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I Got A Gal
Fiddle Tune with lyrics; Not widely known
ARTIST: Fiddler James Cole CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: Early 1930’s
RECORDING INFO: Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow!: Vintage Fiddle Music 1927-1935 on Old Hat.
RELATED TO: “Ida Red;” “Old Dan Tucker;” OTHER NAMES: Not Known
SOURCES: JSTOR; Fred McCormick
NOTES: This song is not listed in Meade’s book so it is fairly obscure. It has been re-released on “Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow!: Vintage Fiddle Music 1927-1935” on Old Hat recordings.
The tune is modulates quickly from major to relative minor combining two different strains for the introduction and breaks between verses. The lyrics (sung to the major part) and form are reminiscent of Ida Red and also the first two lines of “Old Dan Tucker.”
James Cole is an African-American fiddler who made several sessions with Tommie Bradley, for Gennett in Richmond, Indiana, between 1930 and 1932.
Black "hoe- down" music was recorded by James Cole (probably from Indiana) When fiddler James Cole made records for Gennett in the early 1930s, he included minstrel songs, hillbilly tunes, and tin pan alley numbers. JSTOR
First of all, there is that fiddler of indeterminate ethnic status, whom I referred to earlier. His name is James Cole, and the track here was cut with an assembly of unidentified musicians, for Vocalion in Indianapolis in 1928. Wyatt is of the opinion that he is not the same James Cole, who made several sessions with Tommie Bradley, for Gennett in Richmond, Indiana, between 1930 and 1932. Aural indications suggest that Wyatt is right, and that the earlier James Cole was a white country fiddler, where the later one was a Negro player who drew heavily on blues jazz, pop, vaudeville and hokum. For me, the recordings from the later Cole are highly agreeable and very much in keeping with the spirit of this CD. Which leaves me wondering why none were included. (3) Fred McCormick
“The booklet notes identify the Bradley-Cole recordings as made between 1931 and 1933. However, Matchbox MSE 211, drawing from Dixon-Godrich, Blues and Gospel Records 1902 - 1942, gives the dates I have used. On looking up Document’s on-line catalogue, I discovered that all the recordings bearing the name of James Cole have been issued on Document DOCD-5189 as Tommie Bradley - James Cole Groups 1928 - 1932. I don’t have this disc and am wondering whether Document printed a disclaimer in the notes, or do they know something we don’t?” Fred McCormick
Here are the lyrics to I Got A Gal by the James Cole String Band
I GOT A GAL
(Fiddle: Major part then Minor part)
I got a gal who’s mighty thin,
I turned out and she turned in.
I got a gal who’s mighty cute,
I saw her in a bathing suit.
(Fiddle)
I got a gal who lives on the hill
She moves there and I love her still
I got a gal who lives in town
Going to see if I can run her down.
(Fiddle)
I got a gal she ain’t worth a dime,
I ain’t seen her for a long, long time.
I got a gal who ain’t so fat.
But I can’t tell just where she’s at.
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