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My Creole Belle
Bluegrass/Blues/Old Time; Song. USA, widely known.
ARTIST: Mississippi John Hurt
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: Hurt’s version from the early 60’s; Early 1900’s- My Creole Belles by Lampe 1900; Rubber Dolly late 1800’s
RECORDING INFO:
Bing Bang Boys. I'm Feeling Good, Rubinchik 054, CD (2002), trk# 9 (Creole Belle)
Cohen, David. How to Play Folk Guitar, Kicking Mule KM 119, LP (1976), trk# B.09
Cooney, Michael. Michael Cooney or: "The Cheese Stands Alone", Folk Legacy FSI-035, LP (1968), trk# 6 (Creole Belle)
Hurt, Mississippi John. Folk Songs and Blues, Piedmount PLP 13157, LP (1963), trk# 10
Hurt, Mississippi John. Traum, Happy / Finger-Picking Styles for Guitar, Oak, Sof (1966), p17
Hurt, Mississippi John. Garwood, Donald / Masters of Instrumental Blues Guitar, Oak, Fol (1967), p17
Hurt, Mississippi John. Grossman, Stefan; Stephen Calt, Hal Grossman / Country Blues Songb, Oak, Sof (1973), p 74
Kweskin, Jim. Relax Your Mind, Vanguard VSD-79188, LP (1965), trk# B.05
Watson, Doc and Merle. Lonesome Road, United Artists UA-LA725G, LP (1977), trk# 5
RELATED TO: “Rubber Doll/Dolly (Rag);” “Back Up and Push;” "My Bucket's Got a Hole In It;" “Good Bye Booze”
OTHER NAMES: Rubber Doll/Dolly (Rag) Back Up and Push
SOURCES: The Library of Congress American Memory Collection has sheet music for "Creole Belles" (sic).
NOTES: “My Creole Belles” is a song from Mississippi John Hurt as heard on "Avalon Blues," Rounder CD 1081, 1963. Hurt’s version as well as Back Up Push and Rubber Dolly evolved from the melody of Jens Bodewalt Lampe’s piano rag with song lyrics, “My Creole Belles” which was published in Detroit, Michigan by Whitney-Warner in 1900. It was the melody to the second strain by J. B. Lampe (1869-1929) that became popular during the early 1900’s. "My Creole Belle" by Mississippi John Hurt is a reworking of Lampe’s melody and lyrics. No one knows where he learned his version.
ORIGINAL LRYICS by J.B. Lampe:
I love her well,
Around my heart she cast a spell
When stars do shine
I call her mine
My dusky baby, my Creole Belle.
From Ceolas: C Major. Standard. One part (Lowinger): AABB (Brody): AA'BB (Phillips): AA'BB' (Reiner). Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers' 1934 version of the piece (backed with "Down Yonder") became the third best-selling country music record for that year. Gid's son, 17 year old Gordon Tanner, played uncredited fiddle lead at the session, according to Tony Russell. The “Rubber Dolly” title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954.
Bronner also says the tune has a similarity to an older British Isles melody called "Lord Alexander's Reel/Hornpipe," though he must have consulted other versions of the melody for his sources' version is somewhat obscure. According to Bronner (1987), "Rubber Dolly" was first collected as a Anglo-American children's game with the following words or variants (which may have come from a music-hall song of the 1890's):
My Mommy told me, she's going to buy a rubber dolly,
If I was good, So don't you till her I kissed a feller/soldier
Or she won't buy me a rubber dolly.
Lyrics to: My Creole Belle
My Creole Belle, I love her well
My darling baby, my Creole Belle
My Creole Belle, I love her well
My darling baby, my Creole Belle.
When the stars shine, I'll call her mine
My darling baby, my Creole Belle
My Creole Belle, I love her well
My darling baby, my Creole Belle.
My Creole Belle, I love her well
My darling baby, my Creole Belle
When the stars shine, I'll call her mine
My darling baby, my Creole Belle.
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