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Sandy Boys/Sandy Boy
Old-Time, Breakdown and Minstrel Song. USA; Kentucky, West Virginia.
ARTIST: from The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore; the folklore of North Carolina, collected by Dr. Frank C. Brown during the years 1912 to 1943, in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklore Society
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: Phil Rice’s Correct Method for the Banjo (1857), a period tutor, and also appears an 1844 minstrel songbook (reproduced by Harvard Theatre College Collection, Cambridge, Mass.).
Marsh's Selection, or Singing for the Million on Page 110, published in 1854:
http://books.google.com/books?id=bGT7twZaZYoC&pg=PA110&dq=%22Sandy+boy%22&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
RECORDING INFO: Sandy Boys
Barnett, Armin. Songer, Susan; & Clyde Curley (eds.) / Portland Collection. Contra..., Portland Collection, Fol (1997), p173
Christian, John. Old-Time Banjo Anthology, Vol. 1, Marimac AHS 4, Cas (1991), trk# 25 [1989/06]
Diller, Dwight. New Plowed Ground, Diller, CD (1998), trk# 19
Diller, Dwight; and John Gallagher. Piney Woods, Diller YP-007, Cas (199?), trk# A.05
Gellert, Dan; and Brad Leftwich. Moment in Time, Marimac 9038, Cas (1993), trk# B.04
Gingerthistle. Grandad's Porch, Kudzu KPP 007, CD (1998), trk# 1
Goforth, Gene. Emminence Breakdown, Rounder 0388, CD (1997), trk# 7 (Quail Is a Pretty Bird)
Hammons, Burl. Hammons Family. A Study of a West Virginia Family's Traditions, Library of Congress AFS L65-L66, LP (1973), trk# 16 [1970/11/07]
Hammons, Burl. Krassen, Miles (ed.) / Masters of Old Time Fiddling, Oak, Sof (1983), p 78
Hammons, Edden. Edden Hammons Collection (Vol. 1), Sound Archives 001, LP (1984), trk# 6 [1947/08]
Hammons, Edden. Fiddler Magazine, Fiddler Mag., Ser, 6/4, p37(1999) [1947]
Heartbeats. Living Black and White, Marimac 9048, Cas (1991), trk# 3
Ill-Mo Boys. Fine As Frog's Hair, Marimac 9054, Cas (1992), trk# 17b
Mullennex, Ron. Banjo Legacy, Augusta Heritage AHR 006/024, LP (1989), trk# A.01b
Silberberg, Gene. Silberberg, Gene (ed.) / Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not., Silberberg, Fol (2005), p172
Skirtlifters. Somewhere in Dixie, Skirtlifters, Cas (1987), trk# A.08b
Waldman, Ken. Week in Eek, Nomadic, CD (2000), 4
Boogerman [Me IV-E 14?]
Rt - Sandy Boys
Krassen, Miles. Krassen, Miles / Appalachian Fiddle, Oak, sof (1973), p30b
Krassen, Miles. Krassen, Miles / Clawhammer Banjo, Oak, sof (1974), p47b
Burl Hammonds (Pocahontas County, West Virginia) [Krassen]; The Hurricane Ridge Runners (Armin Barnett, Mark Graham, Jerry Gallaher & Paul Kotapish) [Songer]. Krassen (Masters of Old Time Fiddling), 1983; pg. 78-79. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 140. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 173. Marimac 9038, Dan Gellert & Brad Leftwich - "A Moment in Time." Marimac 9054, The Ill-Mo Boys - "Fine as Frog Hair" (1995). Marimac 9040, The Heartbeats - “Living in Black and White” (1990). CD2001, “The Rough Deal Stringband.” Edden Hammons Collection I.
RELATED TO: Whip the Devil Around the Stump
OTHER NAMES: Boogerman; Whip the Devil Around the Stump [Meade IV-E 14]
SOURCES: Kuntz; Folk Index; Meade; Burl Hammonds (Pocahontas County, West Virginia) [Krassen]; The Hurricane Ridge Runners (Armin Barnett, Mark Graham, Jerry Gallaher & Paul Kotapish) [Songer]. Krassen (Masters of Old Time Fiddling), 1983; pg. 78-79. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 140. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 173. Marimac 9038, Dan Gellert & Brad Leftwich - "A Moment in Time." Marimac 9054, The Ill-Mo Boys - "Fine as Frog Hair" (1995). Marimac 9040, The Heartbeats - “Living in Black and White” (1990). CD2001, “The Rough Deal Stringband.” Edden Hammons Collection I.
