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Big Ball In Boston/Big Ball In Town/Roll On The Ground
Note: “Big Ball in Memphis” by the Georgia Yellow Hammers is a different song.
Old-Time, Song Tune. Traditional;
ARTIST: Mountain Ramblers 1958 "Southern Folk Heritage Series" by Alan Lomax. Atlantic Recording Corporation, SD1347 (The Mountain Ramblers; Cullen Galyen, vocal)
Listen: Mountain Ramblers 1958 Big Ball in Boston
Listen: J. E. Mainer- Big Ball In Town
Listen: Skillet Lickers- Big Ball In Town
Listen: Roll on De Ground- Billy Golden
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes;
DATE: 1800’s- recorded by Billy Golden in the 1890s (Meade)
RECORDING INFO: Del McCoury- High on a Mountain Rounder; J.E. Mainer- Good Old Mountain Music; Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers, "Big Ball In Town" (Columbia 15204-D, 1927); Thaddeus C. Willingham, "Roll on the Ground" (AFS, 1939; on LC02, LCTreas); Cooper, Wilma Lee. Songs to Remember, Cooper, Fol (19??), p 4 (Big Ball's in Boston); Mainer's Mountaineers (J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers). Good Ole Mountain Music, King 666, LP (196?), cut# 12; Mountain Ramblers. Sounds of the South, Atlantic 7-82496-2, CD( (1993), cut#1.23 (Big Ball's in Boston); New Lost City Ramblers. There Ain't No Way Out, Smithsonian/Folkways 40098, CD (1997), cut#15; Nix, Hoyle; and his West Texas Cowboys. Operators' Special, String STR 807, LP (1979), cut#B.02 (Big Ball's in CowTown); Poston, Mutt; and the Farm Hands. Hoe Down! Vol. 6. Country Blues Instrumentals, Rural Rhythm RR 156, LP (197?), cut# 8 (Big Ball's in Memphis); Skillet Lickers. Skillet Lickers, Vol. 1, County 506, LP (196?), cut# 3; Texas Playboys. Texas Music, Heritage (Galax) 066, LP (1986), cut#A.04d (Big Ball's in CowTown); Mysterious Redbirds. Mysterious Redbirds, Copper Creek CCCD 0188, CD (2000), cut# 7 (Roll on the Ground); Paley, Tom. Hard Luck Papa. Old Time Picking Styles & Techniques, Kicking Mule KM 201, LP (1976), cut# 13 (Roll on the Ground); Paley, Tom. Shivaree!, Esoteric ES-538, LP (1955), cut# 10 (Roll on the Ground); Skillet Lickers. Corn Licker Still in Georgia, Voyager VRLP 303, LP (197?), cut#A.15 (Roll on the Ground); Smith, Ralph Lee. Allan Block & Ralph Lee Smith, Meadowlands MS 1, LP (1971), cut#B.09; Willingham, Thaddeus. Anglo-American Shanties, Lyric Songs, Dance Tunes & Spirituals, Library of Congress AAFS L 2, LP (195?), cut# 9
RELATED TO: "Roll On the Ground"
OTHER NAMES: “Big Ball Up Town,” “Big Ball in Memphis,” ”Big Ball's in Boston.” "Hook Nose In Brooklyn," “Big Ball's in CowTown” Many versions include “Big Ball in Bristol” etc.
SOURCES: Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 200, (Big Ball's In Town); Silber-FSWB, p. 199, (Roll On The Ground) New Lost City Ramblers. Old-Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1964/1976), p200; Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc;
Traditional Ballad Index: Roll on the Ground (Big Ball's in Town)
DESCRIPTION: Floating verses: "Let's have a party, let's have a time/Let's have a party, I've only a dime"; "Work on the railroad, sleep on the ground/Eat soda crackers, ten cents a pound." Chorus: "Roll on the ground, boys, roll on the ground (x2)."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1899 (recording, Billy Golden)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Floating verses, mostly concerning high life: "Get on your big shoes, get on your gown/Shake off those sad blues, Big Ball's in town"; "Let's have a party, let's have a time/Let's have a party, I've only a dime"; "My love's in jail, boys, my love's in jail/My love's in jail, boys, who's going her bail?" And "Work on the railroad, sleep on the ground/Eat soda crackers, ten cents a pound." Chorus: "Big Ball's in Boston [Nashville], Big Ball's in town/Big Ball's in Boston, we'll dance around." Or, in the other common version, "Roll on the ground, boys, roll on the ground (x2)."
