Chicken Reel

ARTIST: Joseph M. Daly 1910

Listen: Arthur Collins w/lyrics; Chicken Reel 1911; Victor 16897

Listen: Caplinger's Cumberland Mountain Entertainers w/calls; Chicken Reel

Listen: Ralph Stanley (instrumental- fiddle/banjo); Chicken Reel

Listen: Fiddlin' Arthur Smith w/Earl Scruggs; Chicken Reel

CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes

DATE: 1910

RECORDING INFO: Anderson, Bob; and the Country Ramblers. Indiana Hoedown, Puritan 5003, LP (1973/1969), trk# A.01; Bennington, Billy. Barford Angel, East Anglican Life EAL-1, LP (1987), trk# A.04; Block, Allan; and Walter Gundy. Old-Time Banjo Project, Elektra EKL-7276, LP (1964), trk# 7; Burris, Otis; and Fortune. Otis Burris and Fortune, Heritage (Galax) 073C, Cas (1989), trk# 4; Cline, Curly Ray. Chicken Reel, Rebel SLP 1498, LP (197?), trk# 1; Cowin, Ellis. Comin' Round the Mountain, Voyager VLRP 302, LP (1968), trk# 13; Davis, Glenn; & the Buffalo Ford Boys. Fiddler's Grove. Old Time Fiddler's & Bluegrass ... 1975. Vol. 6, Galaxie, LP (1975), trk# 33; Denoon, Jimmy. Ozark Folksongs, Rounder 1108-2, CD (2001), trk# 10 [1941/11/12]; Douglas, Wilson. Right Hand Fork of Rush Creek, Rounder 0047, LP (1975), trk# 12; Falderal String Band. Step Right Up... Free Show Tonight!, Hen House, Cas (1996), trk# A.09a; 15. Harmonica Duet. Folk Music in America, Vol.14: Solo & Display Music, Library of Congress LBC-14, LP (1978), trk# B.03 [1927/10/12] (Medley); Hathaway, Ira. Devil's Box, Devil's Box, Ser, 24/2, p17(1990) [1950s]; Hickory Wind. At the Wednesday Night Waltz, Adelphi AD 2002, LP (1974), trk# 5c; 19. Iron Mountain String Band (Calif.). Someday We'll Meet Again, Folkways FA 3836, LP (1981), trk# A.03; Johnson, Vesta Wilson. Down Home Rag, Marimac 9017, Cas (1988), trk# 9; Kirkhuff, Jehile B.. Jehile Stands Alone, Kirkhuff CP 2002, CD (2002/1970s?), trk# 4; Lieberson, Richard; and the Central Park Sheiks. Flatpicking Guitar Festival, Kicking Mule KM-206, LP (1976), trk# B.02; Mallet, Judy. National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest & Festival. 1974, Century, LP (1974), trk# B.09b; Monroe, Charlie; & the Kentucky Pardners. Charlie Monroe on the Noonday Jamboree - 1944, County 538, LP (1974), trk# 19 [1944]; Parker, Byron; & his Mountaineers. Bluegrass Roots, Old Homestead OHCS 169, LP (1985), trk# 16b; Parker, Chet. Hammered Dulcimer, Folkways FA 2381, LP (1966), trk# 5c; Pegram, George; and Parham, Red (Walter). Pickin' and Blowin', Riverside RLP 12-650, LP (1959), trk# 16 [1957]; 30. Roan Mountain Hilltoppers. Down Home, Roan Mountain, CD (2000), trk# 19 [1982/02]; Roberts, Fiddlin' Doc. Fiddlin' Doc Roberts / Complete Recorded Works..., Vol 2. 1928-1, Document DOCD 8043, CD (1999), 20 [1930/01/13]; Singleton, Sarah (Blake). Old-Time Fiddling of Braxton County, Augusta Heritage AHR 012, Cas (1992), trk# B.10 [1992/01]; Skillet Lickers. Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, Rounder 1005, LP (1973), trk# 10 [1928/04/11] (Slow Buck); Stripling, Lee. Hogs Picking Up Acorns, Voyager VRCD 349, CD (2000), trk# 17c; Summers, John W. (Dick). Indiana Fiddler, Rounder 0194, LP (1984), trk# 16; 37. Thomas, Earl;, Jr.. Kentucky Old-Time Banjo, Rounder 0394, CD (1999), trk# 36 [1997/08/02]; Tune Wranglers. Beer Parlor Jive. Western Swing 1935-1941, String STR 801, LP (1977), trk# A.03 [1937/02/24] (Chicken Reel Stomp); 40. Twyman, Goebel. Old Time Fiddler, Atwell Lps 1677, LP (197?), trk# A.04; Wallace, Gusty. I Kind of Believe It's A Gift, Meriweather Meri 1001-2, LP (198?), trk# 3.12 [1965]; Ward, Wade. Uncle Wade. A Memorial to Wade Ward, Old Time Virginia Banjo ..., Folkways FA 2380, LP (1973), trk# 18; Webb, Bob; and Craig Edwards. Cluck Old Hen, Richmond Webb RWA 4303, CD (2004), trk# 11 (Pullet Surprise); Webster, Cece (Cecelia). Dulcimer Wizardry, Michigan Seasons, LP (1988/1974), trk# B.05a; 46. Wine, Melvin. Old Time Music on the Air, Vol. 1, Rounder 0331, Cas (1994), trk# 20; 47. Wine, Melvin. Vintage Wine, Marimac AHS 6, Cas (1993), trk# B.03; American Heritage 19A, Loyd Wanzer- "Plain and Fancy Fiddlin.'" County 538, Charlie Monroe- "On the Noonday Jamboree." Edison 50653 (78 RPM), Joseph Samuels (appears as 2nd tune of "Devil's Dream Medley"). Folkways FA 2381, "The Hammered Dulcimer Played by Chet Parker" (1966). Gennett 7110 (78 RPM), Doc Roberts. Gennett (78 RPM), Tweedy Brothers (W.Va., 1924). Kicking Mule 206, The Cental Park Sheiks- "Kicking Mule's Flat Picking Guitar Festival." Marimac 9017, Vesta Johnson (Mo.) - "Down Home Rag." Point Records P-229, J.O. La Madeleine - "Canadian Jigs and Reels." Rounder 0194, John W. Summers - "Indiana Fiddler" (1984). String 801, The Tune Wranglers- "Beer Parlor Jive."