Related to: BOOGERMAN (WILL GET YOU). AKA and see "”Chasing/Chase the Devil around the Stump,” "Whip the Devil Around the Stump." Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, "Most common in North Carolina," but known throughout the Appalachians (Krassen, 1973). G Major ('A' part) & E Minor or E Major ('B' part). Standard tuning. AABB. In repertoire of Samantha Bumgarner (Asheville, N.C.), J. Dedrick Harris (Eastern Tenn.), and Osey Helton (Western N.C.) {who knew it as "Whip the Devil Around the Stump"}. Helton may have learned the tune from influential fiddler J.D. Harris, who moved to Western N.C. from Eastern Tenn. in the 1920's, and who recorded the tune on Broadway A1964 (78 RPM) in 1925. Harris called the tune “Whip the Devil Around the Stump,” and it was a variant of the “Boogerman” tune. Harris, who once played regularly with Bob Taylor when he was running for Governor of Tenn. in the late 1800's, also influenced other N.C. fiddlers of Helton's generation such as Manco Sneed, Bill Hensley, and Marcus Martin. Indeed, Manco Sneed played it as “Boogerman” although Fiddling’ Bill Hensley called it “Old Boogerman” (Kerry Blech says that he was recorded about 1940 on instantaneous disk saying the title emphatically. The tune was also in the repertoire of fiddler Tommy Magness (1911-1972), born in north Georgia near the southeastern Tennessee border. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 30. Marimac 9033, Dirk Powell – “Wandering Ramblers.”
WHIP(PING) THE DEVIL AROUND THE STUMP. AKA and see "Booger Man," "Chasing the Devil Around the Stump," "Hummingbird Reel." Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, Eastern Tenn., Western N.C. Broadway Records A1964 (78 RPM), 1924?, J. Dedrick Harris {Harris was a legendary fiddler, born in Tennessee, who played regularly with Bob Taylor while he was running for Governor of the state in the late 1800's. He moved to western North Carolina in the 1920's and influenced a generation of fiddlers there: Osey Helton, Bill Hensley, Manco Sneed and Marcus Martin, to name a few of the outstanding ones}. In the repertoire of Osey Helton.
NOTES: SANDY BOYS A Mixolydian. AEae. AB (Silberberg): ABAB'A'BAB (Krassen).
The song is of minstrel origin appearing in Phil Rice’s Correct Method for the Banjo (1857), a period tutor, and also in a 1844 minstrel songbook (reproduced by Harvard Theatre College Collection, Cambridge, Mass.). Under the title, Uncle Gabriel, it is found on-line in Marsh's Selection, or Singing for the million on Page 110, published in 1854. Here's an excerpt:
T.J. Booth's Kentucky minstrels UNCLE GABRIEL from Marsh's Selection 1854:
Mr. Coon is a mighty man,
He carries a bushy tail.
He steals ole Massa's corn at night,
And husks it on a rail.
CHORUS: Den cum along ole Sandy boy
Oh do cum along, oh do.
What did Uncle Gabriel say?
Jenny won't you cum along too.
De squirrel hab a bushy tail
Stumpy grows de hair.
De Coon's tail am ring'd all 'roun',
De possum's tail am bare.
De Peacock's tail am berry high,
It reach up to de moon,
He cast his eye upon his foot,
Tail drop bery soon.
At some point the boogerboo line, "Waiting for the boogerboo" was added to the chorus. The song is also known as "boogerboo," which means usually boogerman or boogieman (also buggyman), an evil spirit or ghost, the devil. Boogerboo is usually pronounced buggyboo or boogieboo.
Further investigation shows BOOGERBOO: verb [1940s-60s] (US Black) to behave in an unpleasant manner, to be insincere. BOOGERBOO n. 1) An unpleasent situation or person. 2) commotion, as in- He raised a big boogerboo about nothing.
A song and tune are more recently from the repertoire of Pocahontas County, West Virginia, fiddler Edden Hammons. According to Kuntz, Gerry Milnes has found ribald words accompanying the tune in West Virginia. The modern “revival” or “festival” version may have stemmed from a ‘mislearning’ of Hammon’s tune by Bob Herring. See also Missouri fiddler Gene Goforth’s related “The Quail is a Pretty Bird.” Carl Baron supplies the following lyrics, sung, in whole or part, to the melody (although it will be recognized there are quite a few ‘floating’ verses).
Sandy Boy ("The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore; the folklore of North Carolina, collected by Dr. Frank C. Brown during the years 1912 to 1943, in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklore Society")
162 Sandy Boy
De Possum Am a Cunning Thing: Similar stanzas appear in 'Lynchburg Town,' but not the chorus. See also the Negro songs reported by White, ANFS 237-8. The "Sandy" chorus is known also in Missouri (OFS 11 334).
A. 'De Possum Am a Cunning Thing.' From Aliss E. A. Pool, Raleigh (not dated)
1. De possum am a cunning thing,
He trabbles in de dark.
Nuthin' 't all disturbs his mind
Til he hear ole Ranger bark.
Chorus: Do come along, Sandy boy.
Do come along, oh, do;
Don't you hear de jaybird sing?
O Sandy, won't you come along too?
2. De squirrel am a pretty thing.
He's got a bushy tail;
He eat up all ole Masser's corn
A-settin' on a rail.
B. 'De Possum Am a Cunning Thing' From George Lawrence Andrews, Raleigh, about 1927-29. Almost identical with A.
'The Raccoon Is a Cunning Thing.' From J. D. Johnson, Jr., Garland, Sampson county, in 1919, "sung to the banjo by an old Negro in Eastern N. C."
The raccoon is a cunning thing.
He walketh in the dark,
And never thinks to curl his tail
Till he hears old Ranger hark.
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