KEYWORDS: prison dancing drink humorous nonballad floatingverses dancetune
FOUND IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
BrownIII 234, "Working on the Railroad" (1 text plus two unrelated fragments, the "B" and "C" fragments probably belong here; the "A" text is a jumble starting with "Working on the Railroad" but followed up by what is probably a "Song of All Songs" fragment)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 200, "Big Ball's In Town" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 199, "Roll On The Ground" (1 text)
DT, ROLLGRND*
Roud #12114 (and probably others)
RECORDINGS:
Warren Caplinger's Cumberland Mountain Entertainers, "Big Ball in Town" (Brunswick 241, 1928)
Georgia Yellow Hammers, "Big Ball in Memphis" (Victor V-40138, 1929)
Billy Golden, "Roll on the Ground" (Berliner 0539, c. 1900; Victor A-616, c. 1901; rec. 1899) (CYL Albany 1131 [as "Roll On de Ground"], n.d.) (CYL: Lambert 5077 [as "Roll on de Ground"], n.d. but c. 1900)
Al Hopkins & his Buckle Busters, "Roll on the Ground" (Brunswick 186, 1927)
J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers, "Big Ball's in Town" (King 622, 1947)
Fate Norris & his Playboys, "Roll 'em on the Ground" (Columbia 15435-D, 1929)
Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers, "Big Ball In Town" (Columbia 15204-D, 1927)
Taylor-Griggs Louisiana Melody Makers, "Big Ball Up Town" (Victor 21768, 1928)
Thaddeus C. Willingham, "Roll on the Ground" (AFS, 1939; on LC02, LCTreas)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Big Ball's in Boston
Notes: Harry Oster has reported an anti-Semitic variant from Louisiana, "Hook Nose In Brooklyn." - PJS
Cohen/Seeger/Wood report "This tune is the sort that exists only for itself and its suitability on the banjo, the words being only very freely attached and often with reference to a drunken state." This seems to be true of most variants, except perhaps for the prejudiced version mentioned by Paul. - RBW
Maybe so; the piece, however, seems to have begun life as a "coon song" -- a popular minstrel piece. - PJS
NOTES: Mountain Ramblers were recorded by Alan Lomax in 1958. Del McCoury does a version also titled "Big Ball In Boston" on High on a Mountain. Here's some information about the Mountain Ramblers:
Mountain Ramblers Biography by Eugene Chadbourne
Based out of the musically hyperactive mountain area of Galax, VA, this band's early recordings are considered as important to the early beginnings of bluegrass as the first records by mandolinist Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys. How and why old-time music turned into bluegrass and just how, where, and what made it do that are the topics for endless debate, much of it unfortunately carried out under the influence of moonshine. There are those that believe the term bluegrass simply came into play because fans wanted to have a way of requesting certain tunes by the popular Monroe group without irritating his obviously competitive fellow musicians, many of whom might be ex-members of his band with a chip on their shoulder. Since Monroe's band was called the Bluegrass Boys, one could ask for a bluegrass tune and most likely get the point across without having to mention Monroe's name.
Bandleader James Lindsey preferred describing his group as playing mountain music, making the name Mountain Ramblers descriptive not only of the band's geographical home base but of their musical style, which evolved with various changes in direction and membership over more than 20 years. By maintaining its existence over such an extended period of time, the group became to classic bluegrass what combos such as the Drifters or the Coasters are to rhythm & blues and doo-wop, although the mountain music genre seems to have inspired a trifle less franchising and band-cloning.
Leader Lindsey has always remained a constant, providing a kind of training ground for a variety of musicians who have passed through the band and gone on to careers of their own in folk and country music. Lindsey was born in 1921 near Hillsville, VA, only about ten miles east of Galax. He has remained in this community all his life, performing with other musicians from a working class background. He is considered just a normal guy although known as a musician around his region, despite the legendary status his name is often granted in conversations amongst bluegrass buffs spread around the world. He actually accessed what has come to be known as bluegrass via country music and not through the often-followed old-time roots. The premiere version of the group, at first nameless, was formed in the early '50s and was basically a country cover band of the day. Vocalist Frances Diamond was the frontwoman and the band also featured dual electric guitars plus pedal steel. Definitely not an old-time music combo. The nameless ones became the Mountain Ramblers after a dance one night in the local Old Moose Hall. The audience had actually taken part in a name-the-band contest that night, writing their choice on slips of paper. Nobody actually wrote the name of the Mountain Ramblers, but so many people wrote something to do with "ramblers" that it was considered an omen. The rest of it came from the fact that they were in the mountains. Lindsey actually has said that in retrospect he wishes he had been able to use all of the band names that had been submitted, linking him up with Texan bandleader Gibby Hayes in terms of obsessing about having an endless supply of band names. The newly named band was able to perform not only live but over the radio over the next few years in an area extending into North Carolina as well. The group was still performing covers, including songs by country artists such as Carl Smith, Hank Snow, and Ray Price.
In 1956, the group imploded, creating an opportunity for Thurman Pugh, then in his early twenties, to approach Lindsey about collaboration. The group carried on under their careful partnership, a multigenerational affair, as Pugh is 14 years younger. He comes from more of a pure folk tradition, having won many contests for unaccompanied balladry. He continued this type of performing through his career, taking first price at the Galax festival in 1975. Pugh was also a big fan of Ray Price when he set out to convince the older musician to form a band with him, so once again there was the country music connection. The new band even sounded good enough to lure back former singer Diamond, although she eventually dropped out of the country croon-dom to become a housewife. The grand entrance of fiddler Fred Mulkey into the band in 1956 heralded the musical change that had been hinted at as the instrumentation began to change from electric back to predominantly acoustic.
Although Mulkey had a musical influence, it was his departure from the group that actually set the pace for a while. In other words, other members of the group also began vamoosing until at one point it was only a three-piece. As anyone knows, the only thing that makes a country band actually sound like a country band is the pedal steel, and so when Bill Bowls cut out, the remaining players smelled the coffee. It could no longer be a country band. New blood came into the band in the form of Cullen Galyean, a fiddler and banjo player who pushed things further in a traditional direction. He encouraged use of the banjo in the group, despite initial opposition from the leader, who was still obsessing about the Louvin Brothers. The trio decided to try out doing three-part harmonies after hearing the popular efforts of the Monroe Brothers as well as other classic early bluegrass music, much of it performed by "brother" duets. This direction was a comfortable fit for the band and it began creating its own distinct bluegrass sound, the next logical step being adding in full-time mandolin player Ivor Melton in 1957. It was Melton that suggested the band perform at that year's Galax Festival, a connection that had somehow never been obvious to Lindsey or Pugh. The Mountain Ramblers took first place in a group of 15 bands in their premiere crack at the competitions. An electric guitar was still allowed at that festival in 1957, although Lindsey played acoustic in that appearance and pretty much switched over to it completely around this time. A few years later, he was also one of the musicians involved in getting the electric axe officially declared taboo at the Galax fest. The next year, Galyean suggested adding one of his banjo students, Charles Hawks, into the group. This decision had a double effect on the sound of the group as it allowed Galyean to play either fiddle or indulge in twin banjo hijinks. Another frequent contest winner in the Galax area, Hawks plays banjo in the Earl Scruggs bluegrass style. He performs prolifically with different bluegrass groupings, many of them including his own students.
The band was recorded in 1958 by Alan Lomax, out on one of his many music gathering and recording explorations. He was fortunately able to record tracks featuring the group with its prime lineup of players. Well, almost. Bluegrass or folk music enthusiasts would invariably nod their heads knowingly at the mention of Lomax, but to some members of this group he meant nothing and in fact, guitarist Herb Lowe said he would rather go to a dance than waste time hanging around a recording session. As a result, these recordings feature a substitute guitarist, the young Eldridge Montgomery. It was his first performance with a group of any kind, so the praise that normally is bestowed on these Mountain Ramblers tracks should be doubled to count for this obvious handicap. Titles from these sessions include "Shady Grove" and "The Old Hickory Cane." These recordings eventually were released on the Atlantic album Blue Ridge Mountain Music. This particular album had a big impact as an early bluegrass release, almost historically important in some markets. For example, it was the first bluegrass album ever released in Australia. Fans of fiddler Galyean are fond of his romping takes of "Big Tilda" and "Big Ball in Boston." Mandolin duties became a shifting seam, as disinterested guitarist Lowe came back in the band for a bit after the Lomax no-show, but this time to play mandolin. When he overheard the boss practicing mandolin one day, Lowe realized his situation might be insecure and left for good. The album's success created a reputation for the band's name that the remaining players were able to take proper advantage of over the following decade, until Lindsey put the randomly chosen name to rest for good in the mid-'70s.