RELATED TO: Bug in the Taters; Sixteen Chickens and a Tambourine;

OTHER NAMES: Chicken Reel Stomp; Darn Good Girl

PRINTED SOURCES: Ford, Ira W. / Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1965/1940), p 41c; Isaac, Burton / Folk Fiddle by Burton Isaac, Mel Bay, fol (1964), p28; Brody, David (ed.) / Guitar Pickers Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1984), p 43; Griffin, Neil. Griffin, Neil / Banjo Fiddle Tunes, Mel Bay, Sof (1976), p14; Higgins, Uncle Charlie. Krassen, Miles (ed.) / Masters of Old Time Fiddling, Oak --, Sof (1983), p 39 Charlie Higgins (Grayson County, Va.) [Krassen]; John Summers (Indiana) [Krassen] Summers, John W. (Dick). Krassen, Miles (ed.) / Masters of Old Time Fiddling, Oak --, Sof (1983), p133; George Unger (Oklahoma County, Oklahoma) [Thede]; Hornellsville Hillbillies (New York State) [Bronner]; Walter Ireland, Hogg, Amasiah Thomas, Marion Yoders (southwestern Pa.) [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 327A-D, pgs. 292-293. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 66. Bronner (Old-Time Music Makers of New York State), 1987; No. 21, pg. 91. Cazden (Dances from Woodland), 1945; pg. 21. Cazden (Folk Songs of the Catskills), 1955; pg. 37. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 41. Krassen (Masters of Old Time Fiddling), 1983; pg. 39-40 and 133-136. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 48. Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 117, pg. 39. Spandaro (10 Cents a Dance), 1980; pg. 13. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 66. Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pg. 116. Lieberson, Richard. Lieberson, Richard / Old Time Fiddle Tunes for Guitar, Amsco, Sof (1974), p 45; Ricks, Jess. Sandburg, Carl / American Songbag, Harcourt Brace Jovan..., Sof (1955/1928), p116; Tune Wranglers. Brody, David (ed.) / Fiddler's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1983), p 66 [1937/02/24] Unger, George. Thede, Marion (ed.) / The Fiddle Book, Oak, Bk (1967), p116a [1930s]

