#A.02; Boone, Woodrow; and Roger Howell. Music in the Air, BearWallow 210, Cas (1993), cut#A.02; Burris, Otis; and Fortune. Otis Burris and Fortune, Heritage (Galax) 073C, Cas (1989), cut# 5; Christian, John. Old-Time Banjo Anthology, Vol. 1, Marimac AHS 4, Cas (1991), cut# 24 ; Cockerham, Jarrell and Jenkins. Down to the Cider Mill, County 713, LP (1968), cut# 2; Darling, Erik. True Religion, Vanguard VRS 9099, LP (196?), cut# 6; Davenport, Clyde. Puncheon Camps, Appalachian Center Ser. AC002, Cas (1992), cut# 26; Dillards. Live Almost, Elektra EKS-7265, LP (196?), cut# 1; Edmonds, Norman. Train on the Island, Davis Unlimited DU 33002, LP (197?), cut# 11 (Blackeyed Susie/Susan); George, Franklin/Frank. Swope's Knobs, Anachronistic 001, LP (1977), cut#1.03 ; Hellman, Neal. Life Is Like a Mountain Dulcimer, TRO, sof (1974), p 4 (Blackeyed Susie/Susan); Highwaymen. Standing Room Only!, United Artists UAL 3158, LP (196?), cut#A.02; Hillbillies. Hillbillies, County 405, LP (197?), cut#A.06 (Blackeyed Susie/Susan); Holcomb, Roscoe. Mountain Music of Kentucky, Folkways FA 2317, LP (1960), cut# 20 (Blackeyed Susie/Susan); Holcomb, Roscoe. Mountain Music of Kentucky, Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40077, CD (1996), cut#2.35; Holy Modal Rounders. Take a Trip with me, Prestige PR 7539, LP (197?), cut# 4 ; Holy Modal Rounders. Holy Modal Rounders, Fantasy 24711, LP (1972), cut#1.02; Iron Mountain String Band (Galax). Music from the Mountain, Heritage (Galax) 101C, Cas (1992), cut# 7 (Blackeyed Susie/Susan); McCurdy, Ed. Folk Singer, Dawn DLP 1127, LP (1956c), cut#A.02 (Pretty Little Black Eyed Susie); McKinney, Bonnie. Folksongs and Ballads, Vol 4, Augusta Heritage AHR 010, Cas (1992), cut#A.05; Nestor, J. P.. Round the Heart of Old Galax, Vol 3., County 535, LP (1980), cut# 8; Nestor, J. P.. Early Rural String Bands, RCA (Victor) LPV-552, LP (1968), cut# 3; Nestor, J. P.. Bristol Sessions. Vol 2, Country Music Foundation CMF 011C2, Cas (1987), cut# 5; New Lost City Ramblers. String Band Instrumentals, Folkways FA 2492, LP (1964), cut#A.05; Roberts, Fiddlin' Doc. Classic Fiddle Tunes, Davis Unlimited DU 33015, LP (197?), cut# 7; Rosenbaum, Art (Arthur). Art of the Mountain Banjo, Kicking Mule KM 203, LP (1975), cut#1.09; Sexton, Morgan. Best of Seedtime on the Cumberland, June Appal JA 0059C, Cas (198?), cut#8 ; Skillet Lickers. Corn Licker Still in Georgia, Voyager VRLP 303, LP (197?), cut#A.04 ; Slaughter, Matokie; and the Back Creek Buddies. Saro, Marimac 9028, Cas (1990), cut# 14 (Blackeyed Susie/Susan); Stripling, Lee. Hogs Picking Up Acorns, Voyager VRCD 349, CD (2000), cut# 9; Sykes, Robert. Appalachia, The Old Traditions, Vol. 2, Home Made Music LP-002, LP (1982), cut# 14 ; Warner, Frank. Come All You Good People, Minstrel JD-204, LP (1976), cut#A.08; Warren, Paul. America's Greatest Breakdown Fiddle Player, CMH 6237, LP (1979), cut# 20; Wild Rose String Band. Wild Rose String Band, Wild Rose --, Cas (1981), cut# 12a ; Young, Jesse Colin. Soul of a City Boy, Capitol ST-11267, LP (1974), cut#B.01
OTHER NAMES: "Hop Up, Kitty Puss," "Blackeyed Susie," "Puncheon Camps," "Tucker's Old Barn," "Old Time Mockingbird," “Black-Eyed Susie,” “Pretty Little Black Eyed Susie,” “Blackeyed Susan,” “Green Corn;” ‘Hot Corn, Cold Corn;" “(Hop Up) Kitty Puss" (northeast Ky.); "Possum Sop and Polecat Jelly" (Randolph).
RELATED TO: Paddy Won't You Drink/Sip Some (Good Old) Cider;
SOURCES KITTY PUSS: Learned by Buddy Thomas (Ky.) from his grandfather, via the whistling of his mother [Old-Time Herald]; Charlie Acuff (Tenn.) [Phillips]. Old-Time Herald, Fall 1992, pg. 31. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 133. CA-01, Charlie Acuff - "Left Handed Fiddler" (1990. This privately issued cassette was recorded by 70 year old fiddler Acuff, from Alcoa, Tennessee). County 788, Clyde Davenport (Monticello, Ky.) - "Clydeoscope: Rare and Beautiful Tunes from the Cumberland Plateau" (1986. Learned from an old time fiddler from Rock Creek, Tennessee, by the name of Will Phipps, who was buried with his fiddle in his coffin).
SOURCES BLACK-EYED SUSIE: Lomax-FSUSA p. 29, "Blackeyed Susie" Silber-FSWB, p. 38, "Green Corn". John Hilt (Tazewell County, Virginia) [Krassen, 1983]; Bob Walters (Lincoln, Nebraska) [Christeson]; New Lost City Ramblers [Brody, Kuntz]; John Tustin & S. Clark (southwestern Pa., mid-1900's) [Bayard]; Uncle Tom West (Boyd County, Ky., 1911) [Thomas & Leeder]; Doc Roberts (Ky.) [Phillips]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 185A-B, pg. 142. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 47. R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, Vol.1) , 1973; No. 71, pg. 54 (appears as "Black Eyed Susan"). Krassen (Masters of Old Time Fiddle), 1983; pg. 110. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 51 (appears as "Blackeyed Susan"). Kuntz (Ragged but Right), 1986; pg. 327. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 28. Thomas & Leeder (The Singin' Gathering), 1939; pg. 61.Randolph 568, "Black-Eyed Susan"); also perhaps 415, "Possum Sop and Polecat Jelly"; American Balladry from British Broadsides, Amer. Folklore Society, Bk (1957), p239; West, Tom. Singin' Gatherin', Silver Burdette, Bk (1939), p46; Hellman, Neal. Life Is Like a Mountain Dulcimer, TRO, sof (1974), p 4 (Blackeyed Susie/Susan); Bruce, Dix. Mandolin Magazine, Mandolin Magazine MM, Ser (1999-), 2/2, p52; Maloy, Frank. Devil's Box, Devil's Box DB, Ser (196?), 30/1, p 9 (Black Eyed Susan Brown); Herren, Ruth Burton. Sweet Bunch of Daisies, Colonial Press, Bk (1991), p 98 ; Leftwich, Brad. Old Time Herald, Old Time Herald OTH, Ser (1987-), 5/1, p41
NOTES: G Major (OTH/Thomas): D Major (Phillips). Standard. ABB'. A somewhat archaic sounding tune first referenced in the Journal of American Folklore XXV in 1913;
Also named "Hop Up Kitty Puss" the tune is part of the large “Black-eyed Susie tunes. Oldtime Fiddler Charlie Acuff learned the tune from his grandfather as "Poor Little Kitty Puss Poor Little Feller" because of the lyrics that went with the tune:
Poor little Kitty Puss, poor little feller,
Poor little Kitty Puss, tied in the cellar.
Howdy Forrester said there was an old saying in Hickman County that went, "If you can't dance Kitty Puss you can't dance nothing." The same saying is usually found as part of the lyrics for the Old Jimmie Sutton songs.
Here is info about “Black-eyed Susie":
Bayard (1981) traces the history of the “Black-eyed Susie tune,” beginning in the British Isles with a melody called "Rosasolis," set by Giles Farnaby (c. 1560- c.1600), which appears in the the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. Another version of the melody is called "Morris Off" and appears in Jehan Tabourot's Orchesographie (1588); it is still used for English morris dances and has been called the earliest recorded morris tune. Still another version appears as a Welsh harp tune, "Alawon Fy Ngwlad." Later developments of the tune were popular in England and Scotland from the early 17th century through the 18th, under the title "Three (Jolly) Sheep Skins;" while in Ireland a variation became known as "Aillilliu mo Mhailin" (Alas My Little Bag) {a humorous lament for a stolen bag of sundries}.
Transported to the United States from these various sources the melody developed into an old-time standard, "Black Eyed Susie," well-known throughout the South and Midwest. It was mentioned in reports from 1926-31 of the De Kalb County, northeast Alabama, Annual (Fiddler's) Convention, and at a 1929 Grove Hill, southwest Alabama, contest (Cauthen, 1990). Musicologist Vance Randolph collected and recorded the breakdown in the early 1940's for the Library of Congress from Ozark Mountains fiddlers, and it was similarly waxed in 1939 from the playing of Tishomingo County, Mississippi, fiddler John Hatcher for the same institution.
Here’s the ditty usually sung to the tune:
Hop up, Kitty Puss, hop up higher,
Hop up, Kitty Puss, your tail's in the fire.
Poor little Kitty Puss, poor little feller,
Poor little Kitty Puss, died in the cellar.
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