HISTORY of "Big Ball In Boston"
Recording artist and stage entertainer Billy Golden adapted a traditional minstrel song "Roll on de Ground" recording it by this title in 1896. In the 1890s another version titled "Big Ball Up Town" was recorded by Golden. "Big Ball Up Town" is fairly rare and I've not been able to locate a copy.
A probable cover of the song was done by Taylor-Griggs Louisiana Melody Makers, "Big Ball Up Town" (Victor 21768, 1928). Taylor who played played the fiddle, was a friend of Ed Conger, the owner of the local furniture store-cum-funeral parlor in Arcadia. Conger, a often listened to the group during practice sessions. Conger liked music, but he also sold Victrolas and the 78 r.p.m. records that played on them, so the group had access to Golden's song.
The first old-time country recording of “Big Ball In Town” was the result of Gid Tanner & Riley Puckett using the tune and some lyrics of the established "Big Ball Up Town/Roll on the Ground" songs in 1924. In 1928 Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers recorded another version.
Golden subsequently recorded several version of the song. Here's my transcription of Bill Golden's recording "Roll on de Ground".
Roll on de Ground (1911) With orchestra- Collected Works of Billy Golden
Listen: Roll on De Ground- Billy Golden
(orchestral intro)
spoken: Roll you webfoot, you webfoot roll
Well, When you've got lots of money,
Roll in my arms.
And when all your money's gone
Roll on the ground.
I went down to New Orleans,
Didn't go to stay.
And I throwed myself in a yellow gal's lap
And the yellow gal fainted away.
Roll on the ground boys,
Roll on the ground, well-
Roll on the ground boys
Roll on the ground, keep a rollin'
Roll on the ground boys,
Roll on the ground, well, well
Roll on the ground boys
Roll on the ground.
I went to see Miss Suzy
A-standing at the door
Shoes and stockings in her hand
Her feet all over the floor
Raccoon's got a bushy tail
Possum's tail is bare
Rabbit got no tail at all
Just a little bunch of hair
Roll on the ground boys,
Roll on the ground, well-
Roll on the ground boys
Roll on the ground, keep a rollin'
Roll on the ground boys,
Roll on the ground, well, well
Roll on the ground boys
Roll on the ground.
Many old-time groups adapted Golden's arrangement; Hill Billies "Roll on the Ground":
Chorus: Roll on the ground boys
Roll on the ground keep rollin
Roll on the ground boys
Roll on the ground
Also included in this collection is "Big Ball's in Cowtown" by Bob Wills.
According to Kuntz: (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc). The tune was recorded by J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers, and by West Virginia string band duo the Cumberland Mountain Entertainers (Sam Caplinger & fiddler Andy Patterson {1893-1950}) in 1928 for Brunswick-Vocalation (Later the duo moved to Akron, Ohio, and formed the Dixie Harmonizers, who recorded for Gennett). Heritage 048, "Georgia Fiddle Bands" {Brandywine, 1982} (1983). Cohen/Seeger/Wood report "This tune is the sort that exists only for itself and its suitability on the banjo, the words being only very freely attached and often with reference to a drunken state." The same melody is used for versions of “Don't Get Troubled in Mind”.
BIG BALL IN BOSTON- Mountain Ramblers
Listen: Mountain Ramblers 1958 Big Ball in Boston
[Guitar then banjo]
Chorus: Big ball in Boston, big ball in town
Big ball in Boston, I'm goin' down.
Little glass of sherry, little glass of wine
Goin' down to Boston, gonna make a time.
Chorus: Big ball in Boston, big ball in town
Big ball in Boston, I'm goin' down.
[banjo]
Walk down to Boston, walk down the street
Walk down to Boston, don't look at your feet.
Chorus: Big ball in Boston, big ball in town
Big ball in Boston, I'm goin' down.
[guitar]
Nights down in Boston, bright as the sun,
Going down to Boston, have a little fun
Chorus: Big ball in Boston, big ball in town
Big ball in Boston, I'm goin' down.
[banjo]
Chorus: Big ball in Boston, big ball in town
Big ball in Boston, I'm goin' down.
BIG BALL IN BOSTON- Del McCoury: High on a Mountain
CHORUS: Big ball in Boston big ball in town
Big ball in Boston gonna dance around.
Little glass of sherry little glass of wine
Let's have a party let's have a time.
My love's in jail boys my love's in jail
My love's in jail boys who'll go her bail?
Roll on the ground boys roll on the ground
Eating soda crackers ten cents a pound.
Look at all the pretty girls walking down the street
Kicking up their heels they're happy on their feet
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