NOTES: D Major. Standard or ADAE. AABB (Brody, Ford, Phillips, Ruth, Spandaro, Sweet, Thede): AABBC (Bayard {Ireland}): AABBAACC (Krassen {Higgins}): AABBCDDAABBC'C' (Krassen {Summers}).

Chicken Reel is a song about chickens. It was composed by Joseph M. Daly in 1910, and along with Turkey in the Straw, it is probably best known for its use in early animated cartoons as a catchy tune used to represent animal activity. Originally composed as a novelty song, it has since passed into modern folk tradition. Today, the tune is usually played without the words, which would often have been sung in the minstrel style (in stereotyped African-American vernacular).

From Ceolas, “The first published version under the above title was a piano composition in 1910 by Joseph M. Daly, a nineteen year old from Boston, who may have either recorded an existing folk melody or "composed" it from folk strains (Fuld, 1966, 1971). Regarding those folk strains, Bayard (1981) vaguely states that the tune may have been of Scottish or Irish in origin, and makes general reference to tunes in O'Neill without citing them. Though the tune is usually played in two parts several fiddlers have added variations. Krassen says Indiana fiddler John Summers, whose roots were in the northern, New England tradition, had B and C parts which were probably composed by him and identifies the latter as a strain commonly found in hornpipes.

Bayard collected another 'C' part from southwestern Pa. fiddler Walter Ireland and generally found the versions from that area of the country had little of the pronounced sliding that accompany the tune in the South. The melody was in the repertoire of Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner since the early 20th century and Bronner (1987) notes it was commonly played for dances in New York state at that time (often in combination with the tune "Black Cat"). It was also known to mid-20th century Pa. dance fiddler Harry Daddario (Buffalo Valley, Pa.) and was in the repertiore of African-American fiddler Cuje Bertram (Cumberland Plateau region, Ky.), recorded by him on a 1970 home recording, made for his family. The tune was recorded from Ozark Mountain fiddlers by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph for the Library of Congress in the early 1940's. Bronner (1987) states that the tune was a favorite in New York because of its instant recognizability and by the fact that it was easily used in combination with other tunes for variety or added length for dance sets. Beside dance band sources, the tune was used by martial bands in Pennsylvania and brass bands in central New York.

Chicken Reel- Joseph Daily 1910
 Listen: Arthur Collins w/lyrics; Chicken Reel 1911; Victor 16897


VERSE 1: Way down in Carolina where the sweet potatoes grow
there lives a dancin' maiden by the name of Liza Snow
She used to go to parties where they always made her sing
but SAY you ought to see that lady do the chicken wing
They held a dancing contest and were going to give a prize
They ALL had on their finest and it now was up to Lize
Who was gonna win it everybody there could feel
When Liza hollered to the band to play the Chicken Reel
Clear the crowd away, tell the band to play
when you hear me say go! my honey

CHORUS: Oh, you chicken reel, how you make me feel
Play it really so entrancing who could really keep from dancing
That's the music sweet, like the chicken meat
Give to me with a dressin' I don't need no dancing lesson
Put all the other fine selections right away
That is the only tune I want to hear you play
When I get married its the music I will play
Hey boy, keep playing chicken reel all day

VERSE 2: One night when from a party she was coming home with Bill
He's a steady fellow and the night was dark and still
I seems he had a chicken and when Liza heard of that
She said I'm gonna wear it on my go-to-meeting hat
I guess you must be crazy answered William with a smile
But Liza said "go on you haven't heard the latest style."
When first she wore it out the people asked her to explain
But Liza simply answered "I've got chicken on the brain"
Clear the crowd away, tell the band to play
When you hear me say go! my